[Jewelry making - Article 00000] - [Orchid] Scotch Stones

[Peter W . Rowe]

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> what are scotch stones and what are good for?  

    scotch stones are a natural abrasive stone, a type of slate, I
    think, from a single area in Scotland (thus the name).  As with the
    types of various pencil stones and slips more commonly used by tool
    and die makers, scotch stones are used just in the hand, to smooth
    metal areas and surfaces.  They have a number of advantages over
    powered abrasives, in that, when used with water, they wear down
    somewhat rapidly, so the point in use conforms to the surface of the
    metal being treated, thus being much less likely to leave swirls and
    drag lines such as one might get if trying to get into details with a
    rotary tool.  One poster described them as quite hard.  I think he's
    talking about some other stone.  As an abrasive, these things, while
    rigid and somewhat brittle, are fairly soft and gentle to the metal,
    wearing away, as i noted, fairly quickly in use.  Don't confuse that
    to mean they are slow however.  You can smooth tool marks and
    irregularities (such as solder scars, file marks, etc) on a surface
    remarkably fast with them, and with practice, get a surface that's
    almost ready for a bit of rouge, as the stones have a very fine
    grain, and leave a surface finish that I'd compare to about what a
    400 to 600 grit emery paper will leave.  They are especially useful
    for getting into things like square corners, or corners and seams,
    recesses, or other blind or hard to reach surfaces in general, where
    the linear motion of the things conforms to the surfaces better than
    a rotary point might do. 

    they generally are available in a "stick" shape, usually four to six
    inches long, in shapes ranging from 1/8 inch square on up.  The
    largest ones I've got are 1/2 inch square, but I'm pretty sure they
    can be had larger than that. 

    I've used them to good effect finishing virtually all of the jewelry
    metals, including silver, gold, and platinum.  Don't think I ever
    tried then on titanium, but i'd assume they'd have some use there,
    too, though perhaps slower... 

Hope that helps.
Peter


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