Polishing where you've stamped/polishing grooves of reticulated silver

[daisyvjewellery]

Hello, I stamp a lot of my sterling silver jewellery and I also reticulate a lot of pieces but I've found it really difficult in the past to polish away the white residue left in the grooves from pickling and after a while, the white bits discolour. Can anyone recommend a way to get rid of the white residue in all of the tiniest grooves? I've recently purchased a dremel with a flexshaft and have tried using the mini bristle brush attachments, but have found these haven't helped either. Any advice would really be appreciated - thank you!

[Goldsmith]

Try a brass wheel in your Dremel, like one of these; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-Tools/Brass-Pendant-Wheel-prcode-999-ACL use this first before final polishing. I use larger diameter brass brushes on my bench polisher for polishing detailed work, it will shine the article without removing the detail.


James

[Dennis]

No offence James, but it is worth mentioning here that the brass brush should be used wet, or the bass will discolour the silver.

You can also use a brass hand brush, but the filaments are a little thicker. However if you use soapy water with it the effect is quite good.

Oh and whichever you choose you will have water all up the wall, unless you can shield it. For instance you can work inside a 5 Litre water container with both ends cut off. Dennis.

[Goldsmith]

No offence James, but it is worth mentioning here that the brass brush should be used wet, or the bass will discolour the silver.

You can also use a brass hand brush, but the filaments are a little thicker. However if you use soapy water with it the effect is quite good.

Oh and whichever you choose you will have water all up the wall, unless you can shield it. For instance you can work inside a 5 Litre water container with both ends cut off. Dennis.

I assumed that daisyV would read the instuctions written under the picture on the link I posted, where it says this wheel should be lubricated with soapy water for best effect Dennis.

[ShinyLauren]

No offence James, but it is worth mentioning here that the brass brush should be used wet, or the bass will discolour the silver.

You can also use a brass hand brush, but the filaments are a little thicker. However if you use soapy water with it the effect is quite good.

Oh and whichever you choose you will have water all up the wall, unless you can shield it. For instance you can work inside a 5 Litre water container with both ends cut off. Dennis.

Ah, I did not know this! I stopped using brass brushes on my little custard creams, as although it brought up the detail of the castings a treat, it left a yellow tinge on the silver. I will try again with soapy water.

[Faith]

Hi there,

If it's any help at all, I recently had to clean up my very first PMC fingerprint pendant, and after getting a few yellowy bits of test PMC tried doing the brass brushing actually underwater (with a hand brush obviously not a Dremel!). I filled the sink with warm water and squirted a lot of fairy in (the water was green, and held my piece under to brush it. I'm not ruling out that approach being overkill - but my silver stayed nice and silver coloured :)

Faith

[enigma]

I just use a steel wire wheel?

[Goldsmith]

For those who make a lot of detailed items and want to make polishing of deep relief items easier, then consider getting or making a scratch brush unit. They can be bought ready made or if you are creative they can be constructed.

This is my ready made unit, as you will notice the polishing mop wheel spindle faces the user, this means that you can polish with running water lubricating the spinning brass mop, as the mop is enclosed in a box the water spray from the mop is collected in a bucket and can be re used.

9086

James

[Petal]

What about these radial discs? http://www.cooksongold.com/category_select.jsp?query=radial+discs

[LydiaNiz]

Can you not tumble polish it before oxidising/polishing back

[metalsmith]

http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-Tools/Glass-Pencil-Brush-prcode-999-183
might do the trick