Hey Guys, Would someone mind explaining the steel wool uses to me and the different grades of steel wool. Also, where you use the steel wool the most, and what grade you use. I cant really remember this being talked about very often. Happy Detailing, Heath
It grades out like this from finest to most abrasive: 0000 000 00 0 1 2 3 4 I found the best selection of it at Ace hardware as they have more of the finer stuff. At HD, Lowes and Menards the only stocked as fine as 00. It can be used on exhaust and glass. Uncoated rim barrels as well.
good question cooter. my parents grand am has some nasty exhaust tips and was curious about steel wool as well.
I should have said textured plastic. As long as you don't use too much pressure you won't rub the textured bumps off. For smooth plastic I use an AIO to clean those up.
what would be the process on using it for exhaust tips? and should I follow it up with some never-dull?
When I first started out detailing, I would spend quite a bit of time trying to clean up the plastic entry sills and the plastic rail covers on the bottom of seats. These areas are typically scuffed by the soles of shoes, and on most daily drivers you will find some pretty nasty marks that can be a pain to remove using just an APC and elbow grease. Harsh chemicals like acetone and mineral spirits I soon found out can quickly discolor these areas, and could lead to a costly mistake. I finally found an easy solution to this problem, when I sprayed a piece of 0000 steel wool with a diluted APC and lightly rubbed the scuffs on the sills. This removes the scuffs almost effortlessly, and will not damage the plastic providing you use care and not rub too hard. I always carry 2 rolls of 00 and 0000 steel wool on my truck, and pretty much use it on every detail especially when polishing neglected metals. I personally like 0000 steel wool and Klasse AIO on badly stained glass. Leaves a nice coat of protection on the glass also.
I use with the polish, then wipe clean and go back over with just polish. When I use it on the glass I spray glass cleaner than use the steel wool, wipe off and re-clean with just glass cleaner.
