I like them better than the gray. They remove scratches and minor corrosion much quicker than the gray ones.

I just left my swords at the polish left by the maroon pads, which is just a tad more muted than that provided by the gray pads. I don't mind it a bit. If one wants a bit more shine they can run over the surface with a gray pad after the initial maroon pad treatment.

I'm just passing along my impressions!

Have a great day everybody!

I've been using the maroon/burgundy ones for a long time, too. They're much better for "cleaning up" a sword whereas the gray ones are better for "maintaining" a sword or matching a "Scotchbright" finish on an Albion/ATrim/A&A sword. Like you, I sometimes use the maroon/burgundy first and then do a final touch-up with the gray to bring it back up a bit.

So Maroon is essentially more abrasive than gray, but not as much as green?

I just remembered that I had found a Scotchbrite abrasive comparison table a while back. It can be seen here:

http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/biophy...finish.pdf

Is there a reason why people use scotch-brite over steel wool?

Jean, you are absolutely correct.

In fact you can use this information to your benefit if you're attempting to "antique" a weapon. Steel wool used in a controlled manner with the addition of a vinegar & salt misting spray can produce some very handsome results. I have also used this method to darken a wooden haft as the little steel wool bits like to stick in nooks and crannys of the wood.

Does anyone have an online supplier of Scotch-Brite pads they recommend? I recently looked in Wal-Mart and Home Depot, with no luck ...

I've bought them from amazon.com as well. Just remember when buying the pads like these, the price is per pad usually. You don't actually get a box of them. So if you buy online, consider buying more than one at a time due to the shipping cost.

If you are looking for boxes, I would recommend Fastenal, Grainger, MSC, and Mc Master Carr. all are industrial supply companies and have a wide range of scotchbrite pads. Fastenal and Grainger often have outlet stores in many cities, and can be easier to get small orders from. Online places may include tru-grit.com and supergrit.com Both cater to knifemakers.

Primarily the discussion has been about scotchbrite usage on metal but it is also good for wood finishing. There was a question about using scotchbrite rather than steel wool which is applicable to wood finishing too. Some clear wood finishes today are water based, if one were to use steel wool one can expect the tiny bits of wire shed into the finish to rust, using fine grades of scotchbrite will prevent this from happening. I also believe that using scotchbrite when finishing eliminates some of the grunge that has a tendency to build up on fine details and reveals when "sanding" between coats.

Yes I also use them on wood and I'm a little skeptical about the use of steel wood on wood being a good idea even if it might be useful in darkening the wood due to wanting to give an aged finish to the wood: May work fine but my worry is in having small slivers of steel wood caught in the wood grain that might end up embedded in one's hands as metal splinters. ;) :?:

This may not be an issue if it's only microscopic steel dust, and if it isn't a problem I am certainly curious to know.

By the way I don't have scotchbrite as a brand here but I'm assuming that the abrasive sponges I can find in my local hardware stores are similar since using them on my Albions for an occasional removal of minor scratches and had no problems matching the original finish: So I assume the grit size is close enough to not make a difference.

Oh, I use my abrasive pads on polearm hafts and on my walking sticks to smooth them to a fine finish then oil with boiled linseed oil or Danish teak oil: Apply, let dry, sand and repeat until one gets a nice glossy finish.

A quick diversion back to suppliers: the above supplier on Amazon seemed to get some bad feedback on postage ... for those outside the US, I found these folks on eBay: RDGTools Online (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/RDGTOOLS-ON-LINE). A box of 10 grey pads is £5.50 and only £5.00 shipping internationally.