Polishing Jewellery

Tools and equipment for making, deburring, and polishing Jewellery

What Tools do I Need to Polish Jewellery? – A Student Toolkit

What Tools do I Need to Polish Jewellery?

Building Your First Polishing Tool Kit

What tools do I need to polish jewellery? Your finishing & polishing tool kit is a vital consideration when you start producing finished pieces. Finishing is often an overlooked area of study with a lot of courses only offering basic information at best. I certainly found my knowlege when I left unisversity didnt quite get me the results I saw on other peoples work at shows. It can be really frustrating when scratches still show and the shine just isnt happening.

There really are only a few items needed to get you started.

How you tackle your tool collection depends on how you are going to polish, by hand or by machine.

It is ok to start polishing by hand and you'll get adequate results but adding a bit of power in the form of a pendant drill or micromotor will help massively!

If you have the space a bench polisher would eventually be really handy. You can get good results without but it does speed things up which is pretty essential if it is a business for you.

Finishing by Hand

After deburring and smoothing with a needle file you'll need to smooth the surface further and remove all file marks. Traditionally it is done with Wet & Dry paper moving up through the grits from 500g to around 1200g.

3M polishing papers are very popular with beginners as they are just so easy to use! They are often the subject of jewellery making blog posts. Arguably though I would say that micromesh is a superior longer lasting product.

abrasives for jewellery

You can speed things up and keep your tool kit very simple with Micromesh in sheet and flexifile form. Starting with just a 4-way flexifile you can actually go from coarse sanding through to a high gloss finish. If you want minimal tools this really is your best call! I like to pair it with a 100/150mx file for initial smoothing and shaping, though coarse it is possible to start polishing with mops and compound after using this file.

Jewellery polishing Tools

Have You Got Polishing Equipment?

As a beginner or student you may well have access to equipment for polishing. Normally in the form of a pendant motor or if you are lucky a micromotor!

If you'd like to invest in your own equipment you do have some nice options available.

Foredom SR Pendant Motor - If you'd like a classic pendant motor then we'd always recommend a well respected Foredom. Pair with the H.20 quick-release handpiece to make changing mops super speedy. We do also offer an economy option in the very sturdy LY128 it always proves a popular machine for jewellers.

209 Strong Micromotor - a compact system that is portable and quiet. Ideal for home use. The advantage of a micromotor is the thin cord which is light and flexible and produces very little vibration.

Rotary Finishing

Essentially any tool that spins is rotary, this speeds up polishing immeasurably. The results will also be better with the right tools. It is possible to keep these tools to a minimum also. As a basic kit I would recommend the following;

  1. Mounted felt bobs for polishing inside rings and getting into nooks and crannies.
  2. Mounted Stitched Mops for removing scratches and for polishing.
  3. 3M Radial Discs in yellow, blue, peach & light green for textured pieces, findings etc.
  4. Cotton Yarn mops for the final buff.

Don't Forget...

You will also need compound! Compound is effectively abrasive grit and wax carrier.

There are two stages of compound (some people like a 3rd stage but its not essential)

Cutting - Removing lines put in by files and abrasive papers and flattening the surface ready for...

Polishing - The final stage, you should have a pretty good finish before you get here, it literally just takes out any fine swirling or scratches from the cutting compound.

P175

We would recommend as a very simple start, Tripoli (cutting) and Rouge (polishing) which are traditional and effective.

4 x 1'' bars are about the right size and are the most cost effective option.

However if you would like to start as you mean to go on Menzerna is the best and will last you.

456G (cutting) this is a really nice coarse compound and will work well straight after using a 100/150mx micromesh file leaving a very bright finish.

P175 (yellow metals) M5 (white metals) Polishing - it is not necessary to have both P175, will do both yellow and white metals. M5 is slightly finer.

So there you have it a simple low down of the basic kit needed to start finishing your jewellery.

The next step from here is setting up a bench polisher with mops and compound. You can improve your finish again and speed the process up.

Finishing Touches for Jewellery

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
Water of Ayr Stone

'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 Wheels

Dealing 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.

