Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

[vidrazor]

Does anyone know what would be the equivalent grit factor of 0000 steel wool? I'm thinking of using this with WD-40 on my bike rims which got pretty ratty after a winter's worth of salt (among other areas of my bike). While some of the rim is exposed (or possibly coated) aluminum, other areas are painted.

So I'm curious as to how 0000 steel wool compares to sandpaper grits for some perspective.

[Murr1525]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

What are the wheels made of? Any coating, or bare metal?

[Nappers]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Can you post pictures of the bike wheels?

Steel Wool in my humble opinion would be a pretty harsh start. I've cleaned the rust and salt damage from the chrome center caps on our Yukon with Hot Rims Chrome wheel cleaner and follow up with Chrome polish and a terry applicator.....

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

>>What are the wheels made of? Any coating, or bare metal?<<

The wheels are slightly different, as I had to replace the front one. The rear wheel seems like it has paint from the hub until it reaches a hard-edge "lip" at the rim edge, where it seems like raw metal from thereon:



The front wheel seems the opposite, seemingly having some kind of clear coat at the edge, with the spoke and hub areas seemingly raw metal:



Unfortunately I have to keep my bike out on the street, which further weathers it down.

So back to my question, what equivalent grit would you say 0000 steel wool could be? Thanks.

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Hmm, posted some pics and they never showed up. Let's try this again.

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

OK, here's the rear wheel:



This appears to have paint down to the hard edge "lip" area where it seems to be raw metal from thereon. Here's the front wheel:



This appears to be the opposite, with some kind of clear coat at the edge and apparently raw metal past the hard "lip" edge.

So back to my original question, does anyone know what the equivalent grit would be for 0000 steel wool? Thanks.

[Murr1525]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

New members have to get pics approved I believe, shouldnt take too long.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Just approved them, sorry had to step out to pick up a rental car for tomorrow's advanced class.


If you're confident you're working on just bare aluminum then the steel wool will work to abrade off some of the oxidation and deterioration, after than use some terry cloth a quality aluminum polish to bring up the shine.

There's probably a grain to the aluminum in the direction the aluminum was milled, if so then rub in the direction of the grain or machine lines.

If it's coated in any way and you rub anything abrasive against it you will remove the coating, so be careful.

As for a comparison it's pretty much like comparing apples to oranges but #000 Steel Wool is pretty fine as far as spun steel goes, since you're working on aluminum it's a good entry level starting abrasive for cleaning up deteriorating like your wheels have.

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Thanks. Would there be some kind of ballpark figure? I know it's not exact, but I'm just trying to get a handle on it.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Thanks. Would there be some kind of ballpark figure? I know it's not exact, but I'm just trying to get a handle on it.

All things being equal? Same pressure, same person doing the work, same surface, etc.


#1000 to #1500 grit?

Just a guess. I've done this before for my slotted mags on the drag boat I owned because they were neglected when I bought the boat. After that I always kept them up.

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Well, I damned the torpedoes and used the steel wool with the WD-40. Not bad. I followed it with a wash down using Simple Green to get all the WD-40 off.

I had better luck with the front wheel than the rear, as you can see here:
Front


Rear


I'm not sure what, if anything, I can do about the pitting on the aluminum on both wheels, of which you can see a closer shot of the rear wheel here:



Certainly an improvement, but I'm not sure if there's anything else I can really do here, short of having the wheels painted. :-).

If anyone has any ides, throw 'em out there. Thanks.

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

If I use Ultimate Compound on the painted areas of the rims pictured above, will it have any effect on the raw aluminum if it spills over on it? The painted areas responded well to the steel wool/WD-40 treatment, don't know what I'm going to do with the aluminum yet.

[vidrazor]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Yes-no-maybe?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

The painted areas responded well to the steel wool/WD-40 treatment, don't know what I'm going to do with the aluminum yet.

You rubbed out paint with steel wool and WD-40?




Hey if it works for you then go for it, not sure I would risk putting scratches into paint that's already hard to work on due to it's shape and location.

If I use Ultimate Compound on the painted areas of the rims pictured above, will it have any effect on the raw aluminum if it spills over on it?

It shouldn't hurt the un-coated aluminum but it's always a good idea to test if you're in doubt.


As for the aluminum, maybe find a wheel polishing company and let them have the project?

[Eddie6th]

Re: Equivalent grit of 0000 steel wool

Hi vidrazor,it looks like your wheels have a little corrosion similair to allu. parts in my engine bay.I think the steel wool is a good option before polishing.Don't try anything motorised for sanding,as it will not work and make a mess of alu.Hand speed is good.

Another option would be to get your wheels powder coated,and they will clean for you and at least your wheels will be completely protected in the future.It's not that expensive either.For a bike,i reckon 20 - 30$ a wheel.Make sure you find the right place though.Better someone for automotive parts(the heating process is important for wheels).