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Thread: Oil-free steel wool – necessary or just nice to have?

  1. #1

    Oil-free steel wool – necessary or just nice to have?

    I'm about to try linseed oil-based finishes for the first time, and discovered that oil-free steel wool is something that exists. Will it make a significant difference in the quality of my finish if I use regular old 0000, rather than oil-free?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Warwick, Rhode Island
    Posts
    346
    Ive had good luck with rinsing oiled steel wool with mineral spirits before using it.

  3. #3
    The oil-free variety is a specialty item targeted for specific finishing processes. It is offered as a solution for buffing in between coats of lacquer, avoiding finish contamination via residual manufacturing oils. Liberon is the only brand of it that I've seen, and it is a high quality cut of wool, giving superior results as you rub-out that final satin sheen on a cured topcoat. In that regard, you still may want some purely for the higher quality satin sheen it produces.
    As you are using linseed oil, you may enjoy it's refined texture, but certainly not necessary.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,599
    You don't need it if you use oil based finishes.

    John

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