Jewellery Patinas

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

Jewellers Tool Kit, Essential Tools for Students

The Essential Tools for Beginner Jewellers

Jewellers Tool Kit

Top 10 Jewellery Tools

  1. Blow Torch - I like to have 2 torches, one for large items (bangles and large rings) and one for small (jump rings and detail soldering). The combo of a Proxxon torch and a Go System plumbers torch have proven to work well.
  2. Soldering Bricks - a couple of soldering bricks is best, set up as a little hearth (i.e a base with sides). A mixture of smooth and honeycomb is a good idea.
  3. Tweezers - two types of tweezer are best. Small detail steel tweezers for placing pallions etc and larger reverse action tweezers for holding work as you solder (these often get used with a third hand).
  4. Pickle & Flux - Pickle is essential for removing oxides after soldering. There are lots of different options, the most popular is safety pickle which is best used warm. Flux (Borax) - is needed to solder to help keep the joint clean and allow the solder to flow. The most common is Borax in the form of a cone, as you get more proficient you might find one you prefer.
  5. Solder Snips - when you receive solder strip it is good practice to run it through the rolling mill to thin down then snip into tiny pallions with snips. I collect my pallions in labelled mini jam jars.
  6. A Set of Pliers - Pliers are necessary for all manor of shaping and opening/closing jump rings. It is worth investing in a good set of Maun parallel pliers, they are the best and do so many jobs! A nice set of basic jewellery pliers will easily get you started and last well.
  7. Raw Hide Mallet - Used to form metal without marring it. Use for things like reshaping a ring on a ring mandrel after soldering. You would need a metal hammer however for stretching or texturing.
  8. Bench Peg - a bench peg is a jewellers signature! It is used to work against, when piercing, filing, setting etc. This sort of bench peg can be put on any table and clamped down, ideal for beginners. The integral steel block is also a must for flattening, hammering and stamping etc.
  9. Jewellers Piercing Saw -  For piercing out shapes, sawing through tube, cutting through jump rings etc. A basic jewellers saw is fine, but it is always worth buying good blades. Vallorbe are a good option. 2/0 is a good size to start with as a medium thickness.
  10. Files - a set of needle files is ideal, a large flat file and half round file is even better. Like blades it is worth buying well and going for Vallorbe, but whether you choose economy or top quality a cut 2 is the norm to start with. Files are graded 00 - 4 with 00 being the coarsest.
amyrwyatt

This is the basic kit that covers the essentials to make gold and silver jewellery. When I first started I would buy what I needed for particular projects.

So for example, once I began working on rings I bought a Wheatsheaf ring mandrel and Wheatsheaf ring sizers. It is well worth investing in industry standards such as Wheatsheaf as they will last your career. Likewise, when you start setting stones you can purchase burnishers, pushers and gravers which often need a bit of expertise to choose correctly.

In my next blog....

I will be covering the essential items to begin polishing and finishing your work. Essential information if you want to make professional jewellery!

Creating Textured Finishes for Jewellery

Decorative Finishes for Precious Metal

Shiny is not the only way! A standard commercial finish is normally a high shine because it is easier to maintain.

A satin or textured finish will often burnish up over time particularly on rings and moving parts.

This considered, the example picture left shows how a contrast of matt and bright areas add life and interest to work.

The matt finish of the mens band at the base was created with abrasive nylon mops. The wearer is a surfer so it will receive heavy wear most likely resulting in a fairly matt finish if worn day to day.

Abrasive Nylon Mops

Mounted nylon wheels are one of the simplest ways to add texture using a rotary tool. It works best to use a finer grade first then finish with a coarse grade with the desired result. We can recommend Green followed by HDMA for the sort of effect as in the above example.

Mounted Abrasive Nylon
Textured Finishes
Abrasive Nylon Jewellers Finishing Wheels

Jewellers Finishing Wheels

These wheels are extremely poplar for giving a really even finish. Also made from abrasive nylon these are used on a bench polisher.

Interestingly they are really good for cleaning up castings particularly the supercut!!

View Nylon Finishing Wheels

A Heavier Satin Finish

This ring by Justin Duance shows the difference between a polished finish and a heavy satin finish created with a flick wheel.

The effect is much deeper than an abrasive nylon finish and will last longer. This particular ring was texture with the o.6mm minimat flick wheel.

The look is more akin to shotblasted finish in depth. Often it is called frosting and the wheel called a frosting wheel.

MiniMat Flick Wheels

Minimat wheels are used with a pendant motor or micromotor, these can be a good place to start and ideal for smaller pieces. Eye protection is essential.

View MiniMat Flick Wheels

MaxiMat Flick Wheels

Maximat wheels are used with a polisher and often work better for larger pieces and can be slightly more uniform. Eye protection is essential.

View MaxiMat Flick Wheels

Hammered Finishes

A hammered finish is a longer lasting finish again. Depending on the surface quality of the hammer it can be a bright or a dull effect. Often the hammer face is textured to impart that surface onto the metal. The example to the left is a shiny plain hammer whilst the example below of a specially textured Fretz hammer is much more matt.

Resurfacing/ Polishing Steel Hammers and Tools

Hammers and other steel tools get tired and damaged. It is easy to sand them back using wet and dry paper and polish again using steel polishing compound. A perfectly bright hammer will give a bright hammered finish.

The pink and black small compound bars we sell are ideal for steel tools!

View Polishing Compound
fretz hammer

Polishing Hammered Textures

You have to be careful when polishing texture not to soften the effect. The best tool for the job is a radial bristle wheel, depending on if it is a matt or polished finish you require you can choose the right grade. The bristles get down into detail, even stamped letters to some extent.

View Radial Discs

Jewellers, Join the Guild Of Jewellery Designers!!

There are Lots of Benefits to Being a GOJD Member

There has been a lot of talk recently in the jewellery world about the Guild of Jewellery Designers. Namely the benefits of being a member of GOJD. In particular a Gold Plus member due to the excellent PPL insurance cover which is included with your membership.

