Had to pick between an air hammer and a needle scaler for rusted bolts

I was working on a 2005 Freightliner frame last month and the bolts were absolutely welded on with rust. I had my old air hammer that I've used for years but it just wasn't cutting it. A buddy let me borrow his needle scaler and I figured I'd try it before buying one. The needle scaler actually broke the rust loose on 3 bolts in about 10 minutes. I ended up buying a Chicago Pneumatic one for around 120 bucks. Anyone else run into this choice and have a preference between the two?

3 comments

3 Comments

corap211mo ago

Yeah that needle scaler is the way to go for that kind of rust. I had the same problem on an old tractor frame, air hammer just bounced off while the needle scaler chipped the scale right off. Picked up a used Ingersoll Rand one for 80 bucks and it paid for itself on the first job. The vibration is rough on the hands after a while but it works way better than hammering away at those bolts.

king.eric1mo ago

Those Ingersoll Rand scalers hold up forever. I ended up getting a Chicago Pneumatic one from a pawn shop for like 40 bucks and it still runs strong three years later. Makes you wonder how much money we wasted on busted knuckles before finding the right tool for the job, @corap21.

mary_nelson711mo ago

...and it's funny cause that's how half the stuff in my life goes honestly. You spend forever fighting something the wrong way cause it's what you know, then one little tool or trick changes everything and you're like why didn't I just do this from the start. It's like learning to use a proper wrench instead of just grabbing whatever pliers are in the drawer. Once you see the difference you can't go back.