I never wear gloves, I learned to make plugs for ends of the barrels and handle them by the plugs both when applying the solution and carding;but not when boiling them.I was not able to find a fine enough wire wheel to satisfy me, even runing it on an arbor driven by different size pulleys to slow it way down.My German gunsmith friend taught me how to do it and he used a wheel with wire that was hair "fine".I just went to 00 steel wool(degreased with acetone also).For what ever it's worth, Walter taught me to apply the solution with 0000 steel wool( degreased with acetone).It was his theory that the steel wool would cut through any oil droplets that might be in the air and fall on the work.He would put a little solution in a bottle cap and wet the steel wool from it,instead of taking a chance of contaminating the whole bottle with steel wool.We use a small piece of wool and squeeze it out a little so it won't be too wet,resulting in runs.
Mike
