0000 steel wool on glass

S

shep01

New member
for those who have done this some questions:



do you use any lubricant?

do you protect the car's finish by putting down a blanket to catch the fibers from the steel wool?
 
shep, I just spray some Stoners on the glass, rub it around with the steel wool and then dry with newspaper. I've never had a problem with the pad breaking up or having steel wool all over the place, but I take care to dry carefully. I wouldn't even call it a "scrubbing" action, just lightly run the whole pad over the windshield, and I keep the pad for multiple uses. I don't use the steel wool very often, maybe once a month or so...in between I just use Stoner's and newspaper.
 
You can use any auto glass cleaner. You can also try a 50/50 mix of distilled vinegar and water, if you want to remove stubborn water spots.



If the pad breaks up a lot, I would try to work on a small sections of the glass at a time, so that it's easier to keep the area clean of debris.
 
i will be quite careful - i am so paranoid about getting flakes of the wool into the engine compartment or crooks and crannys - the stuff will rust like crazy - i appreciate the feedback
 
I'm unclear about what type of situation would require the use of steel wool. When I get some "stuff" on the windshield I use an old clay bar to remove it and this has always worked....so far (I'm an old guy but pretty new to real detailing). So....what would be a use for steel wool?
 
shep01 -Welcome to Autopia. Sorry about the confusion regarding your post.



I'm sorta scratching my head along with JimS. GENERALLY, modern auto glass has so much poly in it that steelwool is considered a no-no (that's why they make plastic razor blades for removing window stickers). I know many people do it, but you sure wouldn't want to ruin anything. Some people have ruined their windshields just using glass polish! I'd try the clay first and see what happens. BTW, you're smart to worry about errant strands of steel wool. That's something many people don't think of :xyxthumbs What about holding a magnet against the pad?
 
wellk - i draped the front of the car so no errant wool flecks (is that even a word?) could get into the car, anywhere. i used brand new 0000 wool. i first tested the wool over a white plain paper to see if any debris came off - zero (much to my joy) so - i tried a small section of the glass with an abundant amount of EF glass cleaner - i dried it with a snow white paper towel first to check the possibility of debris - still zero - nada - perfect - so i did the entire front window. The glass looks perfect - i followed up after removing the first layer of EF cleaner with paper towel i hit it again with the EF cleaner and used a grey MF waffle weave. The glass NEVER looked this good - even new.



Now, why this obcission? not really - the glass seems to pick of so much polution that does not come offf with regular cleaning - no matter what i do - over 3-4 months it is in need of cleaning. i have never liked the results of using the clay on the glass. after doing this, i will do it every 4-6 months without hesitation - no harm, no wool fibers at all, i am a happy camper/



hope this helps others
 
Newspaper why would you use a dirty a newspaper to clean your glass. The oils from the newspaper inks get all over your winshield. Have you ever seen what happans to your hands after reading one, They turn black.
 
Fr0zen said:
Newspaper why would you use a dirty a newspaper to clean your glass. The oils from the newspaper inks get all over your winshield. Have you ever seen what happans to your hands after reading one, They turn black.
Click to expand...



That's why you use old newspaper. Give it a few days for the inks to evaporate.



Try it....
 
Newspaper is my #1 choice for drying windows. Lint free, and the paper has an abrasive quality that works well when I am only using glass cleaner.



EDIT: BTW, thanks shep for testing the steel wool so thouroughly...I've been using it for a long time, but it's nice to see that when used properly there is no danger.
 
i too have always found newspaper to be the best for the interior glass - that is - until i discovered the terry type mf towels. i have never been able to get mf towels to do a perfect job on the glass - for some reason - there always seems to be a bit of leftover streaking. newspaper usually works better but sometimes doesn't live up to its' promise. i had ordered these towels from mfsomething or another - fancy, expensive,french, "organic" whatever that means - and they look like a cotton terry cloth. they are too slick to remove wax, work well on QD products, dry the car great - but, BUT, they are magic on the glass. The only towel i have ever used with repeatable results every time - no streaking so long as the towel is clean. Better than newspaper.
 
I see Wow maybe that is a good way to clean glass with newspaper. So i should let it sit for a while for the ink to evaporate. I have been useing Papertowels with a squeege and have had amazing results.
 
the best paper towels, the cottony ones - are the best, but even they lint - if you want perfection - buy the small dfmicrofiber towels - next best is newspaper, but be prepared for some mixed results - sometimes you get it perfect, other times it will still leave some film - use week old paper for sure - it is usually dried out and is way better than you might imagine - i have used newspaper for years
 
I use Bar Keepers Friend to clean the film off my windows. You can get it at Walmart by the cleaning products.



Just have a spray bottle of water and keep it really wet, don't rub very hard. You can feel when the glass is clean by the way the rag slides over it.
 
At the moment, I don't have time to do a search. But I recall that when I started on Autopia, there were threads suggesting (if I'm remembering this right) that part of the wonder of newspapers is that the inks actually fill in some of the tiny scratches in the glass. Maybe somebody else can sleuth this out.



shep01: Glad to hear you had such great results! :up And thanks for doing such a good write-up.
 
shep01- After all my "WARNING WARNING" etc. I just wanted to say I'm glad your windshield turned out great and that you didn't get steel wool bits all over :xyxthumbs
 
GreenArrow said:
You can also try a 50/50 mix of distilled vinegar and water, if you want to remove stubborn water spots.
Click to expand...



I tried using the vinegar solution with a 0000 steel wool pad and

the vinegar caused the steel wool to rust right before my eyes.

It still worked and did a great job on the window...just a little

messy. The rusty vinegar solution also stained my 100% cotton

(used to be white) detail rags. Now after two washings (with

bleach!) they have an orange hue to them.

I think if I were to try the vinegar solution again I'd use it first

by applying it with a rag only, then hit any tough spots with the

steel wool and window cleaner. Guess that's what you call

learning from experience.:p
 
abd the warnings - i did go very carefully tried a small section, checked everything - all good. i used the wool very gently - like clay - it really polished the glass and left it spotless
 
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