ED65":2taw0zdt said:
The snide remark I can let slide but the validly of the recommendation has been called into question in a way that I can't let stand uncontested because of course it's not just my opinion. The reason I started using it for this purpose in the first place is because it's been a go-to recommendation in finishing guides for maybe 70 years, from authors as widespread as Charles Hayward, Bob Flexner, Aidan Walker and Michael Dresdner to name but a few.
Dresdner:
From his column in American Woodworker from 1994,
Rubbing Out a Satin Finish:
[after briefly describing the process using pumice and rottenstone] I prefer the more modern method, using 0000 steel wool or ultrafine nylon abrasive pads along with a rubbing lubricant, such as soapy water or liquid wax.
Note that Dresnder makes specific reference to sheen increasing as abrasive fineness goes up.
From his blog,
http://www.michaeldresdner.com/2009/01/ ... -a-finish/
Flexner:
"Understanding Wood Finishing", 1994:
The finest steel wool is #0000. You should use this or #000 when rubbing a finish.
My emphasis!
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/artic ... eat_finish
Worth noting he appears to give pumice lubricated with oil as a direct equivalent to 0000 steel wool:
Then rub with #0000 steel wool, or with pumice and a mineral-oil lubricant using a felt or cloth pad.
Here again Flexner directly states that as you go up in grit fineness the gloss increases.
Steel wool has a pretty poor reputation amongst professional finishers. Here's why,
-Steel wool is oiled in order to prevent it rusting. That oil transfers onto the finish which can cause all sorts of problems.
-Used dry steel wool starts to clog almost instantly (used wet it's not all that much better), which means it doesn't have a
consistent abrading action. This is why I emphasised how difficult it is get a
consistently matt surface with steel wool. The beginning hobbyist might not notice the difference, the more experienced maker can spot it from clear across the room.
-Steel wool shreds and deposits microscopic particles into the grain of the workpiece. If you're using a timber with appreciable levels of tannin (and that's many, many timbers, not just Oak) you'll get tiny black stains, even without tannin those iron fragments will rust, or possibly react with other finishing components.
-Steel wool has very variable consistency, there's no universally adhered to grading system so quality is all over the place. As sales of steel wool decline (it's being rapidly superseded by other, better options) the variability of the remaining supply just gets ever more dodgy.
-It's risky stuff to have in the workshop, in the UK it's one of those materials that requires a hazard data sheet if it's kept on commercial premises.
Flexner and Dresdner aren't writing for serious woodworkers or professionals, they're producing simplistic guides and basic magazine articles for the hobbyist newcomer. Sure, in that context steel wool has a role, it's widely available, cheap, and simple to use for undemanding applications. But the antique restorers, french polishers, and furniture finishers that I know and respect never used steel wool all that much even thirty or forty years ago, today it's pretty redundant for quality furniture making and finishing.
So, if you're just starting out and an old box of steel wool is the only thing in your workshop, then no problems, rub away. But if you've sunk many hours into an important project, or if you want to take your finishing to the next level, then you really should be investigating some alternatives.
