How to: Finishing
Published: November 5, 2007
Satin finish
Sand the metal with progressively finer sandpapers up to 600 grit. Use soapy water and a brass brush to lightly rub the metal. Alternatively, lightly rub with a piece of fine steel wool. |
Tumble polishing
Sand the metal with progressively finer-grit sandpapers up to 600 grit. Place 1 lb. (454g) of stainless steel shot into the tumbler's barrel. Pour in water to cover the shot, then add a pinch of burnishing compound. Place your jewelry in the tumbler and seal the barrel. Turn on the tumbler, and let it run for 2-3 hours. Pour the contents of the tumbler into a sieve over a sink, and rinse with cool water. Remove your jewelry and dry it. Dry the shot before storing it. |
High polish
Sand the metal with progressively finer grits up to 1200 grit. Use a flex shaft or a buffing machine with a fabric wheel attachment, or "buff." Jeweler's polishing compounds are applied to the buff. Each compound should be applied only to a dedicated buff. The two most common types of compound are tripoli, which removes fine scratches, and rouge, which polishes the metal. Rinse the metal in soapy water to remove polishing-compound residue before moving on to the next compound. |
Liver of sulfur patina
Polish your piece before patinating. If you tumble-polish your piece after patinating, reserve the used shot for future patinated pieces; the liver of sulfur residue will contaminate other pieces.
Oil and dirt on the piece can affect the patina; use a degreasing soap to clean the metal before patinating.
Prepare a liver of sulfur solution according to the manufacturer's instructions. Dip the metal in the solution for a few seconds, then rinse the metal in cool water to stop the chemical reaction. For a darker patina, continue to dip and rinse the metal. Use a brass brush with soapy water to remove or modify the patina. By using different temperatures and amounts of water to make the liver of sulfur solution, you can achieve different colors of patina; experiment to find the result you prefer. |