Decorative Finishes
‘Popular Finishing Touches for Jewellery’ – Patination, Satin Finishes, Hammered Textures…
Following on from my previous blog about the various finishes for jewellery this blog by Ganoksin sheds even more light on the subject. If you don’t already subscribe, it is well worth checking out their vast blog archives and newsletters.
Scotch Stones
Interestingly the article touches on the ever popular scotch stone (Water of Ayr or Tam O’ Shanter) which has been traditionally used for satin finishes. They are square in shape and sharpened to a point to get into detail. The finish is best suited to items that receive relatively gentle wear i.e not rings or moving parts. It is very much just a surface finish. Nowadays with the supply totally dried up ceramic stones are proving an excellent alternative. We stock these stones in various forms and in lots of different grits.
Ceramic Stones
Ceramic stones are available in lots of forms, from these strips to round stones that can pop straight in a rotary collet. Used with a little holder they are sharpened to a useable point.
View Ceramic Stones
‘Sandblasted’ Finishes
Sandblasted finishes look really effective as well as also being a functional operation after casting to remove investment and scale. However they can be damaged quite easily so usually reserved for jewellery getting lighter wear or in protected areas.
Flick Wheels
A better alternative for a lasting finish that looks similar and is a bit deeper are flick wheels. The metal wires vary in width giving you a choice of finish. A light touch is necessary as heavy pressure leads to legs flying everywhere! The finish achieved with a pendant motor minimat is slightly different to that of a bench polisher maximat.
Micro Shot Blasting System
We stock a really neat bench top shot blasting unit which would be ideal for jewellery sandblasting. Nozzles are 1mm and 1.2mm diameter.
View Jewellery Shotblaster
Flick Wheels
Also known as frosting or matting wheels these somewhat lethal looking wheels are excellent for producing a longer lasting finish. Available either for the bench polisher or a pendant drill.
View Flick WheelsDealing with Patinas
Patinas are applied to change the surface colour of the metal. Regardless of the chosen treatment you need to clean the metal for it to take properly and evenly. The best way to do this is simply with pumice and a toothbrush and a little water.
Often you’ll want the colouring to fall into detail and be removed from high spots. We’d recommend our scothbrite mops to remove the patina gently from the raised areas. A green mop won’t require much work to polish up from so this is a good grade to choose for this job.
Pumice Powder
Not everyone is aware we sell pumice and other powder abrasives. Pumice is very handy for cleaning jewellery, before enamelling, adding patinas or before soldering. It removes grease from the surface.
View Pumice Powder
Abrasive Nylon Wheels
Alongside being great for removing patina these wheels are also very handy for general cleaning, smoothing and satin finishing. For patina removal green is ideal, for more of a satin finish CA or HDMA are better suited.
See Abrasive Nylon Wheels
