Needle scalers to remove rust and paint

[gimpyrobb]

This stuff was purchased to use as intended. Go figure I'd do something crazy like that.

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

Ok, I'm not gonna pretend I know what this does, so I'll be the one to ask.

What exactly is it and how does it work ?

It reciprocates the "needles" (really hardened and tempered steel rods about a tenth of an inch in diameter)) in and out several thousand times per second. The stroke is only about a sixteenth of an inch. They are great for removing heavy rust on 1/8" or thicker steel.

 

[kipman]

The good one came from a rebuilder in Michigan, that is what he does, told Roger if he puts a oiler at the tool it will last muck longer, the rebuilder told us the clearance in the tool are very tight.

 

[GoHot229]

Well the side-grinder and sander have been a great help so far. There just wasn't enough for sandblasting really, unless I owned a Ingersol Rand rotary and tub, and then Id probably get carried away and have the Deuce in a dozen pieces. The scaler is the final piece and solution for the outsides of the bed pocket verts, you know the place, right there in that little triangular recess......well it dont stand a chance now, (the rust) It'll be ready for some Rapco paint in short order now, hopefully I'll hav'er done by November and Vetrans Day.

 

[jimmcld]

Works good on tread plate. I just finished up removing the paint on the running boards of my M816. It does seem to work better on heavier material. It did the vise and the blocks in no time.

I used a wire brush on the bed tread plate before I got the scaler. Lots of dust and sweat with marginal results. On the heavier pieces, the scaler works even better than my sandblaster.

 

[GoHot229]

Well I went ahead and got the smaller one from HF and got it home. It will work with the air supply in bursts of about 5-10 seconds. Worked great on the side of the bed, around the pockets and in the corners. the winch came out way nice and the hubs and wheels excelent, just alot of waiting for air to build. Really should have a compressor fom the shop to work best.Spots here and there on the body, I held at a steep angle and it appeared to not harm the sheet metal, still it is best to just use a wire-brush-sidegrinder for that or a sander.

 

[coolnick73]

I also bought the small HF needler and it worked pretty good. Much quicker and easier than using a sandblaster with too small of an air compressor. I think the small ones at HF are around $20.

 

[GoHot229]

Yea.....on sale right now. I was surprised how good it worked with the limited psi drom the Deuce. I'll hit the rest of the wheel/hubs today along with the axles.

 

[redcoat54th]

Just remember that a needle scaler is only one tool in the arsenel. Sometimes a sander is perfect, sometimes a wire brush. Don't try to do everything with one tool unless thats all you have. Experiment and find what works best for a given job/surface. Ear and eye protection are a mUst. I will repeat that. EAR AND EYE PROTECTION ARE A MUST.
And if you need help needle scaling: I'm bussy that weekend!

 

[Tinwoodsman]

I got the bigger one at Harbor Freight and one needle broke with the first 1/2 hour. Called HF and they sent me a pack of 19 needles for nothing. Got another pack for $7 at the store. When a needle breaks, I just replace. I have a beast of a compressor and it works great. I have used it on all types of metal and just go very lightly on thin metals.

I use the scaler to get the heavy multi layers or "blobs" and then lightly blast or sand. Once clean I spray with Krud Kutter "Must for Rust" and paint. Works great.

 

[135gmc]

I used to use them for paint removal - they can do a clean job, but you will go through a lot of needles and retainers. I used to replace needles and retainers when needed, about 1 set per month. They do a great job on thick, hard paint, and not so good on a thin coat. They are noisy, so plan on grouchy neighbors unless you can get off somewhere. If you use them, don't force them by pushing them hard into the frame - that will go through needles faster. They use about 8 CFM of compressed air each at 90 PSI.