Embedded brake dust need help/tips

Bill1234

Bill1234

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was working with some embedded brake dust today, car was never cleaned and in the past year, never washed. I tried iron x paste, dub wheel cleaner, griots heavy duty and brown royal. Iron x paste kinda got through it but was still struggling.

Anyone got any tips for dealing with this? Do I step it up to wheel brightener?
 
Wheel Brightener cuts through most brake dust like a hot knife through butter. In rare cases it will struggle but most of the time you barely have to scrub, it dissolves it on it own.
 
Wheel brightener might be the best to use....
 
Wheel brightener and a toothbrush is my recommendation. Use PPE when using D140 but you should know that...
 
Try poorboys spray and rinse. But in this case, spray let sit a min, scrub and rinse.
 
ronkh57 said:
Try poorboys spray and rinse. But in this case, spray let sit a min, scrub and rinse.
Click to expand...

Spray and Rinse is not as strong as Wheel Brightner, but might do the job.
 
What does suit up mean? Any can I just wear a dust mask?
 
The original rims when I bought my car used came with embedded brake dust. Meg's Wheel Brightener is good stuff, but did not help much. Iron-X gave me the best results. They're still not perfect, but I use them for my winter wheels and I don't put a lot of effort into them.
 
We dont even know what kind of wheels they are, how can we tell him to use WB on them? Thats scary.
 
Bill1234 said:
What does suit up mean? Any can I just wear a dust mask?
Click to expand...

IMO a dust mask is not going to help.

See below (an extract from section 8 of the safety data sheet - from here http://www.meguiars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/26-8072-6_UK.pdf)

Eye/face protection
Wear eye/face protection. Select and use eye/face protection to prevent contact based on the results of an exposure
assessment. The following eye/face protection(s) are recommended:
Full face shield.
Indirect vented goggles.

Skin/hand protection
Select and use gloves and/or protective clothing approved to relevant local standards to prevent skin contact based on the
results of an exposure assessment. Selection should be based on use factors such as exposure levels, concentration of the
substance or mixture, frequency and duration, physical challenges such as temperature extremes, and other use conditions.
Consult with your glove and/or protective clothing manufacturer for selection of appropriate compatible gloves/protective
clothing. Wear protective gloves and protective clothing.
Gloves made from the following material(s) are recommended: Neoprene.
Nitrile rubber.
Select and use body protection to prevent contact based on the results of an exposure assessment. The following protective
clothing material(s) are recommended: Neoprene apron.

Respiratory protection
Wear respiratory protection if ventilation is inadequate to prevent overexposure. An exposure assessment may be needed to
decide if a respirator is required. If a respirator is needed, use respirators as part of a full respiratory protection program.
Based on the results of the exposure assessment, select from the following respirator type(s) to reduce inhalation exposure:
Half facepiece or full facepiece air-purifying respirator suitable for organic vapours and particulates
For questions about suitability for a specific application, consult with your respirator manufacturer.
 
lawrenceSA said:
IMO a dust mask is not going to help.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting all that. Where's the calcium gluconate that everyone who uses an HF/ABF wheel cleaner should have on hand?

HF Spill Kits | Calgonate®

Bill, what kind of car is it, are you struggling with residue on the fronts or on the backs/barrels? What is the finish on the wheel? Silver paint, chrome, high-polish clear? Are the backs/barrels painted? Do you have the wheels off the car?

I'm going to go against the grain and recommend against Wheel Brightener or Spray n' Rinse. Tell us more about what you are dealing with.
 
dcjredline said:
We dont even know what kind of wheels they are, how can we tell him to use WB on them? Thats scary.
Click to expand...

95% of the wheels out there are coated paint. If he has special wheels like chrome or bare aluminium I assume he would have mentioned it.
 
lawrenceSA said:
IMO a dust mask is not going to help.

See below (an extract from section 8 of the safety data sheet - from here http://www.meguiars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/26-8072-6_UK.pdf)

Eye/face protection
Wear eye/face protection. Select and use eye/face protection to prevent contact based on the results of an exposure
assessment. The following eye/face protection(s) are recommended:
Full face shield.
Indirect vented goggles.

Skin/hand protection
Select and use gloves and/or protective clothing approved to relevant local standards to prevent skin contact based on the
results of an exposure assessment. Selection should be based on use factors such as exposure levels, concentration of the
substance or mixture, frequency and duration, physical challenges such as temperature extremes, and other use conditions.
Consult with your glove and/or protective clothing manufacturer for selection of appropriate compatible gloves/protective
clothing. Wear protective gloves and protective clothing.
Gloves made from the following material(s) are recommended: Neoprene.
Nitrile rubber.
Select and use body protection to prevent contact based on the results of an exposure assessment. The following protective
clothing material(s) are recommended: Neoprene apron.

Respiratory protection
Wear respiratory protection if ventilation is inadequate to prevent overexposure. An exposure assessment may be needed to
decide if a respirator is required. If a respirator is needed, use respirators as part of a full respiratory protection program.
Based on the results of the exposure assessment, select from the following respirator type(s) to reduce inhalation exposure:
Half facepiece or full facepiece air-purifying respirator suitable for organic vapours and particulates
For questions about suitability for a specific application, consult with your respirator manufacturer.
Click to expand...

Ya. I am not doing all that.

I wear Nitrile gloves. When using WB I hold my breath while spraying then walk away before breathing. I spray at arms length and use a stream spray, not a misting setting. It is a bit annoying to use but I am not gonna gear up like an astronaut to clean a wheel ;)
 
I had a set of wheels that had never had the barrels cleaned. Ever.

I tried everything that was already discussed. Since the barrels were bare aluminum and rough finished I tried the weapon of wheel destruction.

Comet and a really hard brush. It took a lot of pressure and a lot of scrubbing. Like 10 minutes per wheel. But they were completely clean with no tar or brake dust crud residue. Afterwards I gave them two coats of Wheel Wax and hoped that I would never see them again.
 
oldmodman said:
I had a set of wheels that had never had the barrels cleaned. Ever.

I tried everything that was already discussed. Since the barrels were bare aluminum and rough finished I tried the weapon of wheel destruction.

Comet and a really hard brush. It took a lot of pressure and a lot of scrubbing. Like 10 minutes per wheel. But they were completely clean with no tar or brake dust crud residue. Afterwards I gave them two coats of Wheel Wax and hoped that I would never see them again.
Click to expand...

Oh man, I wish I had read that before I had two sets of wheels refinished that came from the factory with unpainted barrels.
 
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