Thank you all for the kind words. I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to check in here to see the feedback.
The steel wool will have its place, I think, in some situations. But it won't work on all and, as I think I said, it won't replace sanding, heating, etc for chatter and dents. But it is a good tool to have in the box of tricks.
The polish as far as I can tell is fine: I'm not dead yet! :rofl: Plus, it gets buffed with white diamond and then carnauba wax so I doubt there is any residue; I can't smell any at least.
I used tweezers to remove the cotton balls and it was so much easier than trying to get salt out of the bowl! I may never use salt again: we shall see...
And I'd like to thank all the folks that have answered questions and shared ideas and methods with me to help me along the way. I just hope I can be of some help to others in the future as many of the guys here (and elsewhere) have been to me.