Cleaning steel wool grit from around frets?

[SincereCorgi]

I haven't been doing this long, and I figured somebody might have a bright idea: what's a good and speedy way to clean steel wool grit from around frets after polishing?

Currently I just go through a bunch of paper towels, sort of pinching with my fingernails.

[Charles E.]

A rare earth magnate on a stick. wrap it in a square of cloth and when done swabbing throw the cloth away.

I just thought of this by the way.

[Jacob]

3M Scotch-Brite Pads at StewMac
They're durable, washable, and won't shed the way steel wool does. This means no surprise rust specks in a waterbased finish, and no pesky metal particles that stick to your pickup magnets. (nfi)

[pops1]

When I used steel wool I had a cow magnet inside a piece of plastic water pipe. When you get the filings on the water pipe remove the magnet and they will fall off. Now I use scotch bright, I have green and white. White is finer. You can get it at the grocery store for doing dishes.

[sblock]

Yes, a magnet will work well if the metal flecks are not imbedded too badly. But you can also use a plain old toothbrush FIRST and give it a good brushing, which will get almost all of it, and loosen up the remaining bits so the magnet can pull them up.

[DHopkins]

3M Scotch-Brite Pads at StewMac
They're durable, washable, and won't shed the way steel wool does. This means no surprise rust specks in a waterbased finish, and no pesky metal particles that stick to your pickup magnets. (nfi)

Stew-Mac, or Walmart or Sam's or most hardware stores.....and it works!

[Tavy]

Vacuum cleaner with brush attachment.

[Karl Hoyt]

I have a soft bronze wire brush.... no idea where I got it but it's good for scrubbing around frets as well but +4 on scotchbrite..... the finer stuff works great with a little mineral spirits to clean finger grime off fingerboards if you also do repairs.

[Mike Conner]

Sincere,
As the others have recommended, ditch the steel wool and use 3M type abrasive pads. I buy them at Lowes or Home Depot - they are sold right next to the steel wool and sand paper.



I posted a thread about setup here where I detail my fret dressing method:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...etailed-Photos

Along with better compatability with waterborne finishes, the synthetic materials also won't leave little steel wool fibers stuck to magnetic pickups on guitars too!

Oh, and refering to your original post - the 3M pad debris cleans up easy with a brush attachment on a shop vac.
//mike

[SincereCorgi]

Thanks everybody, to the hardware store I go.

[DHopkins]

The Scotch Brite pads may be more abrasive than you would think so use caution. This is particularly important if the pads are new. I learned that when I tried to clean some bugs off my windshield. Just so you know: they will abrade glass and other hard surfaces. When you use them, be cautious.

[SincereCorgi]

The Scotch Brite pads may be more abrasive than you would think so use caution. This is particularly important if the pads are new. I learned that when I tried to clean some bugs off my windshield. Just so you know: they will abrade glass and other hard surfaces. When you use them, be cautious.

Ha, learned this the hard way yesterday.

[Rob Roy]

After the 300 grit diamond crowning file, I use 600 grit parallel with the fret, then 1000 or 1200. I used to also go to 2000 (it doesn't take long at that grit) but found that some rouge on the dremel wool buffing wheel make quick work of 1000 grit scratches. Either mask off the fretboard or use the fingerboard shields with the slots in them from stew mac.

[Folkmusician.com]

I use 0000 steel wool wrapped around a rare earth magnet and then a vacuum with a brush. After that, it gets scrubbed down with a few rounds of oiled paper towel. Only takes a couple of minutes.

[Jeff Hildreth]

Another suggestion is to get the right steel wool. The stuff sold in hardware stores is short strand, breaks up.. filthy.
Get Long strand in large rolls from Liberon-Star or other sources..more money and worth it.. lasts longer less mess.

[DHopkins]

0000 steel wool is also a great idea. I use it a lot on things in finish with tung oil. A couple or three coats of tung oil with steel wool buffing between leaves a great satin finish.