Another tumbling medium question

Jewelry Discussion
1

I have a small drum tumbler in which I tumble predominantly
sterling, but also some gold too. I have used steel shot but found
that it covered my work in tiny dents. I have recently dried dri
shine (a dry tumbling corn cob and rouge mixture) but found that it
takes days to produce any sort of effect, and even that is a very
foggy shine.

I have been thinking that since I work predominantly with silver
that perhaps silver would also make the best tumbling medium. What I
am thinking is that it will be neither too hard nor too soft, nor
will it discolour the metal. Am I right so far? Also, I have a
virtually endless source of tembling medium in the form of scrap.
What I am currently trying to figure out is should I form the scrap
into beads with a torch, or will it work well just cutting it up bits
and pieces of sheet and wire, then dumping them into the tumbler?
When I was using steel shot, I preferred to have about 1/3 pins as
they get into those hard to reach places. Is it correct to assume
cut up scrap silver wire will do the same thing? Has anyone tried
this approach to tumbling media, and if so what were your results?
Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge.

Cheers,
B

2

Bryan, I asked myself the same question. I still use wallnut shells

  • rouge for gold in my vibratory tumbler and I think it works very
    well. But for silver, I use something else. One of my
    brothers-in-law is a carpenter and I asked him to give me scrap of
    the hardest wood he uses (I don’t know which wood it is). I
    impregnated this wood with Simichrome and I think that it works
    excellent. Of course, I use plastic media first. Best, Will
3 
I have been thinking that since I work predominantly with silver
that perhaps silver would also make the best tumbling medium

Bryan, this is an interesting idea, but why go to all that trouble?
I recommend "Cerambits, " a ceramic medium available through
Kingsley North, Inc. (1-800-338-9280). After you break it in, it
will give you a wonderful shine and no dents and will last for
years. [THANKS to those Orchid folks who helped me find Cerambits
again, after mine began to become rather small!]

Dri & Shine is not intended to do what you wanted it to – that’s
why it didn’t work well.

All the best,
Judy Bjorkman