Polishing Part II

Jewelry Discussion
1

Okay, Gang, I have improved my polishing technique to where
I am spending more time at the wheel than crawling around my
studio looking for UFOs. Now, here is the second part to my
question:

Most of my pieces have brass wire or pieces of brass sheet
soldered onto them. My polishing problem is not being able
to buff close enough to the brass embellishments. I usually
end up with a cloudy line “shadowing” the brass pieces.

What can I do to get a bright & shiny piece without these
"shadows"?

Thanks,
Candy

2 
    Most of my pieces have brass wire or pieces of brass sheet
    soldered onto them.  My polishing problem is not being able
    to buff close enough to the brass embellishments.  I usually
    end up with a cloudy line "shadowing" the brass pieces.

    What can I do to get a bright & shiny piece without these
    "shadows"?
     Candy,

For those “hard to reach places” I use a small 7/8" stitched
buff on my Foredom. You can get in as tight as you want with
great results.

Jim Waggener

3

Candy: I think you need to get a handpiece and small buffing
wheels to get into these tight spots. MOst of us use Foredom
flexshafts for this type of stuff and many other things as well,
but you can get by with a cheapo Dremel tool though I hate those
things, they are making them really crappy these days and they
don’t last. Maybe some of the others can suggest some
alternatives here… Dave

Art Jewelry for Conscious People
http://www.opendoor.com/stephensdesign/crystalguy.html

4

Candy wrote:

Most of my pieces have brass wire or pieces of brass sheet

    soldered onto them.  My polishing problem is not being able
    to buff close enough to the brass embellishments.  I usually
    end up with a cloudy line "shadowing" the brass pieces.

    What can I do to get a bright & shiny piece without these
    "shadows"?

Candy:

I use knife edge felt buffs to buff around bezels and other
raised embellishments. These are available in a range of sizes. I
use large ones on the buffer and small ones on the flex shaft.
They are kind of expensive though and care should be taken to
learn to sharpen them. I use course sanding belt material. One
should be careful not to overheat the felt when sharpening as the
hard ones lose their “temper” and become soft and mushy.

You have to be careful when using felt knife edge buffs so you
don’t create noticeable depressions in the metal. Use lots of
tripoli and keep things moving.

I also use a lot of 6" knife edge buffing wheels on the buffer.
These are indispensable.

It is hard to give specific advice not knowing exactly what you
are trying to buff. Most buffing problems can be eliminated at
the drawing board. In other words do not design areas of a piece
that cannot be buffed or finished properly.

Kenneth Gastineau
@Kenneth_Gastineau1