Steel Wool

[David Ragan]

Liberon oil free steel wool is the one to get, right? There is also another brand out now, I saw on (I think, the WC site).

Have not ordered any because some of the folks on the shellac thread say they never use it.

I have a bunch, and only use before waxing my iron.

So, my question is this........

1) Oil-free is the way to go?
2) For what processes is steel wool the abrasive of choice?
3) What do you all substitute, say, w shellac-for an abrasive? I have some Mirlon Superfine. Someone also said try Abranet. Other viable substitutes? Preferably that can be rejuvenated.

The steel shards in the woodshop are certainly not desirable.

Can I get a debate going on the merits of steel wool? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Prashun Patel]

Not AbraNET, AbraLON.

[John TenEyck]

I don't think anyone said not to use steel wool with shellac. They probably said not to use steel wool with water borne products.

I use plain old BORG steel wool. Liberon is a great product, but I haven't found any reason not to like the cheap stuff. All that said, I only use steel wool if I want to give something a satin sheen and apply paste wax at the same time. For that I use the cheap 0000 steel wool and Butcher's paste wax. For anything else, I use sand paper or sanding pads. I've tried Abralon, and it's nice stuff, but doesn't last very long for me.

John

[Wayne Lomman]

Steel wool and polishing don't go together in my shop and never have. It was one of the first things I was taught by my supervising tradesman. It always reacts with something either at the time or further down the track. I always use the appropriate grade and type of sandpaper. Different brands have different characteristics. I also grade my sandpaper according to how much use it has had. Good ones last until they are a limp as a rag which is what you need for fiddly turnery or carvings. Cheers

[Bruce Page]

The only time I use it is when I want to knock the shine off a too glossy finish.

[Anthony Holohan]

I don't know if you use the same grading system as here in the UK, but I use No 4 for stripping. No 1 for general wiring down and for the relieving of any extant scratch pattern before applying stain. And No 0000 for lightly dulling French Polish where pumice and dulling brush can't be easily applied. I also use 0000 to simultaneously apply wax and revive certain pieces of furniture if I don't want to over clean by reviving alone. You can kill two birds with one stone.

A digression, but useful tip is: Don't use steel/wire wool to strip oak if you are planning on bleaching it afterwards, or you'll end up with hundreds of dark blue speckles appearing all over the surface. Fragments of the wool break off and get lodged in the grain, and react with the natural alkaloids, and other tannins over time. This is greatly exaggerated if two part hydrogen peroxide/ammonia alkaline based bleach is used, which is virtually impossible to remedy. Having said that, it can produce an interesting effect on small items made from oak which are destined to be bleached.

The upside, is that oak is very responsive to bleaching out non-reactive stains or marks via the use of oxalic acid, and most stains (excepting the aforementioned and burn marks) can be virtually, completely removed. You can sometimes see this blue speckled effect in oak from bandsaw or circular saw particles that break off during the reducing of bole into stock. You are fairly safe on most other wood types.

Oak, is best chemically stripped with the aid of a brass wire brush or other non-ferrous, stiff bristled brush to remove softened varnish or wax.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have steel wool and occasionally use it. But the way it reacts to things makes it a secondary choice. I usually use a synthetic steel wool that I think 3M makes between coats. I occasionally use 600 grit sandpaper, or a folded brown paper bag.

But this week, I tried something different based on "the shellac thread". I gently used a fresh single edge razor blade (as a small scraper) to knock down dust nibs between coats. After the last coat, I used a brown paper bag that was folded and dipped in Johnson's Paste Wax. Let the wax dry and buff - it was the best shellac finish I've done yet.

[Prashun Patel]

John, how have you used the Abralon? I just re-used a set of pads that I have probably used about 5-6 times and they worked great. I used them to polish an oil-varnish finish; that's a different story. I find they work best when lubricated with mineral spirits. I sprinkle some ms on the surface, then use the ROS with the pads to polish away the ms until the surface is dry. Then I run the pads through the dishwasher. I won't say they are good as new, but they do last and do the job.

What I love about these pads is that they are foam backed, so when you use them on the ROS, they get into crevices and pores better than firmer paper. They

[John TenEyck]

Prashun, I've tried Abralon on a couple of projects. I've used it to scuff sand WB finishes between coats. It's OK, but doesn't work as well, nor last nearly as long as the old Norton 3X (yellow) abrasive foam pads which, unfortunately, are no longer made in 320 grit. Those things were fantastic. I also used Abralon on a large OB varnish table top, as the first steps in rubbing it out, using it on my ROS. They worked great, don't get me wrong, but they were dead in 10 minutes. I lubricated the top with MS and set my ROS on medium IIRC. Cleaning them didn't help; the abrasives were gone or worn down. Very disappointing because they are not cheap.

John