Has anyone been able achieve a nice high shine polish on silicon
bronze with a rotary tumbler? I don’t have a magnetic machine or a
vibratory machine. All I have is a rotary tumbler.
If you have, could you please share your secret? I’ve tried a couple
pieces, and they come out dull and dark.
If you have the secret to success, please give me as exact a
description as possible of what you do to get that finish in a rotary
tumbler including the amount of time you tumble. I am using steel
shot that is in a variety of small shapes. Thanks.
I get a high shine on my bronze pieces as I do anything else in my
tumbler. I run it through a medium grit plastic media, then a fine
grit plastic media & then the stainless steel shot (which, like
yours, is a variety of shapes). I fill the drums up about 2/3rd with
water & add some dish detergent. I usually tumble for a few hours in
each grit & then maybe an hour or two in the shot. After I’m done
tumbling, I drain the liquid, rinse off the media & let it it air
dry on some paper towels.
