Thread: steel wool as a needle sharpener

someone posted a Tute on here about making a needle sharpener for you machine needles. It is nothing more than a piece of steel wool placed inside of a fabric pouch and you sew through it to sharpen your needles...

however..using steel wool, even encased in fabric, on your machine is not a wise choice. Steel wool makes tiny grains of steel when it is broken down...those can cut through that fabric and end up in your bobbin case/race causing damage to the machine! Even if you can't you see them, they are there!

SO, instead of risking damage to your machine, you can do what I have been doing for 40 years....take the lid from an old spray can...then put in a clean/new SOS pad..cover with a piece of fabric all tucked into the cap...now you can take your pins and needles and stab the into the SOS pad..this keeps them clean and sharp the way the old strawberry emerys do.(though they don't have as much emery in them any more more ruby & diamond dust now)

i would have also been worried about steel wool getting in my machine also.

Great information. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for the tip:)

thanks for that warning!

great idea!

Originally Posted by jaciqltznok

someone posted a Tute on here about making a needle sharpener for you machine needles. It is nothing more than a piece of steel wool placed inside of a fabric pouch and you sew through it to sharpen your needles...

however..using steel wool, even encased in fabric, on your machine is not a wise choice. Steel wool makes tiny grains of steel when it is broken down...those can cut through that fabric and end up in your bobbin case/race causing damage to the machine! Even if you can't you see them, they are there!

SO, instead of risking damage to your machine, you can do what I have been doing for 40 years....take the lid from an old spray can...then put in a clean/new SOS pad..cover with a piece of fabric all tucked into the cap...now you can take your pins and needles and stab the into the SOS pad..this keeps them clean and sharp the way the old strawberry emerys do.(though they don't have as much emery in them any more more ruby & diamond dust now)

Smart Lady. I never thouth about this happening. I'am going your way to sharpening my neddles.

I've used the spray can top/steel wool pin cushion for years. I had a Brownie Troop and we made them for Mothers day, smile. What goes round comes round. Best pin/needle cushion in my collection.

Great tip. Thanks for sharing.

Or, just keep the pouch away from your machine - manually poke the needle in and out.