[Jewelry making - Article 00388] - Re: [Orchid] Vibratory vs. magnetic tumblers

[Judy Hoch]

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>     I want it for small pierced work (mostly pendants of intricate,
>     cut-out quotes) but have gotten the impression that all the mass
>     polishing systems are not so good on flat, shiny objects.... 

    Any object can be polished to perfection with mass polishing system 
    techniques.  However it is not a one size fits all answer.  

    When polishing flat objects, it is important to get a very smooth
    finish  prior to burnishing.  You can get a pretty smooth finish
    with a one step  abrasive such as Rio's aqua cones, or for a better
    finish, use a two  step abrasive process such as the grey hone,
    followed by green hone,  also Rios stuff.  Then - you burnish with
    either stainless steel shot or  ceramic beads.  If you use the
    stainless steel shot, you follow with a  dry vibratory buff of wood
    pegs and chips charged with simichrome.  The  steel runs in an hour
    or less, the ceramic beads take 12 to 18 hours and  are kind of a
    nuisance to handle.  My rule of thumb is that flat  surfaces require
    24 to 48 hours to finish to a perfect shine. 

    None of this is particularly fast, but the machines do the work, not
     you, and you don't have to stand and breathe the junk from the
    buff.   You can go faster with machines such as the disc finisher,
    but they are  relatively expensive.  A magnetic tumbler would be
    very poor for your  application because they cause tiny sparkles on
    flat surfaces. 

    For more information, see my website for "the book" on tumble
    finishing  or order it from Rio, Gesswein, or Ottofrei.  I haven't
    put it out to  the general public on Amazon etc because it is so
    specific to our  industry.  I would love to have Orchid list it. 

Judy  Hoch, G.G.
judy AT marstal.com
www.marstal.com

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