Noel asked why one would want to use kerosene in polishing. Well, I
wouldn’t… Anyway, the original question referred to the archives.
I searched them, and without studying all 150 hits, I found this,
for one:
My polishing teacher simply said ‘If it’s not hot, it’s not
polished’. And so far it has seemed to be true, that was 10 years
ago. I find the heat reassuring and frequently feel as if I’m
actually trying to evenly cook the piece. The downside is you’ll not
be able to trust the first two fingers or thumbs on either hand to
tell you how hot your coffee is.
I did work with a guy that moistened his polishing compound with
kerosene, and it did seem to polish things up a little faster but you
wouldn’t believe the mess. Not sure if it cooled anything much. It
did leave me with the distinct urge to stay away from any open flame
(but in a jewellery studio? HA!).
And as has been discussed on this thread, kerosene has long been
used as a very light lubricant, especially by machinists,
watchmakers (turning, not watch lube) and the like. It’s probably
the lightest lubricant I know of in it’s natural state. I personally
have no use for it in the shop, but that’s pretty much the
story…It has long been replaced in industry by safer and more
effective lubricants - soluble oils…
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