I came into a parts lot that includes stainless steel 1911 mags that I was told had been cleaned using steel wool and oil. I’d like to try removing the steel wool particles that may be embedded before they rust. What would be the best way to accomplish? I thought an ultrafine 3m scotchbrite followed by running across the surface with a strong magnet (perhaps vice versa)?

Sound like overkill to me. I'd wipe them down with some CLP and call it good.

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"I also cook."

I suspect a magnet would help.

Yes! A powerful magnet and an oil rag should do the trick. I'd not use that rag for guns any more.

Actually I was thinking of using compressed air outdoors while cycling mags

There aren't any steel wool fragments embedded in the stainless steel, that is a figment of someones imagination and an old-wives-tale! If there are any loose fragments just wipe them off with a lightly oiled rag or an automotive "Tack Rag". Or you can blow them off with an air gun!

This was dreamed up by some unknowing dunce as a reason for why Stainless Steel sometimes rusts! The fact is stainless steel is not rust proof, just more rust resistant than plain carbon steels due to the Chromium and Nickel contained within the stainless alloys. For some reason many seem to believe this steel wool BS.

"Steel" wool isn't steel, it is soft iron that is far softer than the stainless steel alloys which guns are made of!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Steel DOES get on Stainless Steel,,
it is not in the surface, it is simply smeared (kinda like lipstick) on the surface.

If you do not believe this, simply turn a piece of stainless steel with a high speed cutting tool.

The cutting tool will smear the surface of the stainless,, if you put the turned part in a humid environment the HSS cutting tool left on the stainless will rust.

The treatment to eliminate this (in an industrial environment) is called passivation.
It is simply an acid dip, that will remove the smeared steel, but not change the stainless.


Any business that punches holes, drills, even forms stainless steel using steel tooling is familiar with passivation.

One thing that CAN happen is bead blasting stainless or aluminum in a bead blaster that's been used to do carbon steel.

The air pressure can embed particles of carbon steel into the stainless or aluminum and it can rust later.
I knew a man who bead blasted an aluminum frame in a garage blaster that was used for car parts.
He was astounded when his aluminum frame started rusting. It was actually the carbon particles embedded in the soft metal.

You're not likely to embed steel wool in stainless, aluminum might be another story.

Appreciate all of the feedback. The other reason I posted this thread here (in addition to 1911forum) is because some of the loose parts were 2nd and 3rd gen S&W semi-auto parts that are bead-blasted. It sounded like steel wool cleaning was used for all of his parts, so I assume those too were subjected to steel wool. I’ve read the many internet threads warning against steel wool usage on stainless steel guns and parts, hence my concern. I ran a household magnet across the parts as well and did pick up a few strands of steel wool.

Reading more on passivation of stainless steel it sounds like a fairly involved process that needs to be tailored to the material being passivated. My concern is more removing the steel wool strands (assuming that they pose a rust threat) than it is performing a full metal treatment. Maybe I’m overly concerned about this, but there seems enough internet threads warning against introducing steel wool to stainless parts to warrant my concern, and some of these parts are fairly hard to find.

So scrubbing a stainless steel part or bead blasted stainless steel part with steel wool isn’t likely to create a rust concern assuming it is wiped off and cleaned afterwards? I can wipe everything down thoroughly with a solvent and cotton swabs.

P.S. dfarris, your posts were super helpful about a decade ago when I got into Colt New Army & Navy M1892’s. I still have those and expanded them with original accessories. Appreciated your help then and now.

I have no expertise on metallurgy but never use steel wool for anything firearms related.

There are plenty of metal wool products that don’t contain iron, such as copper or bronze wool, so that there’s no need to resort to ferrous materials.

I've never had any problems with rust on stainless steel from using 'steel wool' on it.

I've used SW to remove rust on some stainless steel in the past. S/Steel does/can rust. It's rust resistant,,not totally rust free as already pointed out.
Different alloys are more so than others.
Some of the Stainless guns rust pretty well underneath the rubber grips especially in the coastal climates.

I don't use the stuff as much for wood finishing as the tiny shards get stuck in the finish and show up as little glitter specks.
Works great with oil and light pressure to remove rust. A good carding material for rust bluing if you don't have a fine wire wheel. It doesn't wear the new bluing off in that process (used dry). So there's no reason if used correctly it should damage established bluing especially when using it with oil.

ScotchBrite is a better choice in many instances for wood and stainless steel polishing.
A bit more aggressive to remove scratches and still leave a nice matted/burnished finish if you want it.
If you just want to polish stainless, it works great in a non-directional polishing method. Put some oil on the surface when using and the hard scratch lines will disappear and a burnished/polished look will result.

If you wipe the stainless off you should be good.
In a "never say never" I suppose there could be some metal staining transfer from soft steel wool to stainless, so maybe a little solvent of some sort with the wipe down.