Shoutout to my uncle for the 'don't scrub too hard' tip on steel wool

My uncle told me to go easy when using 0000 steel wool on my old brass lamp. I thought he was crazy because I wanted to really dig in and get the tarnish off fast. Turns out if you press too hard you just scratch the brass deeper and make it look worse. I backed off and used a light touch with some mineral oil like he said. After about 10 minutes of gentle rubbing that lamp shines like new. Has anyone else learned that less pressure actually gets better results with fine steel wool?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan95213d ago

I get what you're saying but honestly I've had the opposite experience with steel wool. I used to baby my cast iron pans with 0000 and nothing would come off. Then I watched a video where this old timer just went at it with some elbow grease and it worked way better. Not like scratching deep but just enough pressure to actually do something. I think there's a middle ground where you're not pressing so hard it gouges but you're also not barely touching it. Your uncle's trick with mineral oil sounds smart though I've only ever used it dry.

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angelafisher12d ago

0000 is definitely too fine for most jobs lol. @ryan952, I actually switched to 0 grade steel wool and it's been perfect for my cast iron routine, just enough bite to lift off stuck bits without leaving any marks. The key I found is using it with water and a little dish soap, letting the pan soak for a minute first so the gunk softens up. I tried the dry method once and it felt like I was just rubbing dust around, not making progress, so soaking is a game changer.