I understand what you're saying Green, and I do not disagree with your sentiments, however, as others here have said, the way in which people clean a keris blade varies from place to place.
Sometimes mechanical cleaning is the best way to go, sometimes chemical cleaning is the best way to go.
In respect of steel wool, to the best of my knowledge that is not available in Indonesia, at least it is not available in Central Jawa. The grade I mentioned above:- Medium is in fact grade 1. The steel wool manufacturers in Australia changed their designations a couple of years back:- COURSE = grade 2-3, MEDIUM = grade 1, FINE = grade 00, very fine = grade 0000.
Grade 2-3 is ideal for removing heavy corrosion, or for cleaning metal before soldering, grade 1 is the all-round grade that you will find in every metal-worker's or carpenter's tool box, grade 00 is good for early coats in a french polish and for cleaning metals like silver and gold, 0000 is good for finish coats in a french polish and to raise the polish in precious metals.
The way in which to use steel wool to spot clean a keris blade, or any other ferric metal for that matter, is to take a sate stick, split the end of it, open the split and place a few strands of steel wool into the split, then wind those strands around the end of the stick. I sometimes use grade 2-3 for this, sometimes grade 1.
As with any procedure in any field, the operator needs to know what he is doing, an untrained or inexperienced operator should learn from those who have the knowledge, before he attempts anything.
For example:- Araldite; its wonderful stuff, best adhesive known to man --- however, in my opinion it should require a certificate of competence before anybody is permitted to buy it.
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