What Is a Wire Brush Used For in Home Maintenance?

The cheapest tool in the shed, and the one that does the most work

A wire brush looks like nothing at all, and it is the tool I reach for more than almost anything else, because half the jobs people come in asking about are really a surface preparation problem underneath. Paint that peeled after a month, a spade that seizes up, a gate hinge that has gone solid with rust. All of that starts with getting the loose stuff off, and that is what a wire brush is for.

What it actually is

It's a brush with wire bristles instead of nylon, and the whole trick is matching the bristle to the surface you're putting it on.

• Mild steel. The standard, and the hardest of the three. Rust and flaking paint on ordinary steel.
• Stainless steel. For stainless and aluminium, because a mild steel brush leaves tiny iron particles behind that rust later and stain the surface you just cleaned.
• Brass. Softer than the metal it's usually used on, so it cleans without scoring. Good on soft alloys, and on anything where you care what it looks like afterwards.

Then there's the shape. A handheld brush for detail work, a four row for bigger flat surfaces, and cup or wheel brushes that chuck into a drill or an angle grinder when you're stripping a whole gate rather than a hinge.

Where I use one

Getting rust off garden tools

A spade or a pair of secateurs that has been left out gets a brown crust that makes everything harder. Brush it back to bare metal, then wipe boiled linseed oil over the head and the handle, and it stops the rust coming straight back. That's a ten minute job once a season and it is the difference between a tool lasting five years and lasting thirty.

Prepping before paint or stain

Paint does not stick to flaking paint. A wire brush over weathered timber or a rusty steel rail takes off everything loose so the new coat is gripping the surface rather than gripping the old failure, and on timber you work along the grain so you don't gouge it.

Clearing out crevices

Mortar joints, weld seams, the gap under a stair rail. A cloth cannot reach any of them and a wire brush can.

The one place I would not use one

A barbecue grill. Wire bristles work loose and a stray bristle that ends up in food is a genuine trip to hospital, which is a horrible way to find out about a five dollar brush. There are bristle free grill scrapers made for exactly this. Use one of those instead.

A few things worth knowing before you start

• Wear eye protection, especially with a cup brush in a drill, because a powered brush throws bristles and it throws them fast.
• Gloves too. A loose wire finds a thumb every time.
• Let the tool do the work rather than leaning on it. Pushing hard bends the bristles over and wears the brush out without cleaning any faster.
• Keep a separate brush for stainless. Once you've had a mild steel brush on rusty gear it will carry that rust onto the next thing.

Shop related products

• Weldclass Hand Wire Brush, Mild Steel, 4 Row. The general purpose one for rust and flaking paint.
• Hand Wire Brush, Stainless Steel, Single Row. For stainless and alloy, so nothing rusts later.
• Boiled Linseed Oil 1L. Goes on straight after the brush to keep rust off.
• Supercraft Combination Bench Sharpening Stone. Once the rust is off, the edge is the next job.
• Ugly Fish Tradie Safety Sunglasses. Eye protection for anything powered.

Did you know we keep 17 different wire brush lines on the shelf in store, including brass, stainless, the mini sets and the spindle mounted cup and wheel brushes for a drill. Most of them aren't listed on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's there.

Where to get it sorted

We also run a tool sharpening depot, so if the rust has come off and the edge is still hopeless, bring it in and ask. Have a look at our essential services while you're deciding.

Keep reading

• How to Hang Shelves in a Rental Without Losing Your Bond
• When Should You Use Expanding Foam Sealant?
• How to Seal the Gap Under the Front Door to Keep Out Drafts

I'm the sort who leaves a spade standing in the dirt all winter, so I own more wire brushes than anybody reasonably needs, and I'm not apologising for either of those.

Cheers,

Candeece

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