Used a wire brush on hot steel for 2 years before an old timer set me straight

I used to go at hot metal with a regular wire brush to knock off scale, but a retired smith at a demo in Kentucky told me to try a brass brush instead since it won't gouge the surface. Now I keep a brass brush within arm's reach and my finish work looks way cleaner. Anybody else switch tools after a random piece of advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade472d agoMost Upvoted

Look, I gotta push back here. I tried a brass brush years ago and went RIGHT back to steel. Brass is too soft for anything beyond light cleaning. If you're working hot steel, that scale is HARD. I've seen brass bristles just melt and smear across the surface, leaving this nasty brass residue that actually RUINS your finish. The old timer in Kentucky might have been talking about cold work or some specific alloy, but for general blacksmithing? Steel wire is the way to go. I'll take a few tiny gouges that get ground out later over a brass-stained mess that requires sanding to fix.

tyler3682d ago

Yeah, the brass residue thing is exactly why I gave up on them too. @jade47 I had the same mess on a fireplace grate I was cleaning up, took forever to sand that yellow stain off. Totally with you on steel wire being the better call for hot work.