Make Your Own Needle Scaler

What is a needle scaler? It's used to remove paint, rust or whatever is stuck on a hard surface like metal. Usually these are air tools attached to an air compressor. You can spend a lot of money on these things or go cheap at Harbor Freight or Princess Auto type of places. Chinese made of course. I have a compressor but it can't keep up with one of these air tools which use a lot of air. So do they make an electric version? Yeah but they are very expensive. So I made my own using my Dremel oscillating tool using scrap metal.

I had a project that needed paint removed from a corner. Hard to to do but with a needle scaler it is quick and easy. I had some very old bicycle spokes I just knew one day I would find a use for. A worn out scraper blade accessory for the Dremel and a screw, washers, and a couple nuts.

1. Oscillating tool

2. Straight stiff wire. Coat hanger wire could work.

3. Oscillating tool accessory such as a worn out blade

4. Long machine screw

5. Metal tube about 5 inches long (almost 13 cm)

Tools

Pliers

Drill bit

Drill

Wire cutters

Not many steps involved.

Drill the hole of the diameter of your screw. The screw I used is 1.5 inches long.

The picture should help you with the way the screw is attached. There is 1 nut then washer, tool accessory, another washer, nut.

Now all you got to do is wrap a wire around the screw 1 time. Got to have pliers for this. I used 2 of them. A general purpose plier and a needle nose plier.

Now slide on your pipe around the needles (wire). I think mine was 5 inches long. It is square because thats all I had. Round should work better. You may find that you need to add more needles. Add just enough to be snug but not tight. Now attach the whole thing to your tool and try it out. You need to hold onto the pipe to help guide it in to the work surface. It is a 2 handed operation.

This is a very low cost way to make a decent tool that can do the job of more expensive ones. Makes good sense if you only use this kind of tool not very often. It has really helped me a few times already. The spokes I used are hard enough but not too hard to gouge mild steel. Remember to let the tool do the work. Don't bear down on it.

I do hope you like this idea. I've not seen this anywhere else so I thought Instructables is the perfect place for it.