[Jewelry making - Article 00660] - [Orchid] Polishing Rouge

[Les Brown]

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Greetings Orchid Readers,

    Several times through the years I have come across posts from people
    who - to me  - seemed fairly OCD in their concern about the ultrafine
    buff marks left on their work after a final rouge.  My thoughts on
    that - and what I tell my students - is that the "absolute" mirror
    finish on any jewelry metal is a transitory state with the half life
    of a soap bubble, so the very "swoosh" marks should be looked at as a
    reasonable artifact of the process.   

    Only on pieces destined for exhibition do I lavish every trick and
    effort to achieve the "perfect' polish - and this even knowing that
    before the piece hits the exhition case someone is going to take an
    old towel, wipe it down, and erase in seconds what took me much
    effort  and time to do.  

    But, in my assumption that all those previously alluded to posts
    were from the obsessive-compulsive among us, I may have maligned
    innocent people. Here's what awakened me:  for years - decades - I
    have been using red rouge purchased form the now defunct Swest
    Company.  This product produced wonderful finishes - even the
    "absolute mirror" when necessary.  

    Last month, however, my intended lifetime supply ran out.  I called
    Swest, only to be switched to Stuller, but was able to order and
    receive red rouge in a Swest label.  When I used it, however, my
    final polishes  had a hazy or foggy look to them, which, on louping
    the surface, turned out to be very dense micro buff marks 

    My first inclination was that the final buff had been contaminated
    with another compound.  But a new one produced the same result.  Then
    I took a piece of the years old rouge that I still had and, whalla!,
    the micro marks were gone.  The rouge was the culprit. 

    I then ordered a couple of pounds from Rio of their red rouge.  Even
    worse results.  Back to Stuller, and after talking to their tech
    dept., agreed to try their label.  This produced much better results,
    but still not as good as the old Swest formulation.  And that's where
    the situation in my studio now stands. 

    So.  Can anyone recommend a source for red polishing rouge that is
    of a quality comprable to  days of old.  

    And to those who have been fighting this problem long before I ran
    into it: it's the rouge. 

Thank,

Les Brown
Les Brown
L.F.Brown Goldwork, Inc.
17 Second St. East, Ste. 101
Kalispell, MT 59901
406-257-1129


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