Replies

1. 
   Clay | Oct 02, 2003 09:21am | #1

   Actually I much prefer sandpaper but steel wool can sand some difficult contours much more easily than sandpaper.  The thing I dislike about the steel wool is all the fine wool dust that you have to be careful about cleaning before the next coat.  It also has a nasty tendency to grab any loose sliver and either jerk it out or pull it loose and wedge a chunk of wool in there to keep it open.  Sometimes on oak it will grab the fibers inside the grain and pull them out.

2. 
   GHR | Oct 02, 2003 09:40am | #2

   Steel wool will rust in water based finishes. Sand paper grit will not.

   brass wool is often better than steel.

3. 
   RMillard | Oct 02, 2003 01:57pm | #3

   MarkH,

   Steel wool does not cut back a finish as well as sandpaper, so I never use it between coats. Steel wooled surfaces will only be marginally more smooth, because it won’t easily remove areas of raised grain or dust specks. I sand between coats of varnish to remove any dust specks in order to reduce the final sanding. Too heavy a sanding with finishes that don’t fuse together ( like varnish/poly) can result in witness lines in the finial finish. Sanding between coats of finishes that fuse together ( like shellac/lacquer), is not necessary.  Steel wool also can cause adhesion problems since many of the cheaper grades are coated with tiny amounts of oil to prevent rusting. For solvent based finishes this oil would not present a problem, but could with the newer water based finishes. The Liberon steel wool is not coated with oil and is far superior to the “hardware store” variety. I bought some of this recently, and it has really changed the way I finish and the ease of finishing. For the final rubout( after sanding) nothing beats steel wool, because it conforms to uneven surfaces and gives a pleasing uniform sheen, especially when used with a rubbing lubricant.

   Rob Millard

1. 
   rslatm | Oct 08, 2003 09:09pm | #6

   I see no mention of  "scotchbrite" type abrasives.  I've replaced most of my steel wool usage with that type of product.

4. 
   whoover | Oct 02, 2003 09:14pm | #4

   Steel wool can roughen a finish but it can not level it.  Hence, if you want a smooth final surface you should sand between coats and not use steel wool.

5. 
   jazzdogg | Oct 03, 2003 11:47pm | #5

   Mark,

   For rubbing-out, I agree that Liberon's steel wool is clearly superior.

   For sanding between coats, I have the best luck using an open coat product, preferably stearated.

   Have fun,
   Paul