Polishing sterling silver? Other polishing methods?

Hi everyone!

Ive wrote on here a few times before and always got good advice but I'm always eager to learn more.

I have been working with sterling silver sheets making nameplate necklaces mainly or custom pendants for necklaces. Right now I cut the nameplates out then I polish them using a 2 wheel polishing/buffing motor I bought from cooksongold. This polishing motor was around £100 and doesn't have a dust extractor built in like better versions I have seen, it makes a LOT of mess and I've had to move it from my small jewellery studio out into the garage as it was just making the entire room filthy with the rouge and dust going everywhere. Can anyone recommend a good polishing machine with dust extraction built in? As I still need to get a proper one of these for our nameplates and larger pendants. And in peoples experience can you use these in your studio without making the whole place dirty?

Another thing I was hoping for advice with is I have recently stated cutting out tiny pendants from sterling silver that are around 8mm by 8mm in size which are really difficult to polish because of how tiny they are. We also are needing to produce around 100 of these tiny pendants at a time so its very time consuming using the polishing wheel for each and every one. I was wondering if there are any other methods I can use to polish them? I just need to round and soften the edges of each pendant. I was looking at barrelling machines but I have never used one before so unsure if that would do the job? Any other ways or will I just have to use the polishing wheel? Forgot to add that the sterling silver sheets I buy are already mirror finish so I'm not needing to polish them up much I just need to soften the edges and make them more rounded so they don't look like a flat cut out of metal if that makes sense.


Again, sorry if these questions are stupid - teaching myself as I go!

Thanks!

The best way to learn to polish is to get hold of stephen Goldsmith's Polishing and Finishing from Crowood Press. A lifetime's polishing knowledge from a master craftsman

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Originally Posted by pearlescence

The best way to learn to polish is to get hold of stephen Goldsmith's Polishing and Finishing from Crowood Press. A lifetime's polishing knowledge from a master craftsman

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Thank you - I will buy that.

Was also hoping for some recommendations too if anyone has any for questions I asked. Thanks

Here are some random ideas, which I hope will cover some of your questions.
First of all a rubber or plastic hood to fit your polishing lathe would collect much of your dust, even without suction. Some have a port for connecting a hose and commercial vacuums from Tool Station or similar might be an inexpensive addition.

Pieces with extensive flat areas are not suitable for tumbling with mixed shot (balls, satellites and needles), because the needles cause tiny pinpricks. If there are surface angles or texture, then the other shapes will not get in to polish there. Tumbling will not round the edges either, unless you experiment with an aggressive ceramic medium.

However for small pieces, like your tiny pendants, the edges can be quickly made finger smooth using a medium Evoflex wheel or drum on a flexshaft, or micromotor. The rubber gradually goes out of shape, but that is redressed by touching it on a cheap and basic diamond sharpening plate from ebay. You will also learn to use them gently and at an angle to get a longer life from them. Dennis.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dennis

Here are some random ideas, which I hope will cover some of your questions.
First of all a rubber or plastic hood to fit your polishing lathe would collect much of your dust, even without suction. Some have a port for connecting a hose and commercial vacuums from Tool Station or similar might be an inexpensive addition.

Pieces with extensive flat areas are not suitable for tumbling with mixed shot (balls, satellites and needles), because the needles cause tiny pinpricks. If there are surface angles or texture, then the other shapes will not get in to polish there. Tumbling will not round the edges either, unless you experiment with an aggressive ceramic medium.

However for small pieces, like your tiny pendants, the edges can be quickly made finger smooth using a medium Evoflex wheel or drum on a flexshaft, or micromotor. The rubber gradually goes out of shape, but that is redressed by touching it on a cheap and basic diamond sharpening plate from ebay. You will also learn to use them gently and at an angle to get a longer life from them. Dennis.

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Thanks so much for all this info - helps a lot! Will have a look at all your suggestions :)