Is it Safe to use Steel Wool to Polish Guitar Frets? 

Thank you for sharing.

Always tape the pickups! I also use the small "post-it" note paper for fret board protector. Easy to apply and a couple sheets makes it through a few frets, then I just thro them away and grab a couple more.

Glad it was helpful!

Hope you get useful info, on this channel.

I’ve been meaning to get a Dremel for polishing frets, but I need to figure out how to deal with splashing. I know the splashing is microscopic, but dealing with several guitars every day, would have accumulative effect, I guess. I do think there’s a way to deal with steel wool, to contain it. I just feel that it takes a lot of work to make sure it’s all cleaned up. Then it gets on the workbench and then when you flip subsequent guitars over, the pickups pick up the leftover steel wool particles from previous jobs. So I just don’t use steel wool and I got used to other methods.

Yes. That's because you're ACTUALLY polishing the frets not scratching them up.

@@poison7512 Thanks for your comment. Comments help the channel grow, so I appreciate it.

Right on.

Thanks. You will probably enjoy this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-51i5Dqmol-c.html short video, too.

Thanks for sharing.

Steel wool has the tendency to get everywhere. On the workbench, clothes, smart phones with magnets in them, etc. One tech just told me that he doesn’t like to use steel wool because it seems to be getting under his skin.

Thanks for the visit.

You are 100% right about that. This is why I did not say, in this video, that I think steel wool will ruin pickups. I was careful to say that some techs say that it does. People ask me all the time and although I did say, in the past, that steel wool ruins pickups, I do not say it now. I do say that steel wool will get into the pickups, but that's not the same (as you've just pointed out, yourself). However, on a bass, I do believe that steel wool particles trapped around the pole pieces have the potential to cause popping sounds, as I believe you can see (and hear) in this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-51i5Dqmol-c.html about steel wool. And that's because low rumbling frequencies have the tendency to make small objects vibrate.

Pups can be covered during the process...steel wool works fine....

@@tristanadam1533 As I was just replying to a comment made by @shuttermaniac I really appreciate all the comments that all of you have posted here, as they are making me rethink the whole steel wool issue.

@@tristanadam1533Indeed, also a good idea to remove any leftovers since steelwood corrodes and not desired to get any other material in the pups from polishing either. I prefer to use sets of nailpolishing files though, steelwool is to rough for the final polish too.

The additional potential problem is that it contaminates the workbench. And then it gets into other repair jobs.

I have actually been rethinking the whole steel wool issue, also based on many good comments here... One thing that I do remember seeing on some guitars is rust. I guess, it's from the steel wool particles, especially if the players tent to sweat. I'm not sure how much rust can actually damage the pickups, due to the fact that rust does expand a little bit. Any thought on that? I'd also be curious to know what you think of this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-51i5Dqmol-c.html Thanks.

That will produce good results, better than steel wool. But make sure you don’t overheat the frets.

I think that contamination is always a possibility, even in strictly regulated environments. Just as you said that you now use fret erasers, there are other methods that are less hassle to control.

Thanks for the tip. What grits do you use?

@@GuitarQuackery I use 1,600-2,400 grit from a knife supplier.

I’ve never used Emery cloth. But I wonder if it would really be much different from using micromesh pads.

@@GuitarQuackery I'm sure it's pretty much the same. Actually, the last time I needed to polish and was out of emery cloth I picked up a cheap, 8 sided nail file at the dollar store. Worked great and already had foam backing. Seemed to go up to about 2,500 grit.

Yep.

I feel so fucking dumb for not having thought of that sooner lol

I know some techs that use exclusively the Dremel tool and I know other techs that use exclusively steel wool.

Sure thing.

I do't think the small magnetic charge from a screwdriver would affect the charge of the alnico bar magnets. And BTW, when Seymour Duncan ships their pickups in boxes, to retail stores, they just stack them up, one on top of the other. They should really know better.

Iv used them for almost 20 years to adjust mine, never once had an issue man. I think that your likely referring to is a degaussing magnet, not the same thing. A degaussing magnet is not found on a common screwdriver you have to specifically purchase those. I honestly don't know anyone who even owns one.

@@justinbowen1183 I don't believe the small magnetic charge at the tip of a screwdriver would have the ability to charge the magnetic charge of AlNiCo pole pieces in any significant way. What I was saying was that I don't believe it is good practice for a pickup manufacturer to stack boxes of pickups on top of each other, for shipping or storage. AlNiCo magnets are initially not magnetically charged. They are charged at some point during manufacturing. The magnetic charge in AlNiCo magnets is not 100% stable and can be increased, decreased or reversed, by placing string magnets near or on top of AlNiCo magnets or by heating up. I hope this makes sense.

