Karen - Like everything else, using a tumbler takes a bit of
education. This article from orchid archives
should help.
My bias is to use products made for the process - a burnishing
liquid would work much better than regular soap. Just steel isn’t
enough to get a decent finish on jewelry. This is a whole process
just like hand finishing. First you have to smooth the jewelry - in a
tumbler, you use a mild abrasive in some kind of media. Then the
steel to burnish. And it can all be further refined in a dry media to
achieve a smooth high polish.
To clean up your mess, drain the dirty water, and run everything
with a can of regular coke that no longer fizzes. Run for 15 to 20
minutes, then wash everything well with warm soapy water, rinse with
clear water.
Also, IMHO, 2 hours is way too long to run work in steel. I usually
run for 30 or 40 minutes. Anything longer starts to degrade the
surface.
Judy Hoch