Selection of the right type of brush

Wire brushes act as an impact tool removing oxide, paint or other adherence from the surface without damaging the base material, as opposed to hard abrasives which will remove the base material along with the surface adherence.
Wire brushes are much more flexible allowing the ability to clean difficult areas to reach and adapt to irregular surfaces, which bonded and coated abrasives can not.
The selection of the right type of brush depends on the type of finishing required (fine or coarse), and the characteristics of the surface to be brushed (stainless steel, carbon steel, wood, etc…).
Besides that, in the case of the brushes fixed in a machine, it is necesary to know the main features of the machine in order to choose the right brush type:
- The maximum diameter allowed.
- The machine speed or RPM.
- The arbor hole diameter or the thread type (M14, 5/8”-11, etc…).

JAZ ZUBIAURRE: Información técnica de cepillos

Crimped wire brushes, because of their higher flexibility, are appropiate to work on uneven surfaces and they obtain a more regular and fine finishing.
Twist knot wire, offers longer life and a higher removal capacity but a more rough finishing.
Abrasive Nylon brushes have the flexibility of crimped wire and offers a smoother finishing.

A short trim length makes the brush face rigid and consequently the brush removal capacity is higher.
With a longer trim length the brush becomes flexible and it provides a uniform brushing even on irregular surfaces.

Wire gauge of a brush determines the type of surface finishing:

A thicker wire provides for a more aggressive brushing action.
The larger the nylon grit size is the smoother finishing you get.

The outer diameter of the brush influences the peripheral speed.
The larger the diameter of the brush, the fewer rotations you need to achieve the desired result, therefore, the conclusion is that, at lower RPM, we obtain better results in less time.
For effective brushing, it is recommended to choose the right brush for the machine to be used.
Take into account the maximum RPM of the machine, protections etc …

The power tool speed influences the performance of the brush and the safety of the operador. If load speed marked on the power tool is higher than the brush MAXIMUM RPM, do not mount the brush. Maximum RPM are indicated on brush side plates and shall never be exceeded.

MAXIMUM RPM are the maximum RPM at which the brush could be run with no work applied (spinning free). It is merely a safety indication for the user, not the recommended operating speed.

Removal	Steel	Stainless Steel and Brass	Nylon
Burr	25-35m/s	20-25m/s	15-20m/s
Weld pass	40-45m/s	35-35m/s
Oxides, Varnishes, Corrosion	30-35m/s	20-25m/s	15-20m/s
Paints and Scales	40-45m/s	35-35m/s

Converting m/sec in ft/min: 1 m/sec = 197 ft/min | 1ft/min = 5,08 m/sec

n	Ø Brush d₁ [mm]
[r.p.m.]	25	30	40	50	60	75	80	100	115	125	150	175	200	250	300
1.000	1	2	2	3	3	4	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	13	16
1.250	2	2	3	3	4	5	5	7	8	8	10	11	13	16	20
1.500	2	2	3	4	5	6	6	8	9	10	12	14	16	20	24
1.750	2	3	4	5	5	7	7	9	11	11	14	16	18	23	27
2.000	3	3	4	5	6	8	8	10	12	13	16	18	21	26	31
2.500	3	4	5	7	8	10	10	13	15	16	20	23	26	33	39
3.000	4	5	6	8	9	12	13	16	18	20	24	27	31	39	47
3.500	5	5	7	9	11	14	15	18	21	23	27	32	37	46	55
4.000	5	6	8	10	13	16	17	21	24	26	31	37	42	52	63
4.500	6	7	9	12	14	18	19	24	27	29	35	41	47	59	71
5.000	7	8	10	13	16	20	21	26	30	33	39	46	52	65	79
5.500	7	9	12	14	17	22	23	29	33	36	43	50	58	72
6.000	8	9	13	16	19	24	25	31	36	39	47	55	63	79
6.500	9	10	14	17	20	26	27	34	39	43	51	60	68
7.000	9	11	15	18	22	27	29	37	42	46	55	64	73
7.500	10	12	16	20	24	29	31	39	45	49	59	69	79
8.000	10	13	17	21	25	31	34	42	48	52	63	73
10.000	13	16	21	26	31	39	42	52	60	65	79
12.000	16	19	25	31	38	47	50	63	72	79
14.000	18	22	29	37	44	55	59	73
16.000	21	25	34	42	50	63	67
20.000	26	31	42	52	63	79
22.000	29	35	46	58	69
25.000	33	39	52	65	79