Good question. I would imagine they are potentially less of a problem, if they get into the pickups. Particles produced by sanding are smaller and not as sharp as fragments of steel wool. Stainless steel is less magnetic than iron or carbon steel, so we can work closer to the neck pickup and still clean up better (although probably not perfectly). Steel wool fragments can rust, when trapped inside the pickups (especially if the player sweats) but stainless steel will most likely not rust (although it is not 100% guaranteed that stainless steel won't rust). I also think that taping off the fretboard does offer better protection than using the fret shield or fret guards. We can also tape off the pickup completely, which is what people do with steel wool away. Lastly, we can always send all customers with stainless steel frets to our competitors, and let them deal with it, LOL.

The consensus in the many comments I've already received is that there's no need for steel wool, as there are other alternatives available, anyway.

I never use steel wool, even when I Level Crown & Polish. It is not even so much because of the contamination issues. I also get much better results polishing the frets using many other methods (also used by others) that do not include steel wool.

@@GuitarQuackery What I was trying to ask was are the filings from leveling and crowning frets just as dangerous of contaminating your pickups as steel wool?

@@Bliggick That's a very interesting question and point. They are much smaller than steel wool particles and they are not magnetic. But, you do bring up a good point and it's worth investigating. I'll write down this idea for a future video. Thanks.

Good question. I do not actually know for a fact if steel wood damages pickups. Although I have seen pickups that failed, at some point, I have no evidence that would draw me to the conclusion that the pickups failed due to steel wool damage. However, I have encountered popping sounds, caused by steel wool particles, on a bass, as you can see in this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-51i5Dqmol-c.html short video. I think that low rumbling frequencies have the potential to make sm all objects (like steel wool fragments) vibrate.

Out of curiosity, why did you have to remove a logo?

@@GuitarQuackery It was a Chinese Fender knockoff and I had a different logo I wanted to use. I ordered it and told them not to put the logo on. They did it anyway and when I complained, they reimbursed me $73. Not a bad deal I guess. 🙂

@@JoeR203 Thanks for clarifying, I'm guessing, it must have been a Fender knockoff with some features and appointments that were not available from other makers.

@@GuitarQuackery Not really. It had an H-S-S config with their cheap Floyd Rose. I changed that to a cheap Wilkinson trem and got a custom pickguard so I now only have a humbucker in the bridge and a single cil in the neck. Just a volume control and a 3 way toggle for pickup selection.

That would greatly depend on which polishing compound you use, the fretboard material, and how much polishing compound you put on each fret.

I love the old Chinese proverb. Thank you for sharing.

That's the trouble. I think the steel particles can cause actual damage, but I think that it is exceptionally rare for actual damage to result. I have seen a dead pickup once or twice, but I can't say for sure that steel wool was the culprit. I think we need to put this theory to a test in subsequent video.

​@@GuitarQuackeryI wonder if steel wool may harm the pickups in less obvious ways, such as degrade the sound quality. Anyway, my takeaway is that I don't want it near my guitars.

I think there are ways to use it, without contamination. But as we see in this video, particles get distributed in small spaces, under the fret shield, or wherever. It's like trying to contain a deadly virus in a lab. It can be done, but it can also sneak through the cracks. My conclusion: why bother, when there are other methods? I guess I would use it on a $100 guitar, away from the work bench, for a $50 job, if I had to. It's quick and it makes frets look shiny. But for 50 bucks I would not have the time to contain it. I would simply do a quick job in a separate work area, use a magnet to clean up and be done with it, for 50 buck. I'm not sure how much the presence of steel wool, inside the pickups, would harm the sound. I think not so much in guitars, as it might in basses. I did have a video about that. There were some metal particles around the pole pieces, of a bass, and we heard popping sounds. I think the pops were produced by the movement of the steel particles. I think it's more likely to happen on a bass, because the low frequencies are more likely to make things shake. A truck passing by the house will be more likely to make the dining room table shake, than a passing car would (unless the driver is one of those assholes that has a subwoofer in the trunk of his car).

Nope they absolutely do not harm a pickup. You may think.. what if a piece of steel wool shorts the windings??? Well.. your windings are insulated so that's not possible.

