Wire Brushes
Wire brushes come in a variety of configurations; virtually any type of brush
can be manufactured using metal wire filament, including twisted-in-wire brushes,
wheel brushes, cup brushes, end brushes, hand-held wire scratch brushes and
wire scrubbers. Twisted-knot wheel brushes and twisted-knot cup brushes are power
brushes made exclusively with wire filament. Many other wire brushes, including some
twisted-in-wire brushes, cup brushes and end brushes are power brushes which
are used for surface finishing applications such as heavy deburring, wire brushing,
buffing, edge blending, paint or rust removal. Hand-held wire-scratch brushes,
wire scrubbers and hand-held twisted-in-wire brushes are also used for some
surface finishing applications as well as heavy-duty surface cleaning.
Wire filament can be made from brass, steel, stainless steel, bronze, aluminum,
nickel silver, copper or titanium, each type of wire being used in applications
which require corresponding qualities of aggressiveness, corrosion resistance
and electrical conductivity. The metal filament in wheel brushes, cup brushes
and end brushes is usually crimped in order to allow the wire to break cleanly
as it wears, creating fresh new cutting edges. Industrial parts manufacturers
use wire power brushes to deburr and surface condition metal, plastic, glass
and wood parts, while other types of industrial and commercial manufacturers
use wire scratch brushes and scrubbers for die, mold or tube cleaning and many
other applications which require harsh scrubbing. Fine-bristled nickel silver
and brass brushes are used for plating and polishing, and steel-bristled brooms
are used for sweeping or scrubbing rough surfaces such as cement, stone, and
street pavement as well as hard-to-reach ovens, brick and concrete.