I use steel wool at times for getting rust off metal parts. The stainless steel stuff is the best. But I've found it pays to wear gloves of some kind. One time after cleaning down an old blade disc, I only realized later that my fingers felt like I'd been picking prickly pear fruit with my bare hands. I had to sit out in the sun with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass, pulling tiny bits of metal out my finger tips.
