My polishing compounds - both tripoli and rouge are both very hard. When I watch someone on-line put compound on their wheel, it looks very soft. I wonder if my compounds are too hard to be any good? I purchased a new rouge recently and it too is very hard. Is it the brand? Should I be looking for a softer one? I am never sure how much compound is getting on the wheel, and it seems hard to remove the compound afterward. I tried putting them in silver foil and heating them in the oven, but they got too soft and hardened up again. I keep them in zip locked bags.
A lot of it would depend on the brand, I use Dialux rouge and an unknown brand of Tripoli, the Tripoli is very hard and the rouge is slightly softer but I’d still call it hard. Both of them work fine. As long as it doesn’t crumble when you apply it to your polisher you should be good
Hi!
curious…are you using a flex shaft?…or polishing lathe/ moror
for pre- polish, i use graystar, or luxi brand
for final polish i use picasso blue
(on sterling silver)
julie
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I’ve been finishing with the white luxi and it’s so much better than rouge for me. What’s Picasso blue like?
I just wanna throw my two cents in here. I sure do miss “true platinum Tripoli”. That stuff was fantastic. I wish they’d bring it back.
Thanks for responding. I use both. Just started getting more comfortable with the buffing motor.
Emily
I cleaned up my wheel and tried the rouge again and it seems to be working ok. Thanks.
Emily
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All I use for pre-polish is Grey Star. I find Tripoli too aggressive. I frequently use Zam but I do like Fabuluster. My work is modern and geometric. I use a 4X1/2" hard felt preserve the square corners and then yellow treated buff
all with Grey Star. After that, LOS and Zam seems to work well for removing LOS where I don’t want. A light touch with Fabuluster and done
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Emily,
Getting used to using a polisher is not always easy. Take your time and learn how it works best for you. Learn to be safe with it.
Polishes are as much to do with the style of your art as is the design you are working with. I see stuff at shows that I wonder what the artist was thinking. Our Dad, Rob’s and mine told me that if a mask was in the finished product it should have been a part of the plan to start with.
When I am done beating up the metal for a bracelet on the bench, I throw it in a tumbler for about an hour to clean it and begin to knock down some sharp edges. My first cut down is almost always with tripoli(fm rom Rio) on a wheel from Dico that has very close stitching. Depending on the piece I may go to a yellow muslin buff with the rows of stitching, still with the tripoli. If the bracelet passes the look over I will bend it. Here you may want to wash the piece you are working on before you start the next step. I start in on the inside of the bracelet with Fabuluster and a wheel that fits the diameter. I move to the outside with an understand, leather center buff and Fabuluster. I will stop here, clean things up and box the bracelet. Or after it’s cleaned I will hit it with Dialux White, then wash it and box it.
Everyone follows the same pattern more or less depending on their notion of the final look. And depending on the type of surface and material you are working on.
I speak occasionally with a native Smith who does all his finishing with a brass or steel brush.
Experiment. I am a fan of the simplest process. Keep the wheels(mops?) separate from each other, tripoli on one wheel, never mix them up. The same with the final buffs, don’t mix them up. And clean out the wheels frequently.
All information you probably know but it is good to know what others are doing.
Be well, have fun.
Don Meixner
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Tripoli can vary from one manufacturer to another in hardness. I have used some that is very hard and others that are just dripping grease. The dripping grease one was from China and got sent back. My basic routine is to go over a piece with a medium grit EVE abrasive wheel on the flex shaft. You can just refine a surface or actually change it depending on the amount of time and pressure you put on one spot on the piece. I do some shaping, if needed, on a 220 grit belt on an expanding lapidary wheel. I don’t use a file very often to prepare a surface. I do use one a lot to square up and profile a surface. Then it is on to tripoli on a 6" tightly sewn wheel then rouge on a less tightly sewn wheel. If I am removing firescale, I use a compound from DICO that was actually made to polish stainless steel. It is more aggressive than tripoli and removes firescale quickly. I usually use this compound after I have rolled out an ingot to prepare it to be cut down for different purposes. Once I am done with tripoli, I move on to rouge, wash, dry, inspect and put it into the case. If the piece is to be textured, I still do all of this preparation first as a surface imperfection will likely show through the texture. I have used LUXI products (Blue and White). They appear to be equal to tripoli and rouge. They are a lot cleaner than tripoli and rouge, but less aggressive. There is a more aggressive LUXI compound, but I have yet to try it. I have always cleaned a piece after I have polished it with hot water, ammonia, dawn and a toothbrush. I have discovered that goop (without pumice) does a real good job of melting away built up polishing residue. It also cleans your hands nicely. A toothpick will help get it out of tight spots. We can talk about using files to prepare a surface, tumblers, steamers and ultrasonic cleaners, but what I have described is my typical, day to day, polishing and cleaning operation for most of my work…Rob
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After you finish with the “Tripoly” polishing ALWAYS remove any residue prior using the Rouge. This cleaning should be done with the help with your Sonic-Cleaner. The reasons is that the two compounds together will cancel out each other. Not too mention the remaining Tripoly will get caked on in the Rouge cloth-wheel.
Remember, that all of the Tripoly and Rouge wheels and buffs must NEVER be used together. In my much earlier days. I as taught that all of the polishing wheels MUST be kept separate.
Keeping your tools & compounds in pristine condition is adamant. Gerry Lewy https://gerrysdiamondsettingessays.blogspot.com
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Hi Gerry!
julie
better to use two different polishing wheels or other tools for each polishing compound… trying to clean off tripoli to use rouge next is too difficult.
Thanks for responding. Yes, I do use two polishing wheels. Makes sense to me!
Emily
hope your questions and problem have been solved. be careful of white diamond tripoli… it cuts fast!. rouge is slower as it’s iron oxide… tripoli has microcrystalline silica …