Quality steel wool is a key item in the path to easy paint stripping. When used with Cooper’s Strip-it paint stripper you get impressive results. But does it matter what sort of steel wool you use to strip paint? It certainly does and the Cooper’s Restoration System uses two different grades in different stages of the process.

• Stripping grade steel wool used in the “red” stripping phase to help dislodge and loosen paint.
• Flushing grade steel wool used in the “blue” flushing phase to rinse and clean.

Coopers stripping grade steel wool featured here is uniquely sharp, course, long grained wool. It’s used once the paint has softened with the Strip-it solution. You use it to break up reluctant pieces nice and easily but it does not scratch the delicate wood surface.

The key with this wool is its quality and performance. Ordinary steel wool is usually finer and short grained. Short grained wool in this early stage of the process is not nearly as effective and tends to fall apart or clog up quickly. When loosening up the surface that’s just not what you want. We found the sharpness amazing, the edges of the wire is like hundreds of sharp blades working to make the job easier.

Usage
Usually you get all the wool you need in the Cooper’s Stripping Pack. We list it here for people who for special reasons need more. As a general guide allow one to two metres of steel wool per stripping pack litre, or one or two metres per door or average window.

Outdoor Projects
We suggest you use steel wool for indoor projects only. Avoid use on outdoor projects unless you are coating and sealing the woodwork immediately with a paint or polyurethane. Don’t use inside boats either. In outdoor and marine environments tiny steel filaments may remain in the wood and when exposed to weather may rust if not sealed. In those special cases use brass brushes or plastic scouring pads shown below in place of wool.

Safety
Please note the wool is nice and sharp. You will need thick gloves which are also rated for the stripping solvents to safely use this product. We recommend the blue Stripping Gloves featured below. They have been tested with thousands of users with this wool.