Whilst you may be totally sold on the PPL insurance included with Gold Plus membership, they also offer Gold members a multitude of discounts with all the big jewellery suppliers including Moleroda!!

GOJD is run by Alan Hadley otherwise known as GETI to support jewellery designers and makers of all levels. His finger is on the pulse as a member of the trade himself. He offers excellent engraving services to the trade as well as his own product line.

Discount Code

Guild members will be given the discount code to use on our www.polishingjewellery.co.uk website which will apply a 10% discount.

(Not currently available on our moleroda.com site, exclusions apply)

A Jeweller’s Guide to Choosing & Using Polishing Compound

What is Polishing Compound & Why do I Need it?

Polishing compound is essential to polishing with mops and felt. Depending on the specific compound brand it is essentially a grease base with different grades of grit in. Just like the stages of working through wet & dry paper the polishing compounds create finer and finer scratches until the metal is bright and shiny!

In Jewellery polishing there are normally 2 stages Cutting and Polishing (Colouring).

polishing a ring

Cutting

The initial step in polishing is removing the scratches put in with needle files and wet & dry paper. It's best to prepare the metal and get the biggest scratches out to around an 800g finish.

Traditionally this is done with brown Tripoli which is most commonly used, but you can also get excellent results from Menzerna 456G.

Polishing (Colouring)

The final stage is polishing with a high gloss compound. If there are any scratches visible at this stage you will need to go back to cutting.

Traditionally this was done with Rouge, it is still a popular option but is very messy. Increasingly there are cleaner compounds such as FF9 and menzerna which are coming to the fore.

Tripoli (Apollo)

Apollo Tripoli compound is our most popular cutting compound. This brown compound works brilliantly on all non ferrous metals and will leave a bright finish whilst removing scratches and flattening the metal.


View Cutting Compound

Menzerna 456G

456G is a grey compound that is excellent on all jewellery metals as well as harder metals such as Titanium and even Steel.


View Cutting Compounds

Lea FF9

FF9 is a very high gloss finishing compound which works brilliantly after Apollo. A much cleaner option than traditional jewellers rouge.


View Polishing Compounds

Menzerna P175

Either Menzerna M5 or P175 are good for final finishing precious metal. They work extremely well with the 456G cutting compound used first.


View Polishing Compounds

How do I Match Compound to the Right Mop?

It is important to match your compound to the right mop to get the best results. For example a harder mop will maximize the cutting action of a coarse compound.

Cutting Stage

Cutting Mops

Harder Mops such as White Stitched and even a Dry Sisal (for very coarse cutting) work well for cutting hard. A 4'' White Stitched mop is best for polishing Platinum.

A loosefold G mop is a popular option offering good cut but more suitable for Gold and Silver.

Mini Stitched mops are excellent for jewellery polishing and work well for both cutting and polishing. G is slightly harder than WDR.

Felt wheels come in various hardnesses, for more cut choose hard or hardened.

Polishing Mops

The softer the mop the higher the finish.

WDR, WHR and Reflex are perfect for polishing mops for finishing.

Mini Stitched Mops in WDR again are good for an initial buff before finishing with a super soft cotton yarn mop.

Chamois is very traditional and often gets used with rouge for gold.

How do I load Compound onto my Mop?

A very frequent question we get asked is how do I get the compound onto my mop? The compound is hard!

It's very simple, because it is made of way it will be pretty solid but as soon as you spin a mop it creates heat which melts a little of the compound onto the surface of the mop.

It is the same principle for all mops, both used with a pendant motor (micromotor) or bench polisher with large mops. In that case the compound is brought to the mop, aiming at the lower half of the mop holding firmly. The video below demonstates adding compound to a cotton yarn mop.

Just a little is necessary, you should only see a thin layer on the mop. If you add too much you will soon notice as there will be thick black residue coating your work. A clean mop can be used to remove the residue from the piece (or small amounts with your finger) and a mop rake (mop dresser) can help to remove the excess from the mop. It is normal to have black residue, it in fact shows that the compound is working and removing metal.

Menzerna Compound

This high quality compound made in Europe is extremely popular. The finish they produce is excellent, whilst being easier to clean up than traditional compounds.

This would be our recommendation for the best compound for jewellery whether you are a hobbyist or a well versed professional jeweller. Well worth the investment for the finish they give.

We do both large and small bars to suit everybodies usage.

Dialux Rouge

Dialux is a well known brand of compound and is often used in jewellery teaching.

The colour of rouge dictates what it is good for. The white dialux is particularly popular with very soft hair wheels, it is cleaner to use than the red dialux which is still a popular finishing bar for gold. Blue Dialux is meant to be particularly good for silver.

Green Dialux is notoriously used for stopping knife blades on leather. You could also polish jewellery tools in this manor to produce a sharp edge.

Jewellers Rouge

Very traditional, there is nothing wrong with this time tested polishing compound. The difference between the types is the firmness or oiliness of the bar. All jewellers have a preference for the consistency of the rouge.

It is particularly good for 'colouring' gold. it is believed to help create the beautiful lustrous golden glow on gold. Use with Chamois mops or