I am fairly certain this question has been asked a million times, but here goes. Steel wool used with CLP for polishing the frame, action parts ect., OK to do it or a bad idea?

Most probably a BAD IDEA.

Steel Wool will REMOVE BLUEING.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

The only thing I use steel wool for is when someone brings me a gun that has a little rust on it. I use 0000 steel wool in conjunction with gun oil. A light gentle rubbing usually gets rid of the rust. Other than that, the only other thing we use steel wool for is pots & pans.

Chief38

Stainless, yes, but you'll need less abrasive material to smooth out the finish afterward. Blue or nickel, it would be good surface prep for the refinish .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

stainless, No... it can embed carbon steel fibers to the stainless promoting rust spots..

stainless steel wool for stainless please....or 3M scotchbright pads

However if used lightly with a light oil it is used for removing rust, key word is lightly and with 0000 steel wool.. (I like to use "Big 45 Frontier Gun Cleaner Pads)
it's sometimes used in rust blueing as a method of "carding" or removing the build up scale that devlopes when rust blueing, and doesn't harm the finish

0000,,no heavier than that around firearms. The only thing I still use it for is occasionally with oil to remove some rust on blued surfaces.

Carding I do with a rotating brush, but used to do alot of it with steel wool. Messy and tiring way to do that. Get the oil out of the steel wool before you card if using it for that or on wood.

It'll scratch up nickel & other plated finishes except the hard chrome type.
I don't even like it on wood finish anymore. Those little shards of the wool imbedding in the wood. No matter how careful you are, you can find a couple stuck in there. Kind of ruins the day for you.

Scotch-Brite works great for me on metal and wood. I use the grey and maroon colored pads most. The white is almost too fine and doesn't cut at all. Green to really rough polish metal.
Keep these off of plated finished too,,they'll scratch them.

Keep pads used on stainless, brass(copper,silver,gold), and carbon steel separate. You'll drag one to the other with varying problems.

If you really want to polish, you go to polishing compounds or grit. Use dry or with water or oil depending on the job and gloss you want.
Stay away from buffers!

I only use steel wool to remove the brushed stainless look if im polishing a slide or revolver. Then use polishing compound two different grits and buffing wheels but that's it.

Bad idea. Destroys the finish, and more importantly, leaves microscopic little bits of metal embedded in your revolver, which will give the revolver a very pretty rusty brown color in short order, requiring a trip to the factory for a complete prep to remove the little embedded bits followed by a refinish.

I've heard that, and accept it as fact, about steel wool before. Would some kind of bronze or copper wool be acceptable for blued finishes then? If there even is such a thing, all I can ever find at hardware stores is steel wool.

I've been down this road many times up here and have been blasted up here every time. My gun smith that I had in Colorado many years ago told me to use 4(0000) steel wool on my firearms and then wax them and guess what they always looks great and have sold for top dollar when I've sold them. If you don't like steel wool use 4 (0000) bronze wool.

In fact when I've taken guns into gun shops to sell them on consignment the first thing they say is wow that thing looks like new. I collect coins and have a 50X magnifer and I never see any scratches on the guns surface. It takes off the oxidation and once waxed after the use the guns stays rust free and looks like new.

Bronze wool, available at your local marine supply store. It's used to prep fiberglass for gel-coating and to polish the gel-coat. It's what I use to clean up a neglected barrel, carbon steel or stainless steel.

BTW, I only use 0000 Bronze Wool or a piece of WHITE 3M buffing pad for the neglected barrel clean-up.

Class III

ACE Hardware usually has 0000 BRONZE WOOL.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

Thanks for the input, I was very hesitant to put it near my guns, just wanted to make sure I wasn't being overly cautious.