Learned a trick from a classic car guy about rust repair

I was working on a rear corner panel that had some bubbling rust near the taillight. This guy got out of his truck and walked over, asked if he could watch for a minute. He said, "You're going to eat through that metal in 3 seconds with that disc." So he handed me a knotted wire wheel for my drill. It took me 20 minutes to clean an area that would have taken 5 with the grinder, but I didn't punch a single hole. The metal underneath was solid, just needed the paint and flake rust removed. I ended up using two different wire wheels on the whole job and saved the customer from needing a patch panel. Has anyone else switched tools later in their career and realized you were doing it the hard way for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.jordan18d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, are you telling me I've been going at rust like a caveman with a rock for the last ten years and some guy with a wire wheel could've saved my sanity? Man, I once spent a whole weekend grinding a quarter panel down to swiss cheese trying to be 'fast'.

evan_morgan8118d ago

A whole weekend just on a quarter panel? @hernandez.jordan that sounds like a nightmare. I'd be ready to torch the car after that.