Maybe everybody else knew what this was, but I did not. Mom asked me to sand the trim on the back of the house and repaint it. The trim had a rough cut, Mom says that it is supposed to look "rustic," and I warned her that sanding the paint would smooth out the surface. Then she did not like that the rough surface smoothed down, so she wanted me to use a wire brush, which did not seem to do anything. I had one of these, so I used it, but I spent longer picking the paint out with a screwdriver than using it:
I figured there must have been a better way, so I went to Ace and bought one of these:
Each color has a different grit, 80, 160, and 240. I went with grey, which is the coarsest. It claims
Lasts up to 10 times longer than wire brushes. Does not rust or clog; maintains shape and never loses abrasive power.
I was amazed at how well it removed paint. After half an hour, I removed more paint than I had in a few hours with the wire one, plus a great deal of time cleaning it and stabbing my hand with wires. Unfortunately, at that point, one of the little brushes went flying, and I could not find it. The next day, I saw it fifteen feet from where I had been working, so now I stop every few minutes to push them back in.
I really like it, but I really think that it is wearing out faster than my end brush. Ace had a 3" wire wheel for $3, so I gave that a try. It immediately tore through the paint and gouged the wood!
I look forward to filling that in soon...
What has worked for you guys?