[Jewelry making - Article 00482] - Re: [Orchid] Polisning Turquoise Nugget Beads

[R . E . Rourke]

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    I was going to go for zam until i saw you were already there.try
    using a hard felt wheel or stiff core (shellac core) fully sewn
    wheel(stiched to within an 1/8" of the edge)..it may work
    better..also you may ask Lee Epperson to Respond.he's a turquoise
    expert.. As far as treating it..it's a pain in the ass to reprocess
    previously treated /stabilized turquoise if you don't know what the
    initial treatment was it can turn it green readily.the easiest way
    is to soak the pieces in water glass it is colourless and fills all
    fractures ( works for opal too)..or some people mix opticon and
    water glass..that's where you get that potential greening
    effect...Opticon itself is a fracture filler and can be used alone
    for big pits,etc. In the yers past, we used canadian balsam, a resin
    much thicker than gum arabic when melted and formerly we also used it
    to seal microscope slides...I have no earthly idea whee you'd find
    Canadian balsam anymore, I haven't seen it in probably 30 years in
    any catalog..but if you tried a lab supply you may have luck...it is
    simply a matter of immersion and after removing, it colours and
    polishes better than oils or waxes..but like I said..good luck..I
    will check with some friends that deal in global perfumery
    ingredients, they may have some lying around..I would recommend it
    over any plastic or epoxy but i tend to go for the older more
    ancient ingredients and methods.. Nothing is simpler than tossing the
    nuggets into a bucket or beaker of wter glass and canada balsam and
    letting them penetrate to the core, removing,rinsing and a coat of
    zam to finish..much work though for what it sounds like you're going
    to make on the job..
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