Cleaning brake drums

[Prairie Dog]

I’ve got the final drives completely torn down in my 48 cub. The question I have is about cleaning up the brake drums. Should they be completely smooth and shiny or is it best to use a courser Emory cloth and leave them a little rougher so the brake band can grab a bit better? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Gary Dotson]

I like to put a little texture on them, I use 180 grit sand paper. They will return to a polished finish in pretty short order, anyway, so it won’t really matter too much if you do or don’t sand them.