Cleaning between Compounds??

[blathrop1]

Hey everyone. I'm a newb so go easy on me...


Here are some pics of my wheels. 4" Spiral sewn. I started with 120 greaseless, and have done 180, 240, black bar, brown bar, white bar.

I have been wiping down with water between compounds, and using a hacksaw blade to freshen the wheels.

Did I miss something? Do I need all new wheels? I can still see some of the casting lines too. Have tried 90 deg to the lines, and just stratching on top of the lines even with the 120. Tried an area with light 100 sandpaper, and can NOT get it out now...


HHHEEEELLLLPPP!!! I wanna go ride!!

[blathrop1]

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[blathrop1]

And the bars, and greaseless especially are REALLY REALLY dry. Came like that. I used a pliers to get off some of the crusty outside, but don't feel like it's going onto the wheels very well.

Had them in plastic bags over night with a little water inside, but did little. I live in a dry climate.....

[mpierich]

Originally Posted by blathrop1

Hey everyone. I'm a newb so go easy on me...
Here are some pics of my wheels. 4" Spiral sewn. I started with 120 greaseless, and have done 180, 240, black bar, brown bar, white bar.
I have been wiping down with water between compounds, and using a hacksaw blade to freshen the wheels.
Did I miss something? Do I need all new wheels? I can still see some of the casting lines too. Have tried 90 deg to the lines, and just stratching on top of the lines even with the 120. Tried an area with light 100 sandpaper, and can NOT get it out now...
HHHEEEELLLLPPP!!! I wanna go ride!!

During the greasless steps, use some kind of spray cleaner like Simple Green or 409 between steps. For bar compounds, water won't touch them because they're mostly made from animal fat. Use brake cleaner or similar.

A blade with larger teeth would make a better wheel rake. And, you need a different one for each compound.

Most likely you aren't spending enough time on one or more of the steps. It's a universal mistake.

[blathrop1]

Thanks...I talked with Caswell today, and a guy at work. He's never used compounds, and the Caswell tech said brake cleaner too. He did NOT think i needed new cotton wheels.

I'll try brake cleaner tomorrow, and a tree saw blade. (If I wait for a wheel rake from Caswell I'll NEVER get them back together!!)

[mpierich]

Originally Posted by blathrop1

Thanks...I talked with Caswell today, and a guy at work. He's never used compounds, and the Caswell tech said brake cleaner too. He did NOT think i needed new cotton wheels.

I'll try brake cleaner tomorrow, and a tree saw blade. (If I wait for a wheel rake from Caswell I'll NEVER get them back together!!)

When you say "tree saw blade"...um...you want something with say 5-10 teeth per inch or so, like a regular carpenter's saw.

[blathrop1]

I'm not ashamed to admit my stupidity during the "learning curve" of new projects. That said...

I tried to first use a hacksaw metal cutting blade. Didn't really think too much about it, and caught the danger edge of the wheel. It caught, kicked, snapped, and shot that blade about 20ft into the trees. :doh:

The "tree cutting" hacksaw seems a little more heavy duty, and has been working fine so far. Can't get the brake cleaner until tonight, so won't know until tomorrow.

Thanks again mp

[baz]

[quote=blathrop1;43790]I'm not ashamed to admit my stupidity during the "learning curve" of new projects. That said...

I tried to first use a hacksaw metal cutting blade. Didn't really think too much about it, and caught the danger edge of the wheel. It caught, kicked, snapped, and shot that blade about 20ft into the trees. :doh:

The "tree cutting" hacksaw seems a little more heavy duty, and has been working fine so far. Can't get the brake cleaner until tonight, so won't know until tomorrow.

Thanks again mp[/QUOTE

you are trying, you are making mistakes, you are asking questions, and you are learning , nothing stupid about that .in fact that sounds like one of my regular days
about the greaseless if you had to remove crust with pliers when you received it then its probably too dried up ,does it feel a bit spongy in the middle or is it very hard ?
for the other questions just follow mpierich s advice and you will be on the right track