Steel wool?

slickooz

slickooz

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When cleaning exhaust pipes, which grade of steel wool do you guys use? I seen super fine at Home Depot which is the least abrasive one they have. Do I need something more aggressive?
 
Thanks JonMiles. :xyxthumbs: Would 0000 be safe to use to clean chrome trims without scratching it?
 
slickooz said:
Thanks JonMiles. :xyxthumbs: Would 0000 be safe to use to clean chrome trims without scratching it?
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I've never tried it, but I know with a mix of soap and water as lubricant you can remove water spots from windows with it. I'd assume it would be safe for chrome trim but you may want to try it on an inconspicuous area before taking it to a large area.
 
slickooz said:
Thanks JonMiles. :xyxthumbs: Would 0000 be safe to use to clean chrome trims without scratching it?
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If you want something that is exactly like steel wool...but will NEVER scratch any chrome. Get some Bronze wool.

Point blank, bronze is a softer metal than chrome...therefore it will NEVER scratch chrome. It may be a few bucks more to get...but it works great.

Found that trick out from a gunsmith! ha, strangely enough...they use it to polish gun parts. Learn something every day I guess.:dblthumb2:

P.S. you may want to buy it online. I've never found it locally.
 
Kristopher1129 said:
bronze is a softer metal than chrome...therefore it will NEVER scratch chrome.
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I will second this advise, but will try to clear up a misconception. Just because a material is softer than another does not mean it will not scratch it. In tribology they define this type of scratching a little different than what we would. Without going back to my books, the end result is any metal wool and almost any metal polish can cause "swirls" in chrome plated exhaust tips and such, which can cloud the finish. They are more difficult to see, and they do not look as bad as swirls in paint, but if you look closely enough you will see a surface that is not perfectly smooth. Many decent chrome plating jobs start out good, but collect defects over time, and end up looking more satin than chrome.

However most modern OEM tips are polished even less from the factory than ever before, making them more satin to begin with. On these tips swirls are basically unnoticeable until they are really bad and deep/wide. 0000 steel (or bronze or copper) wool with a polish or a cleaner works very well.

I would not use anything more aggressive than 0000 steel wool, though.


Hope this helps!
 
jlb85 said:
I will second this advise, but will try to clear up a misconception. Just because a material is softer than another does not mean it will not scratch it. In tribology they define this type of scratching a little different than what we would. Without going back to my books, the end result is any metal wool and almost any metal polish can cause "swirls" in chrome plated exhaust tips and such, which can cloud the finish. They are more difficult to see, and they do not look as bad as swirls in paint, but if you look closely enough you will see a surface that is not perfectly smooth. Many decent chrome plating jobs start out good, but collect defects over time, and end up looking more satin than chrome.

However most modern OEM tips are polished even less from the factory than ever before, making them more satin to begin with. On these tips swirls are basically unnoticeable until they are really bad and deep/wide. 0000 steel (or bronze or copper) wool with a polish or a cleaner works very well.

I would not use anything more aggressive than 0000 steel wool, though.


Hope this helps!
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Well, maybe magnified...it leaves slight swirls or something. You know, if you wanna get technical about it. But really...these imperfections are not visible to the naked eye. I've scrubbed rust, and other imperfections out of all types of chrome. I've seen 0000 steel wool scratch certain surfaces of chrome. Never seen bronze wool leave a single mark.
 
Thanks guys:props:, I guess I'll pick up some 0000 tomorrow want to try it on my exhaust tomorrow. Going help my friends with their s2000 this weekend and will prob need steel wool for their wheels or maybe just polish or compound the caked on stuff.
 
I would not use use any type of steal or bronze wool pads. They will leave swirls. That will never polish out and over time only get worse.
If carbon is built up on the exhaust tip, i would use some carb cleaner and a soft scotch bite pad. try the least agressive first to get it clean. jonathan
 
ohmy34 said:
I would not use use any type of steal or bronze wool pads. They will leave swirls. That will never polish out and over time only get worse.
If carbon is built up on the exhaust tip, i would use some carb cleaner and a soft scotch bite pad. try the least agressive first to get it clean. jonathan
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:xyxthumbs:



slickooz said:
Thanks guys:props:, I guess I'll pick up some 0000 tomorrow want to try it on my exhaust tomorrow. Going help my friends with their s2000 this weekend and will prob need steel wool for their wheels or maybe just polish or compound the caked on stuff.
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If they are stock S2000 wheels they are painted, so don't use steel wool. Wheel Brightener works wonders for neglected OEM and painted wheels, used correctly. If not, Sonax, P21S, and a few brushes is the only thing you should need to clean the wheels. Regardless of what you use, though, it might take a few applications.

NINJA EDIT: Check out this great review on the Sonax cleaner. More importantly, the brush and technique used ;)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ate-test-sonax-full-effect-wheel-cleaner.html
 
Is it safe to use super degresser from Meg on all wheels diluted 4:1?

It did a good job cleaning my stock Acura tsx wheels, will they damage the wheels in the long run?
 
jlb85 said:
:xyxthumbs:





If they are stock S2000 wheels they are painted, so don't use steel wool. Wheel Brightener works wonders for neglected OEM and painted wheels, used correctly. If not, Sonax, P21S, and a few brushes is the only thing you should need to clean the wheels. Regardless of what you use, though, it might take a few applications.

NINJA EDIT: Check out this great review on the Sonax cleaner. More importantly, the brush and technique used ;)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ate-test-sonax-full-effect-wheel-cleaner.html
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Thanks right now I'm going put hold of buying any new stuff before I get more work. I would like to try P21S wheel cleaner but it so expensive. I wished they sold it in a bigger size.
 
slickooz said:
Is it safe to use super degresser from Meg on all wheels diluted 4:1?

It did a good job cleaning my stock Acura tsx wheels, will they damage the wheels in the long run?
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Oh yeah. SD and APC are very safe cleaners (non-acid based) compared to WB. I have used SD to clean many things, and it does pretty good at wheels!
 
Painted rims are a whole different story. Don't use any kind of wool, scotchbrite pad, or anything abrasive on painted rims. I just usually clay, wax, and use brushes to get the tough spots around the lug nuts.

You can use APC to get the inner rim wells. Don't use acid either. I've seen acid used on painted rims before without harm...but I wouldn't recommend it. It's just risky.
 
slickooz said:
I would like to try P21S wheel cleaner but it so expensive. I wished they sold it in a bigger size.
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Yeah no kidding! They do sell it larger, though. I believe AGO has it here in 5L size, which is how we buy it... yeah, expensive :(
 
Those 16 ounce bottles ones last about how many cars 5-8??

Will p21s do a better or same job then SD? I will prob choose to use p21s for wheels when I have steady clients, because of all the great reviews for it.
 
slickooz said:
Those 16 ounce bottles ones last about how many cars 5-8??

Will p21s do a better or same job then SD? I will prob choose to use p21s for wheels when I have steady clients, because of all the great reviews for it.
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They both work very well, so you'll be pleased with either (or both ;) ). We did a quick comparo on a few wheels cleaners on a writeup I have not posted here on AGO yet. It is about a Subaru STi, and we try out a few different products for the stock gold BBS wheels. They were horrible, and did not come out 100%, but I thought it would be as gruesome of conditions as any to test out the cleaners. The bottom line is you really can't go wrong with either.
 
It's funny, I was actually researching brass and bronze wool earlier today just out of my own curiosity. Aside from being softer than steel wool, the other advantage that was mentioned is that brass or bronze wool don't shed fibers like steel wool. The little fibers that come off the steel wool stay on the metal you're polishing and can rust.
 
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