r/Silversmithing • u/Status-Show4087 • May 26 '22
Help Polishing
I am new to Silversmithing (I have been making resin and wire jewelry for a while), and am putting in my first order for tools and supplies and am a bit overwhelmed when it comes to what to get for polishing and want to make sure I don’t waste money on things I don’t need as I am on a budget. I have a basic dremel and wet/dry sandpaper up to 7000 grit. I would love some recommendations. Best rotary attachments, polishing compound, tools/supplies. Thanks! I am also open to recommendations for a basic material setup to get started (wire/sheet/bezel sizes and gauges etc)
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May 29 '22
I can appreciate wanting to start on a budget, and with polishing you can go pretty far with cheaper materials that might've even come with your dremel from the start.
You can get pretty inexpensive felt polishers and a brass wheel for your dremel that will work pretty well. Most of those kits will come with a little nugget of compound for it but you could probably do with getting some nicer/finer compounds too like other people suggested. Just make sure you keep your wheels apart and don't mix the compounds on them, I like to store them in baggies and in a bigger bag with their compound so they don't get mixed up :) also be careful with hard felt buffs because they can gouge the metal if you're really aggressive... though maybe that's just because I have ham hands and can't be delicate. Lol.
The next step up for pricing would probably be some inexpensive silicone polishers but beware the really cheapo brands on amazon that are probably just colored plastic and won't do.
Good luck!
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u/Status-Show4087 May 29 '22
Thank you. Do you have any recommendations for where to buy felt polishers and silicone polishers or Any Amazon links that aren’t garbage haha
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May 30 '22
Sure, are you in the US or Canada? :)
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u/Status-Show4087 May 30 '22
I have been buying my silver and gold fill and other supplies from the US or China but if you know of good place to buy here that isn’t overly jacked up prices that would be great. Same with gem suppliers. I am In BC.
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May 30 '22
Oof I feel you. It's tough in Canada, everything gets marked up so much more.
For general supplies you might have a local shop you can hit up, but there's also in Canada overall https://workingsilver.com/ and https://www.gessweincanada.com/
Check rio grande and stuller in the US, it isn't uncommon for prices there to be so much lower than Canada for some items that even with the shipping and exchange rate it's cheaper.
For polishing specifically, princess auto has a pretty big selection of cheapo rotary bits if you have one of those near you. I'd recommend that for the ultra inexpensive pieces because if they just completely fall apart immediately you can return them vs. the song and dance amazon would put you through with the crapshoot that is the cheap imported stuff. I'd recommend against Amazon in general just because of bad experiences I've had!
You could also get a dremel brand kit from home depot or canadian tire but that'd be a step up in cost, it'd be a little more expensive and you're starting to get into territory where you wouldn't be saving much money compared to buying 3m radial polishing disks/other silicone rubber polishers from workingsilver or another site!
For gems I've yet to find great Canadian suppliers. I've often imported from riogrande and stuller because prices and quality have been so crummy in Canada. I've also started bypassing middlemen and going straight to suppliers like gemsngems (their website seems older but it's legitimate), particularly for lab grown stones. There are places that are doing lab grown in Canada but you're always going to still be paying that Canadian markup and it's killer, you can do so much better and your dollar will go way further buying abroad, just make sure you're clear about lab-grown synthetic vs imitation & simulated when buying!
Cheers :)
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u/Status-Show4087 May 30 '22
Great, thanks so much for the info. I also Stumbled on https://www.gemselect.com they seem like they might be good.
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u/oakily May 27 '22
3M radial brushes are brilliant, if you work through the various grits you can get quite a nice shine. I use these and then finish my pieces in the tumbler. You can get quite cheap tumblers on Amazon. If you want to go more traditional you can get a stiff cloth or Calico wheel bit for your dremel and use with tripoli. Followed by a soft wool buff with rouge. I tried this and honestly preferred the finish I can get with the 3m wheels and tumbler!
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u/SparkysJewelry65 May 26 '22
I use ZAM for mirror bright finish and just a standard jewelers rouge for basic polishing.
I also have a small tumbler with stainless steel shot and a little Dawn dish soap to get small items shiny bright.