WSP 072-2026, the Japan Water Steel Pipe Association's method for solvent-free epoxy coating of internal field-welded joints in steel water pipes, illustrates rotary power tools, including a bristle-type tool, as examples for preparing exposed steel to SSPC-SP 11. The association states that it tested the illustrated tools and found no adverse effect on coating performance.
Field-welded joints are where a steel water main is most likely to fail its lining. The pipe arrives coated from the factory, but every joint welded on site leaves a band of bare, heat-affected steel inside the pipe that has to be prepared and coated by hand, in a confined space, before the line goes into service.
What WSP 072-2026 covers
| Document | WSP 072-2026, Japan Water Steel Pipe Association (WSP) |
| Revision | 26 February 2026 |
| Scope | Solvent-free epoxy coating for steel water pipes: power-tool surface preparation and coating of internal field-welded joints |
| Surface preparation | Exposed steel finished to SSPC-SP 11 (power tool cleaning to bare metal) |
Where bristle-type tools appear
The explanatory notes to Section 4.4 show photographs of rotary surface-preparation tools as examples of equipment that can reach SSPC-SP 11 on the exposed steel. A bristle-type tool is among them. The association states that it carried out performance tests on the tools shown and confirmed that they had no adverse effect on the performance of the coating.
Two things follow for specifiers and contractors:
- The method is documented. Bristle-type power tool preparation of internal field joints is described and illustrated in the association's own method, not only in supplier literature.
- The acceptance criterion stays the same. The target is SSPC-SP 11 on the exposed steel, followed by the solvent-free epoxy system the document describes. Cleanliness and profile still have to be checked on the joint.
WSP 072-2026 illustrates tool types; it does not approve individual brands. Always work to the current edition of the document and to the project specification.
How the Bristle Blaster® fits
The Bristle Blaster® uses rotating, impact-hardened wire tips that strike the steel and recoil. That removes rust and mill scale and leaves a fresh anchor profile, rather than polishing the surface the way a grinder or cup brush does. It is a single hand tool with no abrasive to bring into the pipe or recover afterwards, which suits the confined, internal work at a field joint. For tools and set-ups, MontiPower Japan works with the Ultimate Electric and the Ultimate Electric Double.
Why it matters
A water main is built to last generations, and its weakest points are the joints made on site. Preparing them properly before the lining goes on is prevention rather than cure: it protects drinking-water infrastructure that is expensive and disruptive to dig up. Doing it with a hand tool instead of grit means no abrasive dust inside the pipe for the operator (People) and no spent media to remove and dispose of (Planet). And a documented method gives utilities and contractors a firm technical basis for choosing it (Power).
Working on steel water-pipe joints? Ask MontiPower Japan for a demonstration on a test joint or plate.
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