Non-Woven Abrasive Drums
What are Abrasive Drums?
Abrasive sanding drums are a newer type of abrasive created to work with power tools like surface conditioning tools and linear grinders. They are 4-inch-long cylinders that come in several variations such as non-woven abrasives, coated abrasives, wire wheel drums, and polishing drums.
These finishing drums are great for jobs that require sanding or grinding a large area, such as autobody prep work before painting.
What are Non-Woven Abrasives?
Non-woven sanding abrasives differ from bonded abrasives (like grinding wheels) and coated abrasives (like traditional sanding belts). Instead of a solid surface, they are made of an open-weave nylon fiber web infused with abrasive grains. These fibers are bonded with synthetic resins—"non-woven" refers to the fact that the fibers are not woven together.
They are often used after grinding, as non-woven abrasives are pliable, three-dimensional, and less aggressive. This makes them ideal for deburring, cleaning, rust and paint removal, and finishing surfaces without gouging the metal or wood substrate.
What Can Non-Woven Abrasive Drums Be Used For?
The three types of non-woven finishing drums can be used for a wide range of tasks. While most commonly used for paint and rust removal, they are also capable of:
- Body filler removal
- Bondo removal
- Descaling
- Creating brushed satin finishes
- Glue, sealant, and adhesive removal
- Scale and oxidation removal
- Surface prep before buffing
Types of Non-Woven Drums
Paint Stripping Drum
Our Black Hawk Abrasives Easy Strip and Clean Drum is an extremely effective tool for surface cleaning and prep without damaging the underlying material. Similar to our paint removal discs for angle grinders, these drums are made entirely of nylon webbing infused with silicon carbide grains. They remove paint, rust, Bondo, and body filler quickly—often faster than other tools and sometimes preferred over abrasive blasting.
Compatible with: Contour surface conditioning tools, burnishing tools, handheld drum sanders, and other linear grinders and finishing machines with a 3/4" quad-key shaft.
Surface Conditioning Drum
Available in grits from 60 to 320, our surface conditioning drums are ideal for the final prep step before buffing or polishing. They are less aggressive than strip-and-clean drums but still able to remove light rust and paint while conditioning metal surfaces.
Compatible with: Contour surface conditioning tools, burnishing tools, handheld drum sanders, and other linear grinders and finishing machines with a 3/4" quad-key shaft.
Surface Conditioning Flap Wheel Drums
Interleaf flap wheel drums combine a flap wheel with non-woven conditioning material. Abrasive sanding flaps alternate with non-woven nylon mesh sections—similar to what is used in surface conditioning drums.
This dual-action design significantly cuts work time by performing two steps at once: the abrasive flaps remove paint, rust, grind marks, and stock, while the non-woven sections condition the surface. This eliminates an extra prep step before painting, welding, or polishing.
Compatible with: Contour surface conditioning tools, burnishing tools, handheld drum sanders, and other linear grinders and finishing machines with a 3/4" quad-key shaft.
Are There Other Types of Abrasive Sanding Drums?
Absolutely. As surface finishing tools and linear grinders grow in popularity, more types of drum attachments continue to appear. Current options include:
- Buffing Drums
- Wire Drums
- Coated Abrasive Drums
- Non-Woven Abrasive Drums</