Merely polish amber

Jewelry Discussion
1

Speaking of amber, I have some rounded pieces that I would like to
preserve in the form they are in, merely polish. Is it possible to
put them in a dry tumbler with polish, or would I simply end up with
something that looked like a frosty hailstone??

Rose Alene

2

Hi Rose Alene,

Speaking of amber, I have some rounded pieces that I would like to
preserve in the form they are in, merely polish. Is it possible to
put them in a dry tumbler with polish, or would I simply end up
with something that looked like a frosty hailstone??

I had a piece of amber that had gotten scuffed and was very dull on
top and I used Brasso brass polish on it. It was easy to do and it
polished it right up.

Lona

3

Use auto “Turtle Wax” to polish amber.

4

Lona

Have you tried Silvo as well…difference?
Has anyone tried carving amber? What did you use for fine precise
lines?

Simone

5

Simone,

Have you tried Silvo as well...difference? Has anyone tried carving
amber? What did you use for fine precise lines?

I have not tried Silvo but I have some Flitz polish so I wanted to
see if it would work like the Brasso. All of the Amber that I have
is beads so I deliberately scuffed an area on one of the beads using
some 600 grit sandpaper and then tried the Flitz on it following the
directions to not let it dry and it also polished the scuffed area
right back to the way it was before. So I would imagine that your
Silvo would do the same thing. I have never carved any though.

Lona

6

HI, My husband says that the best amber polish according to
dominican dealer is amber dust itself. He has a peice of a polishing
compound that worked vey well for him. It is german and most of the
label is missing so we don’t know what it is. This is what is left on
the label: “Menzerna Werk ~ Inhaber Dr.-Ing.W…” We have a very old
( 20 years!) card from amber dealer Jim Work 339 Morton St, Ashland
Or 97420. He may still show in Tucson. Bill carved amber using
sanding discs and files. Amber is brittle so be careful.

Marianne Hunter
www.hunter-studios.com

7

HI Marianne

My husband says that the best amber polish according to dominican
dealer is amber dust itself. He has a peice of a polishing
compound that worked vey well for him. It is german and most of the
label is missing so we don't know what it is. This is what is left
on the  label: "Menzerna Werk ~ Inhaber Dr.-Ing.W..."

Thanks. Did he use water with the sanding…cooling the piece…is
this an issue?

Simone

8 
It is german and most of the label is missing so we don't know what
it is. This is what is left on the label: "Menzerna Werk ~ Inhaber
Dr.-Ing.W..."

it’s menzerna, they sell it in guitar building catalogs and it is
specified for use with the waterbase clearcoat lacquer, good for
plastics , it’s at menzerna.com

dp

9

When visiting my amber dealer in Denmark, he showed me how he shapes
and polishes it.

For shaping, he used a medium craytex wheel run at a fairly slow
speed. He drilled it very fast so it wouldn’t have time to get gooey.

He polished amber with red Tripoli on a loose cotton buff. Touch-up
polish is either by rubbing a single stone on clean denim (jeans) or
with a loose clean cotton buff at a slow speed - about 1750 rpm.

That’s how I do it now. I love the fresh evergreen scent of slightly
warm amber.

Judy Hoch

10

Hi Simone,

Bill says that yes, heat buildup is an issue, but that he didn’t use
water. He slowed the speed of the motor and let the piece cool
between holding the amber against the wheel.

best, Marianne
Marianne Hunter
www.hunter-studios.com