Polishing settings

What do you all use to polish filligree in rings and such? I am
having a heck of a time polishing up some sterling filligree rings. I
have some small pointy tips for my flex shaft but I get black gunk
build up. I’ve tried using a tiny bit of polish, and a ‘regular’
amount with no luck.

I guess I need something tiny to get into all the work. Any advice?

Thanks,

Craig
www.creativecutgems.com

Dear Craig,

There are a few things that work for me that I learned at TIJT in
Paris, Texas.

Do you have end-brushes? They can be trimmed to smaller diameters to
reach hard-to-get spots.

You could also invest in a wood-centered bristle wheel for your
polishing machine. This thing is dandy for polishing up detail
without losing detail. Still, be careful.

Another trick is old-school thrumming. Basically, take some string
that fits through the holes, tack one end to your bench, rub some
polishing compound on the string, and thread it through a tight spot
on the ring. Rub the ring back and forth (don’t accidentally make
notches) and the string will smooth the inside areas. Repeat
throughout the ring for a fine polish.

If these were already made and merely tarnished, you could try
pickle, then rubbing the rings with Alberto VO5. This works really
well for things like sterling heishi necklaces.

These last two methods are obviously not good for rush jobs. They
are perfect for a slow rainy day and your favorite music or movie.
If this is a Christmas rush job, as a last resort you might try
tumbling.

Good luck,
Susannah

If you have some of the pointed tips… you might try the peach rouge
from stuller. It will leave no black build up. If you like a
Christmas sample e-mail address and one will go out

Andy " The Tool Guy" Kroungold
Tool Sales / Technical
Stuller Inc
Phone 800-877-7777 ext. 94194
Fax 337-262-7791

Hello Craig,

What do you all use to polish filligree in rings and such? 

A small tumbler with mixed steel shot would work very well, or, even
better would be a CMF (centrifugal magnetic finisher). 10-20 minuets
and BINGO you’re done, package and ship.

Happy Holidays to all on this wonderful forum and in the words of
Carlos Santana, “Peace Love and Happiness”.

Thackeray Taylor
Rio Grande Technical Support
800-545-6566 ex 13903

What do you all use to polish filligree in rings and such? I am
having a heck of a time polishing up some sterling filligree rings.
I have some small pointy tips for my flex shaft but 

One of the best ways I have found is to use ‘Solvol Autosol’ car
chrome cleaner on an old toothbrush and just scrub it. This polish
which is/was made in Germany seems to be getting a bit hard to locate
lately but, for some reason, it works a heck of a lot better than
other metal polishes and gives a lovely shine. Any residue washes
away easily with warm water - again encouraged by a toothbrush.

Best Wishes
Ian

Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK