Steel Wool, incredibly versatile item that should be a staple of every handymans (Handypersons now, sorry.) toolkit, is one of those things that you never knew you needed until you need it, if that makes sense?
Steel Wool typically comes in 7 grades From the Ultrafine which is grade 0000 all the way up to grade 4 which is the coarsest.
Liberon produce all 7 grades in a range of sizes from 100g up to an incredible 6kg. Liberon primarily use the steel wool for wood care and the application of oils and varnishes.
Steel Wool Grade 0000 is a flexible, ultra-fine steel wool used to cut back between coats of varnish, paint or oil finishes. It is ideal for polishing and cleaning delicate surfaces, including metals such as bronze, copper, chrome, stainless steel and aluminium, or with soapy water to clean and polish porcelain, marble and glass without marking.
Steel Wool Grade 00 is a flexible, abrasive fine to medium steel wool used for light cleaning and surface preparation. It is produced using high-quality steel to create crumble and dust resistant wool that is virtually oil-free. It is suitable for cleaning, smoothing and preparing wood or metal surfaces before re-polishing, waxing, varnishing or painting. It is recommended to use it with a suitable solvent for light to medium cleaning of all metals, and Wax and Polish Remover to get rid of built-up wax polish, smoke and dirt on wood.
Steel Wool Grade 0 is a flexible, abrasive fine to medium steel wool used for light cleaning and surface preparation. It is produced using high-quality steel to create crumble and dust resistant wool that is virtually oil-free. It is suitable for cleaning, smoothing and preparing wood or metal surfaces before re-polishing, waxing, varnishing or painting. It is recommended to use it with a suitable solvent for light to medium cleaning of all metals, and Wax and Polish Remover to get rid of built-up wax polish, smoke and dirt on wood.
Steel Wool Grade 1 is a flexible, abrasive fine to medium steel wool used for light cleaning and surface preparation. It is produced using high-quality steel to create crumble and dust resistant wool that is virtually oil-free. It is suitable for cleaning, smoothing and preparing wood or metal surfaces before re-polishing, waxing, varnishing or painting. It is recommended to use it with a suitable solvent for light to medium cleaning of all metals, and Wax and Polish Remover to get rid of built-up wax polish, smoke and dirt on wood.
Grade 00, Grade 0 and Grade 1 are pretty much the same in terms of usage with the Grade 1 the coarser of the three.
Steel Wool Grade 2 is a flexible, abrasive medium to coarse steel wool used for heavy stripping and cleaning work. It can be used to remove rust, and is recommended for use with Fine Wood Stripper to remove softened polishes, varnishes, lacquers and paints from wood and metal surfaces. It is crumble resistant, and virtually oil free.
Steel Wool Grade 3 is a flexible, abrasive medium to coarse steel wool used for heavy stripping and cleaning work. It can be used to remove rust, and is recommended for use with Fine Wood Stripper to remove softened polishes, varnishes, lacquers and paints from wood and metal surfaces. It is crumble resistant, and virtually oil free.
Steel Wool Grade 4 is a flexible, abrasive medium to coarse steel wool used for heavy stripping and cleaning work. It can be used to remove rust, and is recommended for use with Fine Wood Stripper to remove softened polishes, varnishes, lacquers and paints from wood and metal surfaces. It is crumble resistant, and virtually oil free.
Clicking the bolded links in blue will take you to the product page for the grade you are interested in purchasing. Other sizes are available in that particular grade as well.
I mentioned at the beginning that steel wool is a very versatile product, below are some other uses for Steel Wool that you may not have thought of.
If you need to easily start a camp fire, touching Steel Wool to the terminals of a 9 volt battery will ignite the wool and produce a flame.
Packing Steel Wool in the gaps around pipes and conduits will form a barrier mice and other rodents cannot chew through.
If you find bathing your pet causes the drain to clog with washed off hair, putting Steel Wool in or around the plughole will catch the hair before it can clog the drain and you can just throw it away afterward.
An Engineer friend of mine fills an old tin can with Steel Wool and uses it as an improvised Soldering Iron rest, the Steel Wool holds the Iron upright when not being used and also cleans the solder off the iron when it is being used. No more burn marks in his work table.