Micromesh - I'm very impressed. Should I throw away my steel wool?

ToneControl

I had a guitar with very rough frets
I bought some 0000 grade steel wool, and gave it a good rub. Pretty messy, and didn't feel very smooth
I tried some 600 grade paper on it, which seemed to help a tiny bit.
After some online reading, I bought a £17 set of 9 micromesh sheets, from 1500 to 12000 grade
After using the first 2, I thought it still looked too unaffected, but surely enough, by the time I got through the grades, it is now lovely and mirror-like.

Should I run through these micromesh sheets on any regularity with my non-faulty guitars as a routine maintenance task?

Should I throw away the steel wool and just start with 600 grade or 1000 grade paper?

paulnb57

I love Micromesh amd hate wire wool!

ICBM

No, set fire to it - much more entertaining .


Outside and away from flammable objects, obviously...

SteveRobinson

A 9V battery is a good ignition source

axisus

Wire wool still has its uses. Micromesh is amazing though, felt like an amazing find a couple of years ago.

Winny_Pooh

I've stopped using steel wool, too messy. Frets get up too 2000P and then a Crimson fret polishing rubber for a quick finish. 

randella

Something I keep meaning to try.  I'm still using sandpaper then steel wool - that selection you mentioned, was it something like this...?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Mesh-Regular-Sheets-Abrasive-Polishing-x/dp/B003RTABUK

Also, if you've just levelled frets, what sort of grit do you start at when polishing up?  I have some cloth-backed stuff that's about 300 from memory, and sometimes it feels like it's taking away too much material.

ToneControl

randella said:

Something I keep meaning to try.  I'm still using sandpaper then steel wool - that selection you mentioned, was it something like this...?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Mesh-Regular-Sheets-Abrasive-Polishing-x/dp/B003RTABUK

that's the exact one

ToneControl

are the fret polish rubbers an alternative, or something to use as well as micromesh?

ToneControl

ICBM said:

No, set fire to it - much more entertaining .


Outside and away from flammable objects, obviously...

is it no use to me now I have the micromesh set?

is it any use for normal DIY?

randella

ToneControl said:

randella said:

Something I keep meaning to try.  I'm still using sandpaper then steel wool - that selection you mentioned, was it something like this...?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Mesh-Regular-Sheets-Abrasive-Polishing-x/dp/B003RTABUK

that's the exact one

Thanks, that's useful.  I figured it might be from the price but wanted to check I wasn't looking at something completely different.

impmann

I’ve got the Stew MAC  fret rubbers and they are very good but I tend to finish off with micromesh pads. 

CasperCaster

Micromesh is very useful, and I use regular micromesh for lots of jobs. Just one thing to be aware of, the Micromesh grade scales are unique to these products and are not the same as the 'P' scale, but slightly coarser. For example regular micromesh grade 2400 is approximately P1500. 

PonchoGreg

This is interesting... I'm getting a bit fed up of 0000 wool - bit messy and getting micro shavings of it under the skin of my fingers (when I'm too lazy to put gloves on) is a right pain, literally.

I mostly use the 0000 to quickly polish up frets though, and it's pretty quick. Can you use just a single grade of micromesh for that sort of quick polish, or do you have to run through the grades? If so, what's the closest grade to 0000 steel wool?

ToneControl

PonchoGreg said:

This is interesting... I'm getting a bit fed up of 0000 wool - bit messy and getting micro shavings of it under the skin of my fingers (when I'm too lazy to put gloves on) is a right pain, literally.

I mostly use the 0000 to quickly polish up frets though, and it's pretty quick. Can you use just a single grade of micromesh for that sort of quick polish, or do you have to run through the grades? If so, what's the closest grade to 0000 steel wool?

the micromesh pack I bought is a lot finer than 0000,
The first grade is probably something like 1000 grit sandpaper?? @ICBM ;

I'm guessing 0000 is like 600 grade sandpaper????
I did read somewhere that wire wool leaves smoother peaks and valleys, but surely going through the grades beyond will take care of that?

ToneControl

Just to reiterate my other question:

when should I use these? for routine maintenance????

Roland

Wire wool leaves behind metal fragments, which inevitably wind up sticking to pickup magnets. Yes, you can wipe them off the fretboard, but you can’t get metal dust out of the air without specialist extraction. I’m happy to use wire wool for applying finishes such as Tru Oil, where the fragments end up in the lacquer. I prefer to use cloth backed abrasives for frets.

ToneControl said:

Just to reiterate my other question:

when should I use these? for routine maintenance????

 Always, unless applying an oil based finish

ToneControl

Roland said:

ToneControl said:

Just to reiterate my other question:

when should I use these? for routine maintenance????

 Always, unless applying an oil based finish

I meant how often should I polish the frets with these?

Roland

YVMV, but I’d only polish frets as the last stage of a fret dress.

ToneControl

Roland said:

YVMV, but I’d only polish frets as the last stage of a fret dress.

not like, every 2 years or every 5 years then?

Sarge

ToneControl said:

Roland said:

ToneControl said:

Just to reiterate my other question:

when should I use these? for routine maintenance????

 Always, unless applying an oil based finish

I meant how often should I polish the frets with these?

Whenever the frets feel rough or sticky under the string for me, but you're taking so little metal off you can polish them weekly if you want.