School me on 3M Roloc grades and applications

[michaelluscher]

I finally got me a die grinder on the way (M12 Fuel right angle)
I want to use it mainly for cleaning wheel hubs and caliper brackets when doing a brake job, or switching winter wheels/tires over
Maybe use it for some light surface prep on light under carriage rust, before laying some stone chip over it
Not really looking to cut, I'm no machinist or tin knocker, just cleaning up rusty rotor hats and general surface rust
I'm not sure if I should go with the regular 3M Rolocs, or the Plastic bristle ones
I've got the 2" disc pad on order, I just need to know what to put on it
They come in many different colors, but I can't find an application guide for grades

What's everyone out there using?

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Depends...

Scotch-brite (or Shark or Norton) rolocs dics (red and brown) were the OGs for me and very versatile. 3M green corps discs when you needed to remove more material quickly. The scotch-brite discs are generally less aggressive and more conforming to irregular surfaces, whereas abrasive discs like green corps cut more aggressively and care is needed when cutting "on-edge" as it can dig in.

In the last few years I've added bristle discs to the collection... I really like them. They aren't necessarily less aggressive in cutting (depends on grit), but they are more complaint to following irregular surfaces and they don't shed fibers like the scotch-brite pads (good when cleaning block surface for HG). For hub matting surfaces (rotor and wheel) I use either red scotch-brite or green bristle discs to knock off corrosion/oxidation after winter when swapping wheels.

So buy a few and use them, you'll see what you like. It really depends on what your doing and what you prefer.