I have found that steel wool buts a nice finish on aluminum, steel and copper in a relatively short amount of time. It is easier to work with than sandpaper and creates a very uniform look. To remove a coating it would be easies to wire brush first, then use the steel wool. The wire brush is more abrasive and can clean rust good, the wool is better for polishing, but I have gotten some pretty decent results from the wool in seconds. It is good for removing the patina of copper.

Sorry if this is already mentioned somewhere here.

steelwool works very well when used as is for the first run,second run mix up some green buff soap water and dishwashing liquid and third run with burnishing compound follow up with the same formulas but on a piece of 4000 micromesh.