How to get into tight spaces with die grinder brush?

[conor1n]

Hey guys,

There are a few spots in my car body that I am trying to clean out the rust. Up to this point i've been having great success with a variety of wire wheels/brushes etc on my die grinder.

That said there are a few places that I struggle to get anything into. It would even be difficult to get in with a bit of elbow grease and sandpaper. For example, one instance shown below.

You can see I was able to get a bit off with a grinding stone on the grinder, but not ideal.

I came across this attachment in store the other day but my experience with these things is the wire will just fan out due to the centrigual force of the spinning grinder. Perhaps this one is a bit stronger?

While we are here, I might as well show this area. It's very tight, nothing will fit in there but it's fairly rust in there and the idea of just leaving it untreated pains me, despite the car just being for track!

I kid you not, the thought of cutting out part of the wheel well, to weld it back in crossed my mind... or even getting the flat floor from a 182 Clio and adding that instead of the wheel well floor.

What would you do?

 

[James1979]

Can you either feather the trigger on the die grinder or put a valve in line so its not balls out? I have to do this with role pads other wise it eats them!

As for the last pic - would a needle gun be too aggressive?

 

[awemawson]

Spot sand blaster is what you need. I have one that re-cycles it's grit, which is stored in a sphere, by having a workshop vac attached, and the blasting hose is co-axial with grit at high speed down the centre and at low pressure back up the outer. Quite slow to use but sometimes very useful

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Or use a power drill, takes longer.
But does work.

 

[Barking Mat]

Let me get a photo...

It's a Fraise in French, yes a strawberry, in English no idea, deburring thing, used in milling, would work a treat in a die grinder.

 

[brightspark]

Let me get a photo...

View attachment 299819
It's a Fraise in French, yes a strawberry, in English no idea, deburring thing, used in milling, would work a treat in a die grinder.

a cone carbide rotary file there brill and last for years if u buy a good one

 

[Kram]

Let me get a photo...

View attachment 299819
It's a Fraise in French, yes a strawberry, in English no idea, deburring thing, used in milling, would work a treat in a die grinder.

Carbide burr. Would put a nice sharp hole in thin metal, shatter into 100 pieces too if your not careful. I wouldnt choose one for paint stripping!

Considered caustic/dcm stripper rather than mechanical?

Somone waa showing off angry grinder belt sander attachement recently might work?
I got an air recipricating file the other day, havent tried it yet.

 

[Melvyn Best]

Rolock disks work well

 

[Jack_K]

Sandblasting will get into all the areas you can't get with anything else.

 

[optima21]

and if you're using wire small wire brushes in a you can make extenaions. the top one is from 10mm bar drilled either 6mm of !/4" with a slot cut down the length and partially threaded and a M8 nut rethreaded M1 x 1.00mm to clamp the wire brush shank, or the bottom one is an ER11 colleet chuch with a 1/4" collet so that can work with both 6mm and 1/4" shanks

if you do try this, dont apply too much sideways pressure as you can destroy the drills bearings. I'd use wire brushes in a mains drill rather than a cordless one though