# Steel wool in fires **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547 "2006-12-25T18:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/1 "2006-12-25T18:29:14Z")
Alright, so I’m reading up on people starting fire with steel wool and a battery. They talk about building the fire on top of the steel wool. Having never done this before I am assuming the steel wool is unaffected by the fire and after it cools I could pack it up and continue on. Or is the steel wool a one time thing? – IG ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/2 "2006-12-25T18:34:39Z")
One time. Think of it as a rather large filament, like a light bulb. Apply current through something with a high resistance and you get heat. Add oxygen and you have a fire-starter. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/3 "2006-12-25T18:39:30Z")
That’s what I thought, but given that it is steel I wasn’t sure if it would survive the fire or not. Thanks! – IG ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/4 "2006-12-25T18:39:33Z")
To clarify the above, the steel wool itself is burned and turns entirely into black oxide, which is very brittle and fragile–it falls apart very easily and crumbles. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/5 "2006-12-25T18:45:08Z")
The 0000 stuff works the best, coupled with a nine-volt battery. Well, a BIC lighter works the best, but… You might want to wash it first, most steel wool is treated with oil to prevent oxidation, which interferes somewhat with the fun. Once you get it going, you can blow on it just like a pile of conventional tinder and get a nice little “coal” going. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/6 "2006-12-25T18:51:25Z")
[QUOTE=Common Tater] The 0000 stuff works the best, coupled with a nine-volt battery. Well, a BIC lighter works the best, but.. You might want to wash it first, most steel wool is treated with oil to prevent oxidation, which interferes somewhat with the fun. Once you get it going, you can blow on it just like a pile of conventional tinder and get a nice little “coal” going. [/QUOTE] And, if you really want it to be able to oxidize well, rinse it in vinegar, not just water. But, of course, unless you intend to ignite it pretty much right away, you have now set it up for some pretty rapid in-air oxidation, i.e. rust. just sayin’ xo, C. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/7 "2006-12-26T05:44:54Z")
**Silenus** nailed it in one. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/8 "2006-12-27T17:01:47Z")
[QUOTE=Improv Geek] Alright, so I’m reading up on people starting fire with steel wool and a battery. They talk about building the fire on top of the steel wool. Having never done this before I am assuming the steel wool is unaffected by the fire and after it cools I could pack it up and continue on. Or is the steel wool a one time thing? – IG [/QUOTE] Just to follow up with what others have said, realize that combustion and rusting are both examples of oxidation. Combustion with oxygen generally has a faster rate of reaction than the rusting of iron. By using finely divided steel wool with lots of surface area, the rate of reaction of the rusting is dramatically sped up (by orders of magnitude) until it can accurately described as combustion. In short, steel wool is flammable. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-wool-in-fires/385547/9 "2006-12-27T17:53:25Z")
You can also ignite steel wool with a match or lighter. And a neat science demonstration is to weight the steel wool before and after you burn it. It gets _heavier_, because iron oxide is heavier than the original iron.