Pics and Q's for Beeswax on raw pine

[tea lady]

Well! I sanded my little table top too 400# cos that's what I have. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Silky. Been rubbing on shellac. Tricky stuff isn't it. Might have to get serious about rubbers and stuff. And have to get me some Traditional wax. But heh! I'm sold.

[Horsecroft88]

With all due respect Neil to your expert knowledge, the use of coarse grade steel wool is the perfect medium when paint stripping wood with a painted surface to clean off the paint stripper and dead paint to get back to raw wood. Ditto, I usually clean off with either warm soapy water and/or with metho to neutralise the acid of the paint stripper and steel wool to get the final residual muck off.

Then obviously one needs to go through the various grades of sandpaper, and applying which ever finishing product one chooses. I only use ultra fine steel wool on coated timber (say more than 8 coats of shellac) before bees wax polishing or on the odd occasion have steel wooled down and waxed a finished tung oil surface to dull it off slightly.

I do agree that steel wool is no good as a sanding medium on raw wood.

[Horsecroft88]

Well! I sanded my little table top too 400# cos that's what I have. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Silky. Been rubbing on shellac. Tricky stuff isn't it. Might have to get serious about rubbers and stuff. And have to get me some Traditional wax. But heh! I'm sold.

It sure can be but once you have mastered the finish, you wouldn't really want to use anything else on old wood. Silky smooth when you get it right for sure. Definitely use a decent wax as that is the final glory. Have fun.

[ubeaut]

Horsecroft88 - I have no problem with using course steel wool in stripping in fact I wholwheartedly recommend for this use. Don't have a problem with it being used over a finish.

What I said was: Steel wool shouldn't be used as a fine abrasive on raw timber.

Cheers - Neil

[Horsecroft88]

Horsecroft88 - I have no problem with using course steel wool in stripping in fact I wholwheartedly recommend for this use. Don't have a problem with it being used over a finish.

What I said was: Steel wool shouldn't be used as a fine abrasive on raw timber.

Cheers - Neil

Hi Neil that is fine, I was just trying to clarify where it should be used or not. I don't disagree with you re not using it as an abrasive and/or especially on raw timber. Cheers Dave