oooo steel wool ?

[Donny B]

What's the low down on 4-oooo steel wool? I've read that it will leave your chrome looking cloudy, I used it in the pass and thought it did a great job, removing rust I thought surely would not come off. I never notice any cloudiness on the chrome. Can someone enlighten me? What is the best way to get the rust off of hardware? Thanks Donny B

[Jaye]

The debate will never end.

I use it, I love it, it works great on lugs and hardware and such.

Folks say it leaves tiny scratches, and yeah...it does...but hell....you seriously gotta have your eyeballs right up on the lugs, etc. to notice.

The myriad of pluses outweigh the one arguable minus, IMHO....

[lucky]

The verdict is still out on steel wool. I like aluminum foil with water as a lubricant, then I finish up with flitz.

[GoneDrumming]

I spray a little WD40 on the rust and let it sit for a bit then hit it with a little 0000 steel wool, you can also let it soak with WD40 and then try a soft tooth brush and tooth paste.

[jonnistix]

For stuff that is really supposed to shine, like tubes on stands, I don't use it unless there is no other alternative to get real deep rust out. For t-rods, etc, that aren't noticeable, and particularly threads, I use 4-0 and mineral oil, it deep cleans. For the large, very visible chrome, I find it can make it cloudy, therefore I use Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound, in the red tub. It cleans the snot out of it, and leaves a protective coat as well. It is more work, and time consuming, but the results are without comparison, for the most part, IMHO.

[MastroSnare]

I use Whink first to try and remove the rust without abrasion, and that usually does a lot. Someone noted that sometimes Whink can get under chrome and make things worse so be careful.

I'll use steel wool. It's kinda like a car finish - it depends on how far gone it is already and if the outcome will be worth it, because it does scratch the areas that don't need any work.

Mequires Cleaner wax works well and that's my final finish.

[mcjnic]

Sandpaper and a mallet...never let me down before. Mind Blowi