Needle Scalers

[pfrederi 17,910]

I bought an inexpensive Northern Tool Needle scaler several years ago.  I like using it on stuff too big to fit in the blast cabinet.  Not the fastest process in the world I had time to think while I was working on my neighbors deck from his 856 today.. 

 

I paid 39.95 but I see ingersoll-rand  has some for $175 and up.  I would suppose they would last longer in industrial use but is there another advantage to having a more expensive unit??  Anyone have or get to use one at work??

 

.  As my father said it is a poor workman who blames his tools...(He never had to use some of the junk they sell these days)...Sometimes it is nice to have a cheap tool... you can blame it instead of yourself.

[ranger 1,762]

If the tool does the job, and your not using it 24/7, then why pay higher prices. If you need it for a day job, it's a different matter. A good friend of mine, sadly passed on now, used to carry the cheapest set of spanners and screwdrivers under the seat in his car, he used to say, "if I break down, what good is a set of 'SnapOn' tools sitting at home when I'm broken down 100 miles away from them". " If I only use them once, they've paid for themselves!"

[Sarge 3,463]

Ingersoll Rand also sells an add-on head with some good quality needles that will fit almost any air chisel gun made on it's external nose threads . I use mine to clean slag and rust removal for welding pretty often in places a stringer bead brush can't penetrate . Be aware - it will peen down your welds quite a lot in a hurry , especially when still hot ...

 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ingersoll-rand-needle-scaler-attachment

 

Sarge

[squonk 41,464]

I got a cheapie HF scaler. It works so well I bought a box of extra needles the last time I was there getting my free comedy show at the check out line!

[ebinmaine 68,514]

On 9/4/2017 at 0:59 PM, squonk said:

my free comedy show at the check out line!

 

Having been to HF a couple times, and even a couple other retail stores in my time... I'm not sure if this should make me laugh cry or gag....

[BOB ELLISON 2,981]

I used one in the Navy when the ship was in Drydock. I hated it . It was so noise even with hearing protection on.

At the end of the day my hands were numb. I still hate then because of that.

[Sarge 3,463]

Needle scalers are like jack hammers - got to use a light touch and just guide it along - or you'll regret it . Modern , dedicated scalers have a different type of grip and are isolated away from the vibration pretty well , but that noise level is still there , even on the heaviest of materials . Same with jack hammers - it's amazing how much better they have gotten but still aren't much fun to work with...lol .

 

Sarge

[C-85 698]

I have a $40 one from IR and although it is noisy, it does work well on the end of my air hammer.  I like this and it is a lot less messy than sand blasting.  I've used it to remove heavy scale and at very low power on some delicate sheet metal.  Just the vibration itself has removed some of the rust I was trying to clean up.  So I think these are very useful good tools to have.

 

C-85

[Sarge 3,463]

That's the one I currently use , a lot cheaper if you're not going to use it often and leaves a decent enough finish for a rough paint job . I needed it for cleaning welds in tight spots where a brush wouldn't work as well as removing very heavy scale prior to blasting . If the rust/mill scale is too thick you waste a ton of media trying to get it off - the scale can actually act like some plastics that will absorb the impact of the media , tough to get it to move or get under it effectively .

 

Sarge