Light- I am using the stainless for slumping.
Crypto-The stainless I'm using has a bit of texture to it so sanding won't help much but that makes sense.

I am thinking that I need to have either thicker layers of wash that I can smooth (without killing my lungs) or have a nice film of alumina in such way that the glass isn't grabbing but I can retain the mold surface rather than the surface that's in the kiln wash. When it's super thin I run into the problem of keeping the alumina in the mix. It literally falls out after five seconds. I almost need a spray device that's constantly mixing...if there is such a thing. The action of trying to use water as a medium and get it to dry properly with stainless is troublesome it's easy with ceramic cause the water gets sucked into the bisque. With stainless its hard to get it to adhere to the surface cause the water doesn't go anywhere.
I'm wondering would beeswax work? A melt of beeswax and alumina that I just put on with a brush and fire?

It's probably way more healthy in the long run to try and work with the thinnest layer possible. I dream of not having to be around the possibility of breathing this stuff in. But I have not come up with a good method.