kai564•6d ago

Grade 0000 steel wool failed me on an old hand plane last night

I was restoring a Stanley No. 5 plane I picked up at a flea market in Harrisburg, and I tried using the finest steel wool to clean the rust off the sole. Thing is, it just smeared the rust around and left this weird haze that took forever to buff out with a rag. Next time I'm just going straight to a razor blade and some 400 grit sandpaper on a flat surface. Anyone else run into this haze problem with fine steel wool on cast iron?

2 comments

2 Comments

david7016d ago

So you had the same thing happen as me? I used to swear by 0000 steel wool for stuff like that, figured it was gentle enough to not scratch anything. But after dealing with that same haze on a No. 4 I bought from an old guy in Lancaster, I stopped using it on cast iron altogether. That smear is the worst, I think the fine particles just get worked into the pitting and turn into a greasy mess. Now I just hit the sole with a file and stick with 320 grit on my glass plate. What grit do you usually use after the razor blade?

ryanhayes6d ago

Have you ever tried sanding with the sole wet? That haze drove me nuts too, but a dip in water and some 220 grit knocked it right off without leaving that greasy mess behind.