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Roto brush guard or not?

post #1 of 29
12/4/07 at 5:31pm
Thread Starter 
Last season I cut off my roto brush guard for better visibility and really never noticed a downside. With the advent of the Quick Grip handles and interchangeable drive shafts, all without guards, I'm wondering if others tend to eventually yank off the guards of conventional handles?



Conventional Roto Brush



Quick Grip handle



10cm 14 cm & 20cm drive shafts
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post #2 of 29
12/4/07 at 7:13pm
I don't have a guard. Don't feel a need for one.
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post #3 of 29
12/4/07 at 8:21pm
No guard but I ALWAYS wear eye protection.
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post #4 of 29
12/4/07 at 8:25pm
No guard since you can not put scotch bright on top of the brush with the guard...
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post #5 of 29
12/5/07 at 12:54pm
Get the guard. It will keep airborne particulate out of your eyes and lungs.
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post #6 of 29
12/5/07 at 11:32pm
I don't use a roto brush guard. I use safety glasses though.
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post #7 of 29
12/6/07 at 3:47am
Guard and safety glasses, but I need glasses anyway's. You only get one pair of lungs and eye's. Yea they make be able to replace one, but I rather keep what I got.

I'm also you that believes in not spending to much time brushing and polishing the wax. BTW I don't race, I just ski fast. I use Dominator HypeZoom.
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post #8 of 29
12/6/07 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
Like any shop work using tools and creating flying debris safety glasses and possibly masks are a given. I like these 'cheater' safety glasses from Duluth Trading Co, as they also have a magnifying area for detail work. They come with 1.5 to 3 diopter.



It's obvious that the guards do catch debris, but they do not eliminate the airborne particulates and other means are still necessary if you wish to not inhale anything (shop vac, mask, air filter, ventilation, etc). Rotating the brushes away from you at the bases directs debris away somewhat. More scraping after minimal wax application also helps to reduce the dust.
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post #9 of 29
12/6/07 at 4:53pm
I've been using my Red Creek Roto bushes for over 6 or 7 years. I don't find the dust to be a issue.
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post #10 of 29
12/6/07 at 5:06pm
I was visiting my Milwaukee tools pimp today, and I thought twice about:



0370-20
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post #11 of 29
12/6/07 at 5:15pm
1300 rpm. Is it enough?
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post #12 of 29
12/7/07 at 12:13pm
I don't think so. And I'd probably strip the gearing, just like with a hand mixer.
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post #13 of 29
12/7/07 at 1:59pm
Looks handy and compact though....
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post #14 of 29
12/7/07 at 2:12pm
Qualifier: The following should be taken as a naive question coming from someone who has never used a roto brush... as opposed to a smart-a$$ question from someone doubting what you are saying! But....

Do you guys really kick up enough dust with hand brushing to fill the air (and lungs, eyes, etc)? I'm surprised, but then have never seen in action. This has me wondering if I am being aggressive enough with my brushing to "do a good job?"
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post #15 of 29
12/7/07 at 6:02pm
Use a roto-brush to save time. Hand brushing will be as good or better.
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post #16 of 29
12/8/07 at 12:55am
I ordered my roto-brushes from Terry and the first thing I did was drop the handle and break off the guard. Called him and he said that he had cut off his guard.

I've found that if I scrape well the brushes kick the wax to the rear in small pieces and the air doesn't seem to fill up.

Simply put, no problem. I do use safety glasses.

Ken
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post #17 of 29
12/8/07 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 
Doing a good brush job is self evident when you see even structure. The roto brushing uses far less effort and about a tenth of the time. Plus, you can mess around with various rpms and pressures, along with different brushes for structuring, brushing, polishing and cleaning, etc.....
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post #18 of 29
12/9/07 at 8:36am
One of my rotbrushes has a guard and one doesn't. The one that doesn't is a Holmenkol. It's a beautifully made handle with ball bearings. The guard is sold separately. Ironically, the cheap plastic guard costs about the same as the handle - go figure. I ended up not using the guard. I do use a heavy duty 3-M dust mask when I am using the rotobrush however.
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post #19 of 29
12/9/07 at 8:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfr View Post
1300 rpm. Is it enough?
It depends on the rotobrush.
For brass and horsehair, they recommend 600-800 rpm.
For Nylon, around 2000-2500 rpm.
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post #20 of 29
12/9/07 at 8:46am
Where is a good place to get a cheap rotobrush?
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post #21 of 29
12/9/07 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
I've got a used 10 cm handle, without guard, available and we sell kits that are a good value.

Another advantage I forgot to mention previously, is you can get by with less scraping before you fire up the roto brush, versus hand brushing, where you are better off scraping more to minimize brushing.
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post #22 of 29
12/9/07 at 6:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ut_hucker View Post
Where is a good place to get a cheap rotobrush?
Terry from Slidewright.com also known as Alpinord

Cheers,

cfr

PS. No affiliations, just a happy customer.
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post #23 of 29
12/9/07 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by quickk9 View Post
It depends on the rotobrush.
For brass and horsehair, they recommend 600-800 rpm.
For Nylon, around 2000-2500 rpm.
Yeah, that was my point. I'd like to have 2500rpm with variable speed to accomodate different brushes.... Gear modifications may be required to speed the thing up. Could be pain: Or not ..

Cheers,

cfr
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post #24 of 29
12/9/07 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpinord View Post
I've got a used 10 cm handle, without guard, available and we sell kits that are a good value.

Another advantage I forgot to mention previously, is you can get by with less scraping before you fire up the roto brush, versus hand brushing, where you are better off scraping more to minimize brushing.
Send me a PM with the price.
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post #25 of 29
12/10/07 at 6:18am
Thread Starter 
It's listed in out 'Used Stuff' section. Three 10 cm handles are listed in our 'Specials' section with guards that broke during shipping (which in part, prompted this thread).
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post #26 of 29
12/10/07 at 10:10pm
Mine broke right after I bought it from Terry..It was my fault, and all I did was glue it back together with PVC cement..Wholla!!! Brans new used.Lee
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post #27 of 29
12/10/07 at 11:48pm
I've always found the guards annoying and sort of silly. If the brush came apart that guard wouldn't stop anything, and the dust aspect is a non-issue to me. I've been using a handle like that quick grip handle pictured for about ten years.
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post #28 of 29
12/11/07 at 7:19am
Thread Starter 
Hey Lee,
When I pondered bonding agent options for fixing the guards (versus sending them back and waste shipping resources), PVC glue wasn't on the radar. Thanks for the heads up.
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post #29 of 29
12/11/07 at 10:55am
No guard, no glasses, no respirator.

What a bunch of wimps!

(though now I need some glasses to see what I'm doing)
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