Power Brushes

Power Brushes

Power brushes are wire-bristled brushes mounted on angle grinders, drills, bench grinders, and dedicated brushing tools — used for cleaning, deburring, surface preparation, paint stripping, and rust removal. Where a wire hand brush is too slow and a sanding disc is too aggressive, a power brush is the right tool. AIMS Industrial stocks power brushes for trade and industrial users in the formats and sizes Australian workshops actually use.

The brush types we stock

• Wire wheel brushes — circular brushes for bench grinders and angle grinders
• Cup brushes — bowl-shaped brushes for surface cleaning and rust removal on flat surfaces
• End brushes — small cup brushes on a shank for use in drills, dies grinders, and pencil grinders
• Strip brushes — narrow brushes for slot and groove cleaning
• Twist-knot brushes — coarse, aggressive brushes for heavy paint and rust removal
• Crimped-wire brushes — finer, less aggressive brushes for surface finishing and cleaning

Wire material — match to job

• Carbon steel wire — the everyday choice for general cleaning, paint removal, and rust removal on steel
• Stainless steel wire — for cleaning stainless steel without contaminating the surface with carbon steel particles
• Brass wire — softer than steel, suits cleaning brass, copper, and softer metals without aggressive cutting
• Nylon abrasive (in some specialist brushes) — for finish work and surface preparation without metal contamination

Crimped versus twist-knot

Crimped-wire brushes have wires crimped to maintain a consistent bristle pattern — they're softer, finer, and produce smoother surfaces. Twist-knot brushes have wires twisted into bundles for stiffness and aggression — they remove material faster but produce a rougher finish. Choose by application: crimped for finishing and finer surfaces, twist-knot for heavy stripping and rust removal.

Sizing and mounting

Wire wheel and cup brushes are sized by overall diameter and the mounting thread (M14 is the angle grinder standard, with 5/8 inch UNC for some bench grinders). Match the mounting to your tool. Speed rating must match the tool's RPM — running brushes faster than their rated speed is dangerous and can fail the brush body.

Brands stocked at AIMS

Pferd, Klingspor, and Norton cover the power brush range — established manufacturers chosen for wire quality (correct hardness and crimp), construction (welded backing plates that don't separate in service), and consistent performance. Cheap unbranded brushes shed wires quickly and can cause injury when wires fly off the brush — false economy.

Working safely

Power brushes throw wires — both in normal use (small wire shedding) and during failure (whole bristles or sections). Eye protection is essential, full face shields are sensible for sustained use, and gloves protect against the constant stream of small wires that are almost impossible to see. Don't reach toward the brush during use; let the tool come to a stop before adjusting workpiece position.

Need help speccing brushes for a specific job? contact our team — we'll match brush type, wire, and mounting to the application.