Matt finish

I am trying to get a matt finish on silver jewellery. I find that brushing
with a brass wire brush gives too higher shine. I thought about sand
blasting or bead blasting. What do other people think. I would appreciate
suggestions.

Richard

Try 4 or 6-0 steel wool or a fiberglass brush. Both give a fine
matte finish. Hank Paynter

Richard, there are abrasive impregnated fiber buffs that may
give you the finish you want.

Marilyn Smith

Richard - I get a wonderful matt finish on silver with 0000
stell wool. Be sure that all the wool fibers are off before
putting in pickle - or just finish as the last step. Gini

you can get a nice matt finish by rubbing your metal with a
piece of scotch brite.,(the green stuff that you use to clean
pots and pans). Also, try a steel bristled brush. -Alma, in
gorgeous Oregon.

Sand blasting works well - or a fiberglass brush gives a nice
matt - satin finish dependiing on the coarseness of the fibers.
Wear gloves though - those fiberglass fragments can be the devil
to remove from tender places.

richard - there’s a little attachment for your flexshaft that
looks like a 1" circle of brown scotchbrite stuck on a mandrel.
it’s cheap. it works. it doesn’t shine the metal but gives a
nice over-all muted matte finish - ive

Richard, One of my favorite mat finishes is done with pumice
and a brush (toothbrush or even a finer brush works nicely). If
you bring up the fine silver on the piece first, using a brass
brush and then pumice between each annealing, you get a whiter
appearance and it doesn’t tarnish quite as quickly. If you are
doing large flat surfaces, you have to be careful about your
brush direction. The pumice I like best is extremely fine. I
get mine at a hardware store. They sell it for auto bodywork. If
you order pumice, make sure to look for a grit designation or a
similar indication of particle size. I once got some "medium"
pumice that is still just setting on a shelf.

Bead blasting gives a lovely soft finish that is in-between the
duller pumice and the brighter brass bush finish. Sand blasting
yields a slightly coarser finish with a bit grayer appearance
especially if your sand isn’t pristine. Other mat finishes are:
-600 to 1500 silicon carbide papers -600 and up micro finishing
films or polishing papers until they get too shiny -Scotchbrite
(green scrubbies from the grocery store or the centers from
industrial floor finishing pads or from supply catalogues)
-Tumbled finishes achieved with a variety of grits or tumbling
media You can even refine finishes on some surfaces with
toothpaste or baking soda but this gets a bit fanatical. (I’m
speaking from personal experience.) Linda M

Richard, The matte finish that I prefer for quality and speed is by
using a scothbrite wheel on my polishing wheel. They come in differnt
degrees from coarse to fine. You can find them in the current Rio
Grande catalog. It gives a nice mix between a dull matte and somewhat
shiny, not as shiny as wire brush, but not as matte as sandblasting or
pumice or mass finished. I also love it because of the speed. You
can get a great finish in under a minute.

Amy

You might like to try an aluminum oxide wheel that produces a
wonderful matt finish. You can purchase them through Rio Grande. Let
me know if you have more questions.

Rebecca.

Other techniques that I use: - “scratch” surface with a scotch brite
pad - tumble jewelry (I use a rotary tumbler) in heavy ceramic media

The finishes from each technique look different. Can’t wait to hear
other ideas! Lori Bugaj

Hi Richard, You can get a greyish matte finish w/ aluminum oxide and a
slightly brighter finish with glass beads in a sandblaster. Another
way to get a fine matte finish is to use a heavy grade media in a
tumbler. A vibratory tumbler will give you a finish similar (though
not the same) as sandblasting in about 2 hours and a rotary will give
you a finish more like superfine sandpaper in about 4 hours. Good
Luck! Marlo M.

Richard, The matte finish that I prefer for quality and speed is by
using a scotchbrite wheel on my polishing wheel. They come in
differnt degrees from coarse to fine. You can find them in the
current Rio Grande tools catalog. It gives a nice mix between a dull
matte and somewhat shiny, not as shiny as wire brush, but not as matte
as sandblasting or pumice or mass finished. I also love it because of
the speed. You can get a great finish in under a minute.

Amy

Hi Richard

Nice to see someone on the same ISP as myself here.

I have been using Pumice powder for creating a matt white effect on
my jewellery and holloware. Before this I was using a bead blaster,
but found that after a few people had picked up, touched the piece
that it marked extremely easily and the natural acidic oils that a
extruded from our fingers affected the silver to the point of having
to re-finish it.

I hope this helps
Brian Saynor BA(Hons)
www.silverland.freeserve.co.uk

I second the advice to wear gloves when working with fiberglass!

Back in the late '70s I was an avid waterskier…and my best tow
rope was made of red fiberglass. As the surface of that rope
deteriorated over time I learned to take great care not to let it
brush against me in the water. Fiberglass fragments embedded in
human skin are painful, difficult to see without magnification, and
almost impossible to remove. Eventually they fall away as the skin
renews itself. In the interim you will not enjoy the sensation.
Enough said. :slight_smile:

-Peter-

Richard, I have used a vibratory tumbler with fine grit plastic media
for matte silver finish followed by dry rouge walnut shell for a dull
polish. A couple of times I have just overpickled something I wanted
to have a matte white finish, looking like pure silver instead of
sterling. Geo

I would even suggest wearing a blouse/shirt with long sleeves! saves
a lot of itching. margaret
@Margaret_Malm

please wear safety glasses too, don’t rub your eyes at all, and
preferably brush under running water. The finish is wonderful, but if
you get any of the fibres in your eyes, fingers, clothes etc they are
B’s to remove… Sorry moderator in Australia and New Zealand the "B"
word has become acceptable because of a New Zealand Toyota car
commercial. Trust the Kiwi’s!

Felicity in West Oz… where Spring is trying so hard to arrive.