polishing help!

[mkay118]

Hi guys,

I've just started to create jewellery in my shed, gotten fully into etching, into a rhythm now but Im curious as to how I can polish delicate pieces, delicate i mean 0.2mm -0.8mm thickness etched. It's too fragile for polishing mops/buffing, i've been told to use a sonic cleaner, but I'm thinking the steel points will crush my piece. Any ideas? thanks in advance


Maz

[Dennis]

Hi Maz,
Without knowing exactly what you are making it is difficult to give specific advice, but in order of sophistication you could polish textured finishes:
1. With a soft toothbrush and Silvo.
2. With a jeweller's brass brush and soapy water.
3. With medium and fine radial disks on your flex-shaft
4. In a tumbler with mixed shot and Barrelbrite. All these methods would preserve your etched texture without damage. Dennis.

[mizgeorge]

I suspect you're thinking of an ultrasonic cleaner, which uses no steel or hard medium, just ultrasonic waves and a detergent. You can buy a cheap one for around £20 which works OK as long as you use it with warm water.

I happily polish pieces as thin as that with a mop on a flexshaft at fairly low speed, but if you're concerned, I think I'd either use a magnetic polisher, or as Dennis suggests, a tumbler.

[mkay118]

Thanks I'm gunna invest in a magnetic tumbler for now im using and wire wool and soapy water, (thanks dennis). I used to use sanding discs frequently, but I got fed up of shredding the discs on my work and changing every minute or so. thanks guys

[Dennis]

Thanks for coming back to us Maz. You might be right about you choice, but if you tried a soapy jewellers brass brush, instead of steel wool, the effect on etched surfaces would be very similar and you would save £££.
By the way what did you do with sanding disks that was not successful? Dennis.