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Properties of Steel Wool — Its Uses
Steel wool is a homogenous and abrasive product with the unique property of being extremely flexible thus having the ability to prepare and polish flat, curved or grooved surfaces equally well. Steel wool is produced in distinct grades of fineness, the finer the grade the gentler the action. Coarser grades are for removing heavy grime or cutting back surfaces in disrepair.
Steel wool can be used on many more surfaces than may be first imagined. Steel wool, like all good cutting materials or compounds (eg. sand paper or rouge), gradually breaks down with use bringing up the best surface for final polishing or painting. When the surface is hard, steel wool used with care will not scratch — ideal for cleaning clear glass, chromed steel, ceramic tiles, polishes stone, plain porcelain, stainless steel and cutting back waxed floors. Cleaning materials such as stainless steel scourers and wire brushes will scratch hard surfaces.
Caution
Do not use steel wool to clean finished duco, gloss paint work or relatively soft surfaces such as Teflon and varnished or French polished items unless you want to cut them back for refinishing. If using steelwool near an electrical source, make sure the power is turned off. Steel wool can burn so keep away from any flame or source of sparks. To remove stubborn grime from these surfaces try a Plastic (polypropylene) Scourer in conjunction with an expert’s advice on the correct detergent or chemical to apply.
For safety always test on a small obscure section first.
The Ecology
Steel wool is an ecological friendly material, it is biodegradable returning to the land as iron oxide, a component of many soil types. Steel wool a it oxidises is a benefit to certain plants and the soap used is natural soap and is biodegradable conforming to AS1992-1976 and will if anything add to available plant nutrients, being fully soluble in water.
Knitted Scourers
Our range of scourers are knitted in tubular form (hose) from plain or coated wire - copper, aluminium, stainless steel or other metals - and polypropylene thread. The wire or thread is flattened to provide a cutting action and the knitted product is rolled into a scourer for use by hand. Our scourers are knitted from materials relatively softer than the items they are intended to clean. Select the appropriate toughness of scourer for the job, eg. copper and copper coated for stainless steel and iron pots, galvanised or coated copper for stainless steel and aluminium surfaces as well as glassware.
Industrial Uses
Most of our commonly known products are designed for household and hardware applications. However, in addition we manufacture a number of steelwool products for specific industrial uses such as: fibre for brake linings, ribbon and matting for precious metal recovery and for heat distribution in commercial laundry ironing machines. Filtration and insulation materials are produced from knitted stainless steel, copper and polypropelene.
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