Polishing glass

Lorraine_Kramer 2013-01-31 03:43:55 UTC #1

I make fused glass and PMC pendants. Sometimes when firing the finished piece, I don't wipe the glass thoroughly enough with rubbing alcohol (not intentionally of course), and after the firing it seems that the glass has a very light haze of silver, just enough to dull the glossy surface of the glass. It does not appear to be devitrification. Does anyone know of a polish I can use to restore the glassy surface? I have a flex shaft, so suggestions for any substance and/or attachments would be appreciated.

Thanks for any help you can offer,
Lorraine

Ted_Frater 2013-02-01 02:44:34 UTC #2

How do you fuse your glass? electric resistance furnace or a flame? The bloom your getting is caused by the atmosphere in fusing being insufficiently oxidising.

To remove this either re fire in the right atmosphere, or as you suggest, repolish. cold. Use any hard white compound on a hard felt wheel. Needs to be 3in dia at 1500 rpm. Dremel is really for minature poishing.

jhaemer52 2013-02-01 03:24:16 UTC #3

Lorraine- Try tin or chromium oxide. I buy it in powdered form and use it wet with a felt buff. It's commonly used to put a final polish on stones and works just dandy on glass.

Have fun and make lots of jewelry.

Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com

Al_Balmer1 2013-02-01 05:00:41 UTC #4

For lapidaries, the traditional polish for glass and quartz is cerium oxide, but recently Gearloose Lapidary introduced a zirconium oxide composite lap and a zirconium oxide polish stick which works wonderfully on quartz, and probably on glass as well.

attaway 2013-02-02 03:42:04 UTC #5

You might consider using cerium oxide and make a slurry with optical grade cerium oxide powder mixed with distilled water and apply it to leather, or you may choose to use the 3M Trizact polishing belts and discs.

For polishing the facets on quartz, obsidian, feldspar, and opal, I make a slurry with distilled water and Rhodite 904 cerium oxide purchased from Universal Photonics, Inc. in New York. I paint the slurry with an old make-up brush on a special polishing lap just for cerium oxide. Steve likes the cerium oxide belts and discs for polishing his carved opals and other silicate gem materials, and these products are carried by Santa Fe Jewelers Supply. The belts are affixed to wheels on a stationary carving machine, and the discs are attached to hand-held carving tools.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep8001
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep8002

From 3M
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep8003

3M Trizact Lapping Film 569XA

Microreplicated abrasive product using tightly graded cerium oxide mineral coated onto a PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) polyester film backing.

Over the years, we have found that the use of cerium oxide imparts an excellent polish on quartz, glass, opals, and other gem materials.

Nancy and Steve Attaway

Rick_Cook 2013-02-03 03:57:16 UTC #6

Try Zam.

--RC

Lorraine_Kramer 2013-02-03 04:10:29 UTC #7

Thank you for the suggestions. new things to try, sounds like at least one of those ideas will work well for my purposes.

As for how I fire the glass, I use a small electric kiln, not vented. I'm pretty naive about scientific things, so I don't know if this is an oxidising atmoshhere. would it help to vent the kiln for all or part of the firing?

Thanks again for all the help. you guys (and gals) are great!

Lorraine