What's best to use to clean up metal that seats onto other metal, ie the inside of ball joint socket or a hub spindle? It's not rusty but has rusty residue /discoloured just where it's been sat disassembled. Hub spindle is very finely grooved too. I went to shops to find something, not sure what, but couldn't find what I thought would be right. Obviously just needs a very light abrasive polish up?
Foil pads and polish or Astonish cookware cleaner Don’t use wire wall because it leaves particles Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have some little brass wire wheels, Scotch rite, I thought that's what those reflective bands were made of.. Are you suggesting I waft a hi Vis vest at my bits?
No, no, no, silly boy. Scotchbrite is foam stuff with carborundum in it. Use it for polishing bearings etc. I’ll send you some if you like, got loads. Grey is the finer grade, will shine your parts up a treat. Prob better than a wire wheel.
Scotchbrite pads can be bought e.g. at Force 4 Chandlery over at Shamrock Quay. Us yotties use them in a secret ritual where we climb under the boat and rub off the seaweed with them. Or use some 400 grade or finer wet'n'dry sandpaper. As they are not rotating bearing surfaces but intended to partly pressure weld together (balljoints and the shells of bearings arent meant to spin on the axle or in the hub) it doesnt matter if they get a bit scratched. Dont remove any substantial amount of metal or they may not work as intended by VW. The grooves in the hub axle stub surface are just machining marks. I think they will describe a spiral if you look hard, where the cutting tool moved along a cam to guide the profile. Leave them. Nothing touches them in use. Its just to guide the inner wheel bearing up onto a larger diameter section for assembly. PS that will learn you not to mist your house plants next to your axle stubs.
I mean the proper ones 20cm x10cm x 3cm chunks of brown scratchy stuff. No feeble foam just rough. https://www.force4.co.uk/doodlebug-pad.html
