Fresh from The Upholstery Fair, tips from the pros are on my mind. Every single workshop I attended touted the mulitple uses for steel wool. Granted, none of the old timers suggested edging a robe with it, but they each did have their favorite uses for our old friend, steel wool. No tool box or shop should be without a variety of steel wool choices. This Old House lists 10 uses:
1. Start a fire. Touching the terminals of a 9-volt battery to a wad of steel wool can spark a campfire.
2. Stymie critters. Packing steel wool into gaps around pipes forms a barrier mice can’t chew through.
3. Stain wood. Woodworker and This Old House contributor Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk mixes steel wool and vinegar in a jelly jar, which reacts to create an ebonizing stain.
4. Prevent a clog. Temporarily stuff steel wool in the drain while you bathe your pet to catch shed hair.
5. Secure a screw. TOH master carpenter Norm Abram finds that steel wool tucked into an oversize hole can keep its screw secure after that last turn.
See the rest right here.
