Forget Steel Wool.

[ndaugbjerg]

Now that I've discovered the "Tips & Tricks" section I have a place to share over 50 years of ideas I've accumulated. when you accept that "It doesn't have to be your idea to be a good idea" life gets a lot better. I've seen many mentions of using steel wool to polish aluminum and stainless. Put the steel wool in a Ziploc bag and forget it till it's time to refinish the front door. Hard rubbing with steel wool will embed microscopic bits of stell in the surface and as soon as it gets a bit of moisture, you've got stains and rust spots. Go to West Marine or any good hardware store and get bronze wool. Considerably more expensive than steel wool but no stains.
Niels

[motocycle shawn]

wool

ouch wool never never will i use that i use soft buffing wheels and mothers. get that bling bling in half the time. i will have to look at the bronze wool.

[ChaseMiller]

Bronze

An important thing though: A lot of stores sell steel wool in their cleaning supplies, they also sell one that is bronze colored. It's not bronze wool, it's just a coating. I worked in the auto detailing business for a while and have seen more than a few customers scratch their babies up with that stuff.

On stuff like that, I like to try buffing compounds and polishes first. I've got the tools if anyone ever wants to stop in.

[ndaugbjerg]

Chase,
I've spent most of my working life in the marine industry. If anyone is looking for bronze wool, quality stainless fasteners etc., a good boat store is usually your best alternative. I recently bought a Viper fairing and I agree the hardware supplied is crappy. I'm going to West Marine and pick up a couple of SS sailboat tangs and use the Viper hardware for patterns. It will cost me a bit but I'm building a cafe project, not a yard cart.
Niels

[Andersonspartsplus]

Another good thing to remember is there are several different grades of steel wool. I have used a 0000 fine grade with flitz polish to remove pipe bluing with no scratches or rust later on. I have also used it on rims with great success.

The steel wool under the sink thats used for cleaning cast iron pans is no good for sure.

0000 fine is available at the Depot.

Just 2 cents!

[ndaugbjerg]

Prism Polish. I saw it at the Southwest Intl. Boat Show this weekend. This was a new one for me; Thought I'd tried them all. A bit pricey at $25.00 for 16oz. unless it really works well. Has anyone tried it on aluminum? I asked about that and got a predictable answer. He said skip the white compound on the buffer and go straight to the Prism.
Niels

[fnkvn]

I cannot find any 0000 bronze wool. Does it exist?

[loud et]

yeah, it exists. I have a pack of it in my garage and have no clue where it came from.
Personally , for me,steel wool is a pain to use, no matter how good you fold it or wad it to make yourself a sweet little pad it just breaks up and seperates. I tend not to use it much.

[loud et]

yeah, it exists. I have a pack of it in my garage and have no clue where it came from.
Personally , for me,steel wool is a pain to use, no matter how good you fold it or wad it to make yourself a sweet little pad it just breaks up and seperates. I tend not to use it much.

Oh, 0000 bronze. never mind, I do not have that.