Thread: why not use steel wool on wood ?

cause little bits of steel get caught in the grain and rust and mark the wood.

Makes sense, but is it that big a deal. cause lots of people use it on wood.

It discolours finishes if it is in the timber, even oil based ones, as it is affected by moisture from the wood itself. Fine wool (000) is used to rub down finishes though.

On the contrary guys, I have never had such a problem with using steel wool on timber over the past 19 years I have been restoring antiques and on all the joinery of my two historic homes.

In stripping back paint by hand (using a heatgun to remove paint) I then always use a caustic based paint stripper with coarse grade steel wool. Once I have the muck off I always use more coarse grade steel wool with water and detergent to neutralise the caustic. Once the wood is dry I usually do a two stage sand using coarse and fine grade sandpaper, which is then coated using shellac (French Polish), cutting back the first and sometimes second layers (multiple coats) with fine grade sandpaper and finally cutting back with fine grade steel wool and then bees wax polish. In fact using steel wool is the only way to get the correct finish for antiques and the desired finish I seek in restoring antique timber surfaces of joinery.

If the surface (eg bench top) or floor boards then steel wool would be far too slow and I simply use a hand sander (ie orbital sander) and coat using a tung oil based product (eg Feast Watson floor seal). Dave

All a question of your perspective, I suppose, Jake. I think I picked up the aversion to steel wool from Neil's book and if Neil thinks something about finishing, I believe.

Horsecroft, yes, I can see why you don't have any problems - you have a sensible routine. You sand after using the coarse wool then seal the timber with shellac before applying wool again.

The real issue is to ensure you are not leaving any fibers under the finish, so if you allow for that there should not be any problem.

JMK, not knowing who Neil is, I will trust in the way I have always worked with wood in finishing it. I can seriously say I have never had an issue with a rust stain appearance with wood.

Yep Groggy all I can say is that the way I work with wood is to my mind straight forward and always gives excellent results. You are correct re not leaving any steel wool behind, which is why I always dust off after sanding with both wool and sandpaper, vacuming where necessary and also using a dry and clean paint brush to tease out any residual dust. Dave

Neil is UBeaut and his book "The Polisher's Handbook"

As has been mentioned, small particles of steel wool become embeded in the unsealed wood and any residual or applied water will envigorate the woods natural tannin which in turn reacts with the iron in the steel wool forming iron acetate. Iron acetate shows up as blue-black streaks in the wood. If the steel wool remains in wet wood for long enough, it will also rust causing further staining.

Apart from all that, embeded steel wool, even if no chemical reaction occurs, often shows up as unsightly grey patches in pale timbers.

some finishers use stainless steel wool to overcome discolouration/rust aspects

Originally Posted by Horsecroft88

In fact using steel wool is the only way to get the correct finish for antiques and the desired finish I seek in restoring antique timber surfaces of joinery.

A more accurate statement might have been: "In fact using steel wool is the only way to get the desired finish I seek in restoring antique timber surfaces of joinery".

Nope not sure I would agree, since in discussing finishing techinques with professional antique restorers, as well as a retired lecturer from the TAFE who taught furniture restoration, the use of steel wool, as I described it was the method they taught/or used and recommended. I really can't see how else you would get the degree of surface finness required by French polishing for antiques. Happy to be advised otherwise.

The key being here that the sanding of the surface after the initial stripping using coarse steel wool will get rid of any residual steel wool fibres, and thereafter, once you have applied shellac (over multiple coats), it has actually sealed the timber and there is no way I can think of possible for fine steel wool to be embedded in the surface and cause any issues of staining.

As I also said I have been using this method for the past 19 years both for myself as well as semi professionally on occasions and never had an issue, and this is whether using re-cycled old wood or "new" wood, and irrespective of hard woods (eg. tas oak), cedar or all sorts of pine. I simply am trying to dispell the myth that steel wool is not suitable, as based on my experience. Perhaps others have different experiences, and that also is fine by me.

Seems to me that you are using coarse steel wool as a method of stripping old finish, not to impart smoothness to the raw wood, which is what is being asked about here. You are sanding the raw wood afterwards, and you would not do that if you were using steel wool to prepare the finished surface.

Your later use of 000 or 0000 steel wool after applying shellac is a different thing altogether and no-one is objecting to it. You are using steel wool on shellac at this point, not on raw timber.

So let's be clear before it turns into a Rudd-storm in a tea cup: We are talking about using 000 or 0000 steel wool to prepare a raw wood surface prior to applying finish. In any book I have read, that is not recommended.

Cheap steel wool can contain oil residues DAMHIKT