Has anyone used an ultrasonic polisher? I’m wondering if they really
help tospeed up polishing times. They are very expensive and want to
know if it is worth the price.
Margie
Hello Margie
The only ultrasonic unit I know about is used to clean off gunk from
metal -like after polishing on a buffer. Yes, they are expensive. At
least professional units are. Although removal of rouge and other
debris can be accomplished by soaking in cleaning solutions like
ammonia and scrubbing with an old toothbrush, the 'sonic speeds
things up. Judy in Kansas, who lucked out and found a new-in-box
’sonic at a garage sale. Woo-Hoo !!!
Margie - some of the ultrasonic polishers are modestly priced - for
example
Mini-Sonic Tumbler at Rio Grande
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep81v1
but I would offer this observation - by themselves, my experience is
that their utility is limited. They are great for takein cleanup,
When coupled with Diamond Pacific 50,000 diamond dry media, they do a
nice job of final polish for jewelry even with stones set. I
personally don’t like how they move steel but my friend Judy
Willingham uses this machine for burnishing and likes it.
Other dry media than the one referenced don’t work so well.
So - while there are very expensive ultrasonic machines in the tens
of thousands of dollars, there are also some not so expensive.
Look at the range of tumblers - vibratory and rotary and the
associated media. There are lots of choices, all individual to what
kind of work you do.
Judy Hoch, G.G.
This is a different kind of ultrasonic I’m talking about. This has a
hand piece like a flex shaft, but it reciprocates. They hold files
and sanding stones and are designed to get into tight places.
Gesswein hasthem. You can see them on page 462 of their catalog
#100.
Margie
We use that unit here at stuller for removing casting skin…
Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
Stuller Inc.