I’m looking to see if there is an easier way to get a shiny polished finish on some handmade trombone chains. Would a vibratory tumbler with porcelain media be safe to use with swivel and spring clasps that are soldered to the chain?
Hi Jennifer,
Can you add a photo? Chains can be a danger to polish on a machine. I think your notion of a tumbler with ceramic media is best.
Don
Two books to look at: Tumble Finishing for Handmade Jewelry by Judy Hoch is a great guide and Judy will occasionally post on ganoksin and Polishing and Finishing for Jewellers and Silversmiths by Stephen M. Goldsmith. You might consider polishing what links you can before assembling the chain. I am thinking the larger links. As Don points out, a high speed wheel is a disaster just waiting…Rob
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For hand made chains a magnetic pin finisher gives me fantastic results, better than I’ve ever gotten from a tumbler.
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I have a pin finisher and I use it, but I can’t get what I would call a high final polish with it. I use it to get into tight spots that I can’t get into otherwise and as a prepolish before I tumble in SS shot or polish on a wheel. The pin finisher texture is interesting and may stand alone as a final polish for some styles. I use both the SS shot and pin finisher to touch up pieces that come back from the store that I don’t want to polish on the wheel. I will be doing that tomorrow as much of my work has been in a store since the first of the year and it is getting shop worn. One final comment, SS shot, pins and treated sawdust can get buried into some tight spaces and can be very difficult to get out…Rob
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Rob, I use Argentium, which may play a role in the great polish.
The fabulous results are for round wire / jump ring chains. I think the pins glance off the sides of the wire rather than hit the wire with pointy ends. I do not get the same results with small parts made of sheet, which tend to get an orange-peel texture.
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