Material	Ø mm	Ø "	Wire Code
Grey Steel	0,12	.005	A
Brass Coated Steel	0,15	006	B
	0,20	.008	C
	0,25	.010	D
	0,30	.012	E
	0,35	.014	F
	0,40	.016	G
	0,50	.020	H
	12 x 0,23 (2)	12 x .009	#
	6 x 0,353 + 3 x 0,20	6 x 014 + 3 x.008	@
Stainless Steel	0,15	.006	M
	0,20	.008	N
	0,30	.012	Z
	0,40	.016	P
	0,50	.020	Q
	7 x 0,35	7 x .013	@Z
Brass	0,08	.003	U
	0,30	.012	V
	0,40	.016	X
Grey Steel	0,37	.015	J
	0,50	.020	K
	0,80	.032	L
German Silver	0,08	.003	O
Flat Steel	0,90 x 0,50	.035 x .020	T
Galvanised Steel	0,43	.017	S
Laminated Wire	3 x 0,20 + 6 x 0,35	3 x .008 + 6 x .014	W
Laminated Wire	0,50	.020	Y

Example
Brush diameter d₁=150mm
R.P.M.: 3000 r.p.m
Cutting Speed: 24m/s

R.P.M.: 5.000 r.p.m.

Cutting speed (v) =

d₁ x π x nº de rev. (n)

1.000 x 60

Conversion Table mm / "
Ø Brush		Ø Wire
mm	"	mm	"	I.S.W.G
25	1"	0,08	0,003"	44
50,8	2"	0,1	0,004"	42
76,2	3"	0,12	0,005"	40
101,6	4"	0,15	0,006"	38
127	5"	0,2	0,008"	36
152,4	6"	0,25	0,01"	33
177,8	7"	0,3	0,0118"	31
203,2	8"	0,35	0,0138"	29
228,6	9"	0,4	0,016"	27
254	10"	0,5	0,02"	25
279,4	11"	0,8	0,0315"	21

JAZ ZUBIAURRE: Información técnica de materiales

Deburring is the action of removing burrs, these are normally produced after performing cutting or machining operations on certain materials such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, etc.

For deburring carbon steel, brushes with carbon steel are best suited for these applications. As a general rule, the larger the diameter of the wire filament, the more aggressive removal the brush has.
For deburring stainless steel, it is best to use brushes with stainless steel wires to avoid problems of contamination on the working surface.
For deburring brass it is recommended that the brush wires are made of brass. There are many materials and alloys that are also deburred, the most suitable option must be tried in each case.

Surface preparation is the process of changing the surfaces appearance of a material. Wood is a typical material to apply this process. By passing a steel brush over a wooden surface we are able to highlight the hardest grain, replicating an aged wood look. This process is also known by the term “Rustic”.

The diameter of the wire is important to obtain the desired finish, some woods are harder and require a larger wire diameter than soft woods.

For the final step during finishing, some experts use abrasive nylon brushes, these soften the aggressive passage of the steel.

Other materials/surfaces are also prepped, such as stainless steel, stone or rubber. Preparing stainless steel is also known as a “satin finish”. A wide range of products are used to provide a satin stainless-steel finish, the most common is abrasive wheels, but in some cases abrasive nylon brushes are used, fixed to a wheel sander machine.

Removal of paint, rust, dirt, coatings on metal parts etc … The steel wire brush is the ideal tool for this application. The wires remove rust, paint, coatings etc … very easily.

In any of the styles of a brush, cup, circular, end brush etc … the performance is ideal for this application. If the result is not as expected, try using a larger diameter wire or changing from a crimped wire style brush to a twisted knot wire brush for more cutting action.

Removing of labels, cleaning of welding joints, stripping of wire rod, cleaning of molds, foundry dust, pad printing on metal parts, conveyor belts, etc …

Steel brushes are not always the right solution. Depending on the metal part to be cleaned, you can also use synthetic fibers (nylon, polypropylene, pekalon, etc.) for cleaning. For example, a plastic conveyor belt cannot be cleaned with wire brushes, but you can do it with synthetic fiber brushes.

There are other types of brushes made with natural fibers such as Horse hair, Tampico, Wild pig hair, etc.). This type of fiber has the advantage of not creating static electricity. In some cleaning processes, the friction of synthetic fibers with surfaces generates static electricity and they are useless, hence the use of vegetable fibers.

Eliminate melt sands, dust, flours, etc. Synthetic fiber brushes are the most suitable for this type of aplication. Normally it is about removing substances that are loosely attached to the surface.

The food industry is a common user of this type of application.

With our main focus of finishing surfaces with the use power and hand brushes, we specialize in fill materials that can be used in brushes. With brushes it is not possible to achieve finishing that is possible with other materials such as scotch brite, abrasive sponges, etc …

In the market, abrasive nylon, aluminum oxide, diamond, etc. fibers are available. They are the most widely used abrasives in brushes. With this type of brushes, fine burrs and improvements in surface finishing are achieved. These are synthetic fiber filaments impregnated in the different types of abrasive mentioned above. The most widely used fiber is Abrasive Nylon.

Finishing	Grade
Finishing	Wire	Abrasive nylon	Sandpaper	Polish	Sweep
Coarse	W1	NA1	SP1	P1	SW1
Medium	W2	NA2	SP2	P2	SW2
Fine	W3	NA3	SP3	P3	SW3
Superfine	W4	NA4	SP4	P4	SW4
Neutral	W5	NA5	SP5	P5	SW5

For brushing carbon steel material, the most common brushes to use are made with carbon steel wires. Only in cases where carbon steel is at high temperatures is it recommended to use stainless steel brushes. Carbon steel rusts in heat and stainless does not.

As a general rule, it is recommended to use stainless steel wire brushes for brushing stainless steel surfaces, to avoid oxidation problems in on the material.

Wood has different characteristics than other materials. The end user is the one who knows the finishing type he is looking for and that can change the criteria when selecting brushes. They are generally carbon steel brushes along with abrasive nylon brushes. The choice of wire thickness will depend on the type of wood (hard or soft), as well as the grain of the abrasive nylon.

We consider Non-Sparking those metallic surfaces where sparks should not be generated when brushing because they are in environments with a risk of explosion. For brushing surfaces and not wanting to generate sparks, we recommend using solid brass wire brushes.

Rubber: In rubber brushing processes, tire manufacturers, retreading and metal-rubber component industry, use carbon steel brushes.
Leather: The footwear sector also uses carbon steel brushes to prepare the leather before gluing it to the sole.
Jewelry: To work these delicate surfaces, jewelers use brushes made of brass and nickel silver with very fine filaments (0.08mm).
Stone: This type of surface is usually worked with steel brushes and also with abrasive brushes. On the one hand, it is possible to remove soft elements from the stone as well as satin and / or aged finishes. Abrasive brushes are common on marble, quartz, granite, ceramic and terrazzo surfaces.

Finishing	Grade
Finishing	Wire	Abrasive nylon	Sandpaper	Polish	Sweep
Coarse	W1	NA1	SP1	P1	SW1
Medium	W2	NA2	SP2	P2	SW2
Fine	W3	NA3	SP3	P3	SW3
Superfine	W4	NA4	SP4	P4	SW4
Neutral	W5	NA5	SP5	P5	SW5

Work efficiency increases as a brush diameter increases. To calculate the biggest possible diameter, it is necessary to consider the maximum RPM of the power tool or machine being used (i.e. for an electric tool with maximum RPM of 6,000, the brush should not exceed 175 mm diameter).

A shorter trim length provides a more aggressive brushing action, whereas flexibility to adapt to irregular or uneven surfaces increases as trim length increases. In contrast to abrasives and cutting tools, wire brushes do not remove the base material of a treated surface. Herein, brushes serve as an essential tool for a wide range of industrial processes.

Multithreads and Adapters: The exclusive and patented JAZ threaded nut provides for a number of advantages: Easier tightening into machines. Higher resistance of the brush against possible deformation. The multithread option allows the use of one brush on machines with different types of spindle: R88 threaded nut: fits both 5/8-11” and M14-2 machines. R77 threaded nut: fits both M10x1,25 and M10x1,5.

The purpose of these innovations is to help distributors better manage the line by reducing the number of SKU-s or items and improve their level of service to their customers and end users.

JAZ ZUBIAURRE: Criterios de selección de cepillos

Consult us if you want to have more information related to our services or you want us to advise you about how they can fit to your firm´s needs.

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Applications

Selection of the right type of brush

Wire type, diameter and length

Wire Brushes Vs. Hard Abrasives

Crimped Wire, Twisted Knot Wire and Abrasive Nylon

Trim Length

Wire Diameter and Characteristics of Abrasive Nylon

Brush dimensions and R.P.M.

R.P.M.

Peripherical speed

Cutting speed [m/s]

Main actions to be taken with brushes

Deburring

Surface preparation

Grinding

Cleaning

Sweeping

Finishing

Removal

Flexibility

Surface treatment

The first step is to identify the type of surface that the application will be performed on; steel, stainless steel, aluminum, wood etc. The following is a our recommendation for what brush fill material is best to be used for each work surface material.

Carbon steel

Stainless steel

Wood

Non-sparking

Other surfaces

Necessary steps for the correct choice of a brush

The choice of a brush depends on several criteria to take into account

1.

Material you are working on/ Surface to be treated

Steel

Stainless / Aluminum

Non-sparking

Wood

Others

2.

Power tool being used

Drill

Grinder

Mini-Grinder

Die-Grinder

Wood Portable Machine

Bench-Grinder

Industrial Machine

Burnishing

By hand

3.

Type of application

Cleaning

Surface preparation

Deburring

Grinding

Finishing

Polishing

Sweeping

4.

Surface finish required

Removal

Flexibility

Diagram to calculate the Power required on Wheel Brushes

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USA