How many of you use Needle Scaler's for rust removal?

[TriHonu]

Being up here in Minnesota, let us say that anything out in the winter gets covered in salt. Needless to say rusty equipment is just a fact of life.

I have tried wire wheels, flap disks, sand blasting and Phosphoric Acid. I just got done with one project that was just too cost prohibitive to replace. The rust was deep and not where I could get to it with a grinder and the sand blaster wouldn't cut through the scale.

I ended up chipping it off with a chisel and pin punch before I could neutralize it with Phosphoric Acid.

I am wondering what your opinions are on the use of needle scalers. Do they work well? How fast are they? Any brands to stay away from? How ofter do you have to replace the needles?

Thanks.

[littlefuzz]

I love my needle scaler, it works fast on rust and paint. I would stay away from the cheapie brands. Mine is a Jonnesway and I gave around $120 for it. IR is always a good choice too. It takes a pretty good while to wear out the needles, I've never had to replace them in any I've used. We had a old one at the shop I used to work and we used it a lot and never had to replace needles.

[Garth]

Ill second the I love mine thing works great on rust powder coat paint if you need to take it off its gone.works real well on the old hard under coating to.

[tom.jelly]

I use an IR, its GREAT. best thing about needle scalers is they don't spray debris everywhere, and they shatter old thick hardened paint without heating and melting it. you may want to run over things with a wire brush before painting though, because they leave a bit of tiny tiny flecks that would not be nice in the pain't but come right off with a quick once over with a brush. it even works with a 2hp compressor, and you can modulate it (kind of)so you don't destroy thin stuff

t