I am making some jewelry pieces by forging/bending small stainless
industrial objects. Heating them in the forge damages the polished
finish, and I am trying to find the best way to bring back a polished
finish. Not necessarily a mirror finish, but shiny. My thoughts were
to use a vibratory tumbler to make the process faster, but I am
having a hard time finding out enough to make a good choice. I don’t
want to spend a fortune on an industrial tumbler since this project
is still experimental. Some of the smaller, more affordable tumblers
state that steel shot can’t be used. I assumed (again I don’t know
for sure) that steel shot or pins would be necessary to polish
something as tough as stainless. Some of the tumblers I’ve seen in
the price range I’m considering ($200-$350) have very poor reviews
mentioning things like they vibrate themselves apart. Does anyone
have suggestions as to reliable tumblers and exactly what media and
media sequence are necessary to polish stainless? Or is this
unrealistic and I need to polish each piece separately with my
Dremel, buffs and polishing medium? Would a rock tumbler (much
cheaper) be a better choice? If so, how long would it take and what
media would I need? My son suggested getting a paint shaker and
putting the pieces and media in paint cans. The shakers are a lot
cheaper, but would this work? I would be doing rings, bracelets and
neck pieces.
Thanks
Linda Holmes-Rubin