Sanding Oak with Inlaid Brass Parts

[AHill]

I also posted this in the Woodworking Forum.

I have a friend who inherited a vintage oak steering wheel. He wants to refinish the wheel by sanding off the old finish, but he noticed a brass ring around the hub. He wants to know how he can prevent brass particles from contaminating the wood. Is this something he should worry about? Is there some way to protect the wood from brass particles before or during sanding? I'm thinking either use a chemical stripping compound vs. sanding, or just go ahead and sand but use compressed air frequently to blow the dust off. Any other suggestions? The brass parts are not removable without damaging the wood, so taking it apart is not an option.

[dlorenz]

He might try taking a scrap of oak and screw a piece of brass to it. Experiment with sanding and see what happens. If metal does get into the oak, try mineral spirits and a brush/rag to see if it will come off.

Hope this helps.

[JR1]

He will be better off using a good stripper rather than trying to sand a curved surface like a steering wheel. He can try a soy stripper because of toxicity issues with methylene chloride paint strippers but likely he will need to use one of them. They should only be used with very good ventilation and preferably with a good mask with an appropriate cartridge.

[Bob Barkto]

Not having a picture... here is what has given the best results ime in most cases.
Sand the area near the inlay last.
Sand and mask off other areas. Seal the area around the inlay with thin shellac.
Dry sand and dry clean. Vacuum and brush off frequently.
Re-seal with shellac as needed, it's effective at keeping fine particles out of the pores.
Liquid cleaners usually make more of a mess, seems to drive the brass deeper into the wood, often turning green->black.