I finally switched from wire-brushing my boiler tubes to using a dry ice blaster

An old-timer at the union hall said the wire brush was just pushing soot deeper into the metal, so I tried a dry ice blaster on a job last month and it cut my cleanup time in half with way less mess, anyone else made the switch or still sticking with the old way?

2 comments

2 Comments

hart.taylor6d ago

Pushing soot deeper into the metal" - that's not really how it works. Soot sits on the surface, it doesn't get forced into the metal grain structure unless you're using a steel brush that's actually scratching the tube. Wire brushing just knocks the loose stuff off and leaves the baked-on layer. Dry ice blasting is definitely cleaner though, I'll give you that. Less dust flying around and no need to chase down all the wire bristles that break off.

jamiekim6d ago

Wait, are you saying the wire bristles snapping off is a real problem people deal with? I've seen those little pieces fly around but never thought they'd actually break off inside the tube. That sounds like a NIGHTMARE if you're working on something critical and one gets lodged in there. Or do they just pop out when you're brushing and you gotta sweep them up later? Genuinely curious because I've always used the cheap brushes and never had one fall apart on me, but maybe I'm just lucky or not using them hard enough.