Bronze wool is a bundle of very fine bronze filaments [citation needed], used in finishing and repair work to polish wood [citation needed] or metal objects.
Furthermore, steel is magnetic and can affect the operation of marine equipment, such as a compass.
The main US retail supplier of bronze wool is Homax Group, under their Rhodes American brand.
Bronze wool has largely been replaced for cost reasons, by plastic mesh abrasives from makers such as Webrax and 3M Scotch-Brite.
These use grains of aluminium oxide or silicon carbide, bonded to a non-woven web of nylon fibres.