Newsletter - March 5, 2008

The Jewelry Crafter

A newsletter for the home jeweler

This newsletter will be published every 2 weeks, and will include hints and tips for your jewelry business. Any feedback or comments about the topics presented here are always appreciated. Click here to e-mail us.

If you have an idea for an upcoming article, or would like to submit an article for the newsletter, please contact us. Anyone who submits an article will receive a permanent link to their website in a special section of our link pages.

New Stock Update

We have added lots of new items to the store this week:

• Jewelrymaking DVD’s and books, including beading, ring making and chain maille
• New tool sets
• Mini tool sets for traveling
• We have restocked speciality pliers and cutters
• Many fired porcelain cameos are back in stock

Tumble Polishing Jewelry

by

Mary Harvey

You’ve taken the design that was in your head and created the perfect piece of jewelry. Now how do you polish it? Red rouge and a polishing cloth just don’t seem to get into all the little crevices. A buffing wheel can take your creation and throw it across the room. If you make wire jewlery, you’ve run into the dilemma of how to get a super shine on your creations. This week, we will focus on one of the easiest ways to polish jewelry - the tumbler.

Most jewelry can be polished in a tumbler. There are a few exceptions, which will be detailed later. To tumble-polish jewelry, all you need is a tumbler, some media, water and some sort of burnishing compound:

• Tumblers - There are two types of tumblers, rotary and vibrating. I personally use a Lortone 45A rotary tumbler which has a 4lb barrel, but I do know people who use the vibrating tumbler. Use caution with vibrating tumblers - they polish much faster than the rotary type. Whichever type you use, make sure to thourougly wash the barrel before the first use.  Also, DO NOT use a tumbler that has been used to tumble polish rocks. The cutting and polishing media sticks to the barrel, and will ruin your jewelry.
• Media - the easiest way to start is to use stainless steel mixed shot in the tumbler. How much shot you use depends on the size of the tumbler. My tumbler is 4lbs, and I use 2lbs of shot, with some plastic pellets for cushioning. Basically, you want to have your barrel approximately 1/3 full with shot. A word of warning on shot - use the stainless steel. If you use the regular steel shot, it will rust if taken out of the water and make a huge mess.  Some people use special burnishing media, available from Rio Grande and other places, instead of shot.  I do not have any experience with this type of media, and if you do decide to use it, please do some research so that you use it correctly.
• Burnishing compound - After you fill your tumbler with pre-washed shot and water (just above the level of the shot), you need some sort of burnishing compound to really make your jewelry shine. Some use Dawn or Ivory dishwashing liquid (just a little, or you will really have a sudsy mess). I use a shot of Woolite. It doesn’t seem to suds up as much and really makes the jewelry shine.

One tip that I would like to pass along (that I Iearned the hard way) - place your tumbler in a shallow plastic tray, like the ones used for planting seedlings. This way, if the top comes off while it’s running (and trust me, it will eventually), the mess will be contained.

How long do you tumble your jewelry? A good rule of thumb is to start at 1/2 hour and go from there. For simple polishing, 30 - 45 minutes is usually sufficient. If you want to work harden your jewelry, you can tumble for an hour or more, but be sure to check your jewelry often.

Some warnings for tumbling jewlery - there are certain stones/materials that should NEVER be tumble polished. These include soft stones and beads, composite or stabilized stones, stones that may fracture easily like turquoise, malachite/azurite, opal, pearls, amber, emeralds, or stones with a coating (mystic topaz). Plated metals (beads, wire, etc), also should not be tumbled as the plate can be removed in the process. A good rule of thumb is if you are in doubt, either test a few pieces (in the case of beads), or don’t tumble it.

Tumble polishing is a great way to polish a lot of jewelry in a small amount of time. Whether it’s castings, wire-wrap or chain maille, it really gets in all the little nooks and crannies and brings out a brilliant shine.

In the next issue, we will discuss the differences between ultrasonic and ionic cleaners.