<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> Mike,     I have no idea what manufacturers are using these days. I suspect most of these new pianos are poly's of some flavor or another but I don't know if they're water based or not. The reason not to use steel wool before spraying (or brushing) a water based product is that the water will cause the very small particles left behind to rust. They are imbedded in the finish and make removing the finish you just applied the only resolution. Using water when rubbing out the finish is different because the water isn't part of the finish you're applying. Make sense? Easier just to stay away from wool altogether if you can. Just my 2 cents. Greg MBrat70179@AOL.COM wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Hi Greg   Thanks for the post.  If I get into refinish jobs I will have foresight. I do a fair amount of touch-up.  Usually laquer, but some poly.  I know you are talking more of refinishing, but are there manufacturers out there using water based products on new instruments?  If so, who are they.  And I don't know why you don't use wool on water based material.  I do use water when I rub out laquer.  Is the water disolving the finish?  What gives? Also, how can I tell when a water based finish has been applied?  I can tell the difference between poly and laquer, but I don't think I could explain how I know. Mike Bratcher</blockquote> -- Greg Newell Greg's Piano Forté 12970 Harlon Ave. Lakewood, Ohio 44107 216-226-3791 <A HREF="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net">mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net</A>   </body> </html>