Head gasket residue removal

In reply to fasted58:

This is actually one thing I was wondering if I should try when I started the thread. It seems like this would most mimick what the machine shop will do to the head and a very fine grit with low preside on a flat block seems pretty safe

It looks like I will be doing a combination of things since you all had great ideas.

Roloc disc and a die grinder. Life is too short to do it any other way.

P.S. - Yes, I know. If you're a ham-fisted narcoleptic and happen to hold the tool full throttle in one place for minutes at a time you will probably damage something. Just don't be an idiot and you'll end up with great results and be done in no time.

Small alum parts i use self stick DA sand paper on a sheet of glass you could do multiple DA's on the glass. Or use the spray 3m77? stuff and wet dry 8.5x11 sheets

Nashco wrote: I finally ponied up and got some 3M Roloc wheels like most professional mechanics use. (...) For those of you who do the razor blade thing and hate it, try the Roloc wheels. It's like the internet, you'll wonder how you lived without it before.

Please don't do this.

I killed a customer's 3.8 Sable by using a Roloc on the timing cover. (Yes, we freebie'd the repair) Just because karma's a bitch, I also killed the 429 in my personal car because of Roloc disks used to clean the intake manifold gasket surfaces.

The abrasive material on the disc wears away as it is used, and if it gets into an oil drain or the oil pan, it makes the oil gritty. Within a dozen miles, the bearings are wiped out.

I will use them on gasket faces that only see coolant, but NEVER on anything exposed to oil. I don't even use them if there's a valve cover off, because the risk of engine destruction is too great.

In reply to Knurled:

You must be using a completely different type of roloc pad than I am. The ones that I use are more like scotchbrite than sandpaper. I've done quite a few heads, and block decks, as well as hydraulic system parts and have had no problems. When working on engines I keep the cyls stuffed with rags as others have already mentioned. I haven't herd of the shaving cream thing before, I might try that in the future.

Nope, genuine 3M brand Rolocs. (Worth the added expense - they last easily 2-3 times longer than the cheap stuff)

Knurled wrote:

Nashco wrote: I finally ponied up and got some 3M Roloc wheels like most professional mechanics use. (...) For those of you who do the razor blade thing and hate it, try the Roloc wheels. It's like the internet, you'll wonder how you lived without it before.

Please don't do this. I killed a customer's 3.8 Sable by using a Roloc on the timing cover. (Yes, we freebie'd the repair) Just because karma's a bitch, I also killed the 429 in my personal car because of Roloc disks used to clean the intake manifold gasket surfaces. The abrasive material on the disc wears away as it is used, and if it gets into an oil drain or the oil pan, it makes the oil gritty. Within a dozen miles, the bearings are wiped out. I will use them on gasket faces that only see coolant, but NEVER on anything exposed to oil. I don't even use them if there's a valve cover off, because the risk of engine destruction is too great.

First things first...if you are a professional mechanic and don't use a Roloc, what do you use? Secondly, are you sure we're talking about the same thing? I'm talking about this, apparently called a "bristle disc":

From your description, it sounds like you are talking about something different than me.

Bryce

He's probably talking about these:

I've seen them used most often for brake discs.

Yes, what Evan posted.

I tried using one of the bristle discs, and got bored before it did anything. Razor blades are cheap and effective.

Knurled wrote: Yes, what Evan posted. I tried using one of the bristle discs, and got bored before it did anything. Razor blades are cheap and effective.

Not all the time. The car I had such trouble with was a rusty 86 civic. I doubt the head had ever been off. The gasket was BONDED to the block. Had I kept scraping with a blade, I'd still be scraping.

YMMV.