@@poison7512 I believe you're right. The more I keep looking into the steel wool details, the more I tend to agree with this. And even if a steel wool fragment should cut through the thin enamel of the copper wire, it would have to cut through two parts of the coil and would end up shorting out just a few turns, which is a very small percentage of the number of turns on the average pickups. I am still trying to think through the rust issue, though. Rust expands and I have definitely seen rust contamination on old pickups. So, steel wool fragments will rust if the player sweats all over the pickup. But still, what exactly will that rust do? Will it cause actual damage? I don't really know, to be perfectly honest. All that said, I still don't want to be the one that will get any steel wool on any pickups, especially not on my customers' guitars. I'm a string believer that any techs should give the guitars back to their customers in the same, or better, condition than when the guitars were dropped off.

Good question. It really depends on the state of the frets. If there are scratches, one good medium would be to use micromesh pads, but you’ll need to correctly determine which grit to use on the first pass. If there is no detectable fret wear and you are just removing the oxides, then a polishing compound, such as Frine by Music Nomad, and the polishing cloth might be the best way to go. So, there are options, depending on the situation. I guess I better just make a video about that. As I’m sure you understand, opinions will be divided on what the best options are. Thanks for dropping by.

I leveled frets on a cheap Washburn but the frets are noisy when bend. What do you recomend?@@GuitarQuackery

@@zeppo20 If I understand correctly, the strings are fretting out when you bend, correct? If this is the case, then I think your action might be a tad too low for whatever fretboard radius is on your fretboard. When you bend a string over a radius'd board, you are in fact shifting the string diagonally across the hump of the curved fret. To use an analogy, that's like trying to have a direct line of sight from New York to London. Since the Earth is curved, you would have to stand on a very tall tower to see London with binoculars. On a guitar, you need to raise the action, to prevent a string from fretting out when bending. If your radius is 9.5 inch, you can go as low as .060" and be able to bend, without fretting out. But if your radius is 7.25" then you'll have to raise the action, if you want to bend.

No, sorry I´m not an english spoken. It´s like cheap guitars that they don´t pullish well frets.@@GuitarQuackery

I don’t do a lot of work on my own guitars, by the way.

I agree.

Sure.

@@GuitarQuackery well actually yours if you enjoyed the coffee but I’m glad I could buy you a cup of coffee. Learning a lot on your channel. Thank you

@@chadwaller6072 And, again, thank you. I can assure you that every penny from "buy me a coffee" goes into making more of these videos. Glad to hear these videos bring some value to you.

I'm probably going to do a test with masking tape, too. One of the issues is the contamination of the workbench. Once the steel wool gets into the rug that covers the workbench, it's not possible to clean it up completely. Then when you turn a guitar over on it's belly, the pickups are likely to attract some of the steel wool from the rug. And all techs do not have the luxury of having a separate workstation for steel wool.

Interesting idea. This is like a wet sanding technique with steel wool and Flitz.

@GuitarQuackery pretty much. It works for me, although I'd like to get a dremel at some point and try out that technique.

I tried those but I was never able to get the same results. It is easier to dust off the sand than to deal wit steel wool, though.

I think opponents of steel wool argue that steel wool produces razor sharp, steel fragments, which end up all over the pick ups, because they are magnetic fragments attracted by the pole pieces. By contrast, fret wire is made from a brass alloy, which is significantly softer metal and is not sucked in by the pick ups, since it is not steel.

@@GuitarQuackery I understand the point, but been doing this many times and never saw more than a few bits of steel wool on the pickups. It will never damade a pickup, even if you shred full bag of steel wool on it. Personally i stopped using steel wool because all those particles landed on my clothes, hands and on the floor. Now I'm usind nail polishing block and finally dremmel with polishing paste. This method is also not the safest, rotating disc may heated fret a lot and cause it poping up

@@shuttermaniac I have to be honest, this video got me so much feedback, I'm gonna have to rethink this whole steel wood "science". This thing does is hard to control and does get everywhere and I personally don't use it, and don't like to use it. But I really wonder how much actual damage it can actually do to the pickups. It is something that I've been questioning for a while but still had no time to put too much thought into it. All that said, thank you very much for sharing your comments (you, as well as the others).

Thanks for visiting.

I’m actually having a hard time to come up with the technically-correct terminology for the treatment of Frets, using steel wool. Everyone I know uses the term “polish frets“, regardless of which methods they use, although I don’t think it’s always technically correct.

Many have pointed out the same experience in the comments. I personally use other polishing methods. I'd be curious to know your thoughts on this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-51i5Dqmol-c.html if you have the chance to see it. Thanks.