I know that steel wool is coated with... something... that protects it from rusting. I need to know what that is, and how to get it off.
spun steel fibers have a microscopic coating of oil to prevent them from rusting. Rusting steel wool wouldn't sell very well. I would think that removing this oil could be accomplished with any good degreaser, like brake cleaner or the like. However, I've never tried this before. In science class they perform experiments by removing the oil with vinegar. After wringing out the steel wool pad, it is wrapped around a thermometer and placed in a sealed jar. After a few minutes the temperature rises because of the chemical reaction that takes place when four atoms of iron react with three atoms of oxygen and create two atoms of iron oxide - RUST! You can unwittingly recreate this experiment by using steel wool in the process of removing one or more layers of finish from a piece of furniture Hope this helps
It will be very effective if you remove the oil by appling protective polymer spin coating to the edge, top and underside of the wafer, which makes those surfaces impervious to most chemical etchants. To learn more about the spin coating theory you may check out the following source.
