I just bought a set of brushes from Napa to clean my carbs with.  Along with a nylon brush it comes with a stainless steel brush and a brass brush.  What, practically, is the differene between the stainless and the brass brush?  What are the different applications of the two brushes?

well, any good A&P mechanic will tell you that you should use a non-metallic brush to clean anything where corrosion might be a problem.

Second choice would be a brush of the same material.


I have no idea what the carbs are made of, so I'd use Nylon.

Nylon is the softest, Brass is softer than steel...  (And Nylon will react to some chemicals (don't ask me which though...  Gas?))

When the nylon brush won't clean the gunk off and you don't want to use the steel to avoid scratching through the harder metal.

I'd avoid using any metal unless you really can't get the gunk off...

carbs are probably aluminum which is almost at maximum eletrical potential to brass.
aluminum brushes on aluminum parts are preferable, stainless second choice.
brass is OK on carbon steel or copper alloys.
With RV on using Nylon when you can.
I start with old toothbrushes and work up from there.

Quote from: Codger on May 23, 2006, 02:49:42 PM
carbs are probably aluminum which is almost at maximum eletrical potential to brass.

I don't know that that means.

Quote from: Codger on May 23, 2006, 02:49:42 PM
carbs are probably aluminum which is almost at maximum eletrical potential to brass.
aluminum brushes on aluminum parts are preferable, stainless second choice.
brass is OK on carbon steel or copper alloys.
With RV on using Nylon when you can.
I start with old toothbrushes and work up from there.

I would so not use the stainless steel brush, or even an individual bristle from the same, on our carburetors.  Use the nylon; or a single bristle off of the brass brush to clean out the jets, gently.

Quote from: aaronstj on May 23, 2006, 03:15:59 PM

Quote from: Codger on May 23, 2006, 02:49:42 PM
carbs are probably aluminum which is almost at maximum eletrical potential to brass.

I don't know that that means.

LOTS of galvanic corrosion

ACID BRUSH! ACID BRUSH! ACID BRUSH!

They aren't super stiff... but you can make the bristles more dense by clamping down on the neck of the brush. Oh and they resist to pretty much any chemical that you may want to throw at it... We use em with MEK... and that's some nasty stuff...

Really, the only thing you'll need a brush for on the carbs is the outside of the bodies.  A good blast of carb cleaner will completely dissolve the varnish deposits and leave the insides perfectly clean.  Compressed air also helps to blow out the air passages. 

-M

So, I ended up using the nylon brush.  I didn't really what the inside of a carburetor would look like.  It's and odd kind of clean in there. Fairly gritty, though. I removed a couple largish bits of who knows what blocking the jets.  I'm installing an infline fuel filter, so that should help.  I'll know by tomorrow, when everything goes back together.

if its still "Gritty" its not clean....

Spray out Carb Cleaner, Compressed Air.... More Work.

Dont' put it back in Gritty.

Sorry, I guess I wasn't celar.  It was fairly gritty in there.  It isn't anymore.