Steel wool

[Kittyhawk]

According to the makers of the clear finish coats I use on my projects I should be abraiding between each coat with 0000 oil free steel wool.
I use 0000 steel wool but not the oil free type because its hard to find and incredibly expensive when you do.
I notice that the coatings remain sticky for quite a while and wonder if the oil in the wool is responsible. Could also be the weather though..
Since my projects are small and I only use a thimble sized bit of wool at a time it should be conceivable to make the steel wool oil free by giving it a good swish around in a bit of acetone and allow it to thoroughly dry before use.
A bit reluctant to try it in case it's a loony idea and I wreak my work. Any thoughts?

 

[Bingy man]

Try woodworkers Workshop or workshop heaven not shure about acetone /steel wool as acetone is pretty nasty stuff but I guess it can’t hurt to try a small bit—Just keep it away from any ignition sources then try it on an off cut with the same finish.

 

[Bingy man]

Just found this online - should last you years .

 

[TRITON]

Trollull

 

[Kittyhawk]

The only oil free wool I've seen here in NZ is Liiberion, not always in stock, expensive and $9 courier fee from them to me.
From what I've read on line acetone is a degreaser, flashes off completely and doesn't leave any nasty stuff behind when it does, and I have lots of it.
So going to try it on the current project and see what happens.

 

[Bingy man]

The only oil free wool I've seen here in NZ is Liiberion, not always in stock, expensive and $9 courier fee from them to me.
From what I've read on line acetone is a degreaser, flashes off completely and doesn't leave any nasty stuff behind when it does, and I have lots of it.
So going to try it on the current project and see what happens.

I’ve just been looking at that but the description said “ mainly oil free, I guess it comes down to what finish you are applying..

 

[Inspector]

Dip the wool in a dish/jar of Acetone letting it drain back. Go to a second dish/jar and do the same. Do a third if you like and there will not be enough of anything on the steel wool to matter. The oil on the steel wool is residual from manufacturing or added to ensure it doesn't rust in the bag. When a young mechanic that is exactly what we would do to get aircraft parts clean for painting. We actually we used Methyl Ethyl Ketone because it worked better but would use the Acetone if we were out of the MEK. We didn't wear gloves or respirators either but that was another era. Wear natural/latex rubber gloves and a respirator with organic vapour cartridges or go outside. More a warning to others that don't know the hazards.

Pete

I'll add that you can do the same with hot water and dish soap. Wash, rinse, repeat etc. Hard part is getting it dry fast enough before rust sets in. With your little bits, nothing personal, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Kittyhawk]

Thanks Pete.
I have a bit of MEK so will try that first. Didn't know that was a degreaser as well. Looking forward to see if using clean steel wool helps with overcoming the protracted curing of the teak oil.

 

[Golfman]

Have you thought about using fine grade scotsbrite material

 

[sawtooth-9]

Either MEK or acetone will "wash out" any oil residue.
Try to avoid skin contact , as these ketones dissolve skin lipids and end up in the blood stream.
So, best to get a jar, put steel wool into jar and add acetone. Shake well and drain off the liquid. Probably 3 washes are best.
Simply let the steel wool "dry off"
Keep it in a sealed jar, because it will oxidise ( rust ) really quickly.

 

[Kittyhawk]

Have you thought about using fine grade scotsbrite material

Yes, I have tried it but found it didn't do much or get into tight little corners like steel wool does.

Keep it in a sealed jar, because it will oxidise ( rust ) really quickly.

Since I only use small bits of steel wool at a time, I plan to treat with MEK prior to use and discard afterward so rusting shouldn't be an issue.

 

[AES]

FWIW, I agree with "Inspector" (Pete) above 100%.

I use Acetone a lot, mainly as a degreaser (it's freely available in DIY places here) and it's excellent for that. It doesn't leave any traces that I can find and should work fine for degreasing wire wool, as described above. That's after it's fully evaporated of course. Obviously no smoking, and gloves are a v good idea, though I must admit that I'm a bit more cavalier in using it than I should be. But so far I'm fine ("twitch, twitch")!!!.

But seriously now, MEK is a different kettle of fish! I haven't seen or used any for donkey's years, but in the RAF we used it exactly the same as Pete has described. But precautions ARE very much in order here:

it will "melt" many types of plastic;

it's highly inflammable, much more so than Acetone;

you must NEVER smoke while using it/near it (I think with heat it turns into phosgene or something else that will do you a whole lot of no good when heated;

it's a carcogenic.

It used to be used by dry cleaners (for clothes) but I think its use is now banned in Europe (environment??).

So if you have some Kittyhawk, take the greatest care please.

 

[eribaMotters]

I obviously don't aim for the same high end finish that other members seek. I went away from wire wool many years ago as I found it could break down and odd fibres I had not vacuumed up reacted with water based finishes.
I know only uses scotchbrite type pads and very fine paper for de-knibbing of surfaces. Am I in the minority?

Colin

 

[AES]

FWIW, I agree with "Inspector" (Pete) above 100%.

I use Acetone a lot, mainly as a degreaser (it's freely available in DIY places here) and it's excellent for that. It doesn't leave any traces that I can find and should work fine for degreasing wire wool, as described above. That's after it's fully evaporated of course. Obviously no smoking, and gloves are a v good idea, though I must admit that I'm a bit more cavalier in using it than I should be. But so far I'm fine ("twitch, twitch")!!!.

But seriously now, MEK is a different kettle of fish! I haven't seen or used any for donkey's years, but in the RAF we used it exactly the same as Pete has described. But precautions ARE very much in order here:

it will "melt" many types of plastic;

it's highly inflammable, much more so than Acetone;

you must NEVER smoke while using it/near it (I think with heat it turns into phosgene or something else that will do you a whole lot of no good when heated;

it's a carcogenic.

It used to be used by dry cleaners (for clothes) but I think its use is now banned in Europe (environment??).

So if you have some Kittyhawk, take the greatest care please.

A P.S. To all the above re MEK if I may: All the above was from memory, donkey's years ago. I'd VERY strongly recommend going on line to find a data sheet to confirm/add to the above.

 

[Kittyhawk]

I obviously don't aim for the same high end finish that other members seek. I went away from wire wool many years ago as I found it could break down and odd fibres I had not vacuumed up reacted with water based finishes.
I know only uses scotchbrite type pads and very fine paper for de-knibbing of surfaces. Am I in the minority?

Colin

I have heard of the problems with steel wool under water based finishes so in this case scotchbrite pads would be your go-to choice.
But it's horses for courses. In my case the finishes are oil based and the shapes of my projects are small, complex and varied and I find that 0000 steel wool conforms to them much better than a stiffer scotchbrite pad does

So if you have some Kittyhawk, take the greatest care please.

Will be using acetone. As it turns out I don't have as much MEK as I thought I did. Still got lots of surgical gloves left over from my previous employment so should be fine.

 

[DRC]

According to the makers of the clear finish coats I use on my projects I should be abraiding between each coat with 0000 oil free steel wool.
I use 0000 steel wool but not the oil free type because its hard to find and incredibly expensive when you do.
I notice that the coatings remain sticky for quite a while and wonder if the oil in the wool is responsible. Could also be the weather though..
Since my projects are small and I only use a thimble sized bit of wool at a time it should be conceivable to make the steel wool oil free by giving it a good swish around in a bit of acetone and allow it to thoroughly dry before use.
A bit reluctant to try it in case it's a loony idea and I wreak my work. Any thoughts?

Oil & white spirit have always worked for me.

 

[Bingy man]

I obviously don't aim for the same high end finish that other members seek. I went away from wire wool many years ago as I found it could break down and odd fibres I had not vacuumed up reacted with water based finishes.
I know only uses scotchbrite type pads and very fine paper for de-knibbing of surfaces. Am I in the minority?

Colin

Nope , I only use steel wool for stripping off paint and varnish from reclaimed wood , i then switch to sandpaper. Also it’s difficult to attach steel wool to my sander lol

 

[Dave Moore]

Hi,
What you require is a safe solvent. Most of The aforementioned ones are probably illegal now, certainly things like Trichloroethane are mostly now. We use SwanTek - SwanSolv but probably not available where you are. There will be an alternative as we use this for cleaning Oxygen pipework and there will be an alternative if you can speak to anyone who works with Oxygen pipework for hospitals or industry. I believe most solvents will produce Phosgene gas when heated but this shouldn’t be a problem unless you are heating things up. Companies that work with industrial cleaning should be able to advise you on what to use and you might find one friendly enough to obtain some from. Hope you have luck.
Regards,
Dave

 

[DougR]

Phosgene is only produced from chlorinated solvents - Trichlorethylene, Arklone Perklone etc - neither MEK nor Acetone contain any chlorine.

Acetone is a relatively benign and convenient solvent which is , to quote Wikipedia -

Acetone is produced and disposed of in the human body through normal metabolic processes. It is normally present in blood and urine.

MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) is not usually found in humans and its near namesake MEKP is a whole 'nuther kettle of fish.

I really really dislike steel wool - little pieces can break off and embed themselves in the surface - where they wait patiently for the right conditions then rust - bad on timber - horrific on a a vintage saxophone,

 

[Kittyhawk]

Well, no need to clean the oil out of the steel wool with acetone any more because that's not the problem with the Briwax teak oil curing.
Today's effort was a light rub with triple acetone washed 0000 steel wool (thoroughly dried) and then a coat of teak oil with the usual result ie the oil is totally bone dry after about 5 hours. After about 8 hours it develops a slight stickiness that will dissipate after about 24 - 30 hours.
This means a recoat after two days instead of daily so its not a major catastrophe.
It's just not knowing what the heck is going on and how to fix it that's driving me insane.