To all, There seems to be a lot of different methods for
polishing platinum.I usally finish the piece with blue silicone
rubber wheels one coarse one fine then I use dedicated cotton
wheels one with a platinum tripoli from Stuller and one with
white rouge from Stuller my results are not always stellar
though.I would be interested in hearing other peoples
tricks.
Thanks J in windy Colorado
Dear J,
Platinum tripoli and White Rouge are really not the best or
easiest compounds to use on Platinum. Gesswein imports compounds
specifically designed for platinum from Japan. These are now THE
standard in platinum finishing. We put together a sample kit of
the 4 most popular and the kit (#215-0044) is only $25,
instructions are included. You should try it. I know you will
immediately see the difference in application and the resulting
polish is well … phenomenal. I swear! 
Best Regards,
Elaine Corwin
VP Tech Services
GESSWEIN CO INC USA
Orders: 1-800-243-4466
Fax: 203-335-0300
Tech Services: 1-800-544-2043, ext 287 for me
I’ve used and prefer the platnium polishing kit from
Geswin.Prehaps Elaine can add more? Don Wollwage in sunny
(finally) Ca
Hi J,
You should buy the platinum polishing compound set from
Gesswein. It has four compound samples in it, but you only need
three. The first two are grey star and white (1500 I think), the
other two are both for the final high polish, you choose one of
those and we chose carrot. The other choice was another white
compound but it was very brittle and broke into sharp
projectiles when used. I think this will help you quite a bit,
you should be able to get a perfect finish. It does take longer
than gold to polish but on the bright side when the customer
brings it back the dents are deep and it will take even more time
to return it to a high polish (wait a minute that’s not a bright
side).
Mark P.
And just in case anyone think’s Elaine has a biased viewpoint of
her companies product, here, I’ll vouch for that stuff. The firm
I now work for had been polishing platinum with a variety of
traditional compounds, even including graystar (a brutal
compound, in my opinion, to use on fine platinum). The polisher
at our firm has been at it for at least 25 years, and gets a
wonderful showroom pristine polish. But he was unaware of the
Gesswein compounds till I got there and let him try some of mine.
It’s now all he uses, and his polish on platinum takes less
time, and is better than ever. The stuff is costlier than
traditional polishes, but in my view, pays for itself in the
time and effort saved. I even use it, now and then, with gold
items, especially when hardness differences are involved that do
things like pulling solder out of a seam. The platinum compounds
are based on aluminum oxide abrasives, in very very fine grades,
and are thus hard enough to not care about whether the metal is
white gold, or the white gold solder in a seam…
About the only caveat I’d note is that these compounds, being
aluminum oxide, are ALSO hard enough to have an effect on softer
stones. If you’re setting tanzanites in your platinum, take care
not to round over all the facet edges. These compounds are quite
capable of doing that, as well as giving the platinum a great
polish. And your salesmen’s samples in platinum but set with
cubic zirconias? They look a lot more like cubics once all the
facet edges are nicely softened… Obviously, with care, this
potential is easily taken into account, and in some few cases,
like abraded cabachons, these compounds are actually an
improvement to the stone. Just be careful.
Peter Rowe
Dear Peter: Just to let you know there are now lots of sources
for platinum rouges. Were are one that have reasonably priced
tripolis, greystar , intermediate, and rouges for platinum from
USA and Japan. Contact us at @Eisinger_Enterprises. Regards,
Roger Greene
I’ll Agree the sample package of Platinum polishing compounds
are a good way to experiment at not much cost. When I did the
final polish with the carrot polish I was amazed at how white
the polish came out. I had been polishing with diamond powders
and getting good results but nothing like carrot. The system
took less time than befor and better results … snuf said.
Ron Kreml
I have to throw in my 2 cents on the Gesswein sampler for
platinum. I love them. Keep the bars and wheels you use with each
compound separate in ziplocks and be sure to clean your piece
between steps and you’ll get a juicy, almost mercury-like
surface. Yes, they are a little steep pricewise, but WORTH it.
Before you even get to these excellent compounds, be sure that
your pre-finish is the best it can be. I’m not too fond of the
silicone wheels and tend to use them only for prong touch-ups and
the like. What I do get my mileage from is 3M micron paper (I get
mine from Rio Grande). Once you’re past the
burnishing/filing/emery/whathaveyou stage, start with the green
micron paper and work through grey, blue and the pink if you
wish. It takes a bit of time, but the final finish is lovely.
Hey, who said platinum was fast? The first 3 papers are enough
for you to take platinum right to the 1400 polish. Use all 4
grades on gold and you barely need to kiss the piece with rouge.
I particularly like to cut the papers into strips and use them on
a split mandrel to pre-finish the insides of rings. Wish 3M
would make plastic snap-on discs out of this stuff!
Jane Armstrong/@Jane_Armstrong
Sanza riposo mai era la tresca de le misere mani.
(The dance of the wretched hands was never done)
Dante “Inferno” Canto XIV-40
Hi Gang,
FWIW:
If you haven’t tried the 3M (Minnesota Mining & Mfg.) micron
grade diamond abrasive papers yet give them a try. They’re
available from many suppliers (both jewelry & abrasives). They
come in the standard 8 X 11" sandpaper size sheets & many other
special sizes.
Check your local Yellow pages for Abrasive suppliers. There’ll
probably be a 3M dealer listed. They’ll have a wider selection
than many jewelry supply houses as well as lots of other
abrasives & tech info. The prices may also be better.
Dave
Wish 3M would make plastic snap-on discs out of this stuff! Jane Armstrong/janegrey@erols.com
Hmm. I bet if enough people asked, the E.C. Moore Co., in
Dearborn Michigan, the folks who make most of those great little
snap on disks, would be willing to make a run of them in the 3M
papers. Anyone wanna ask them?
Peter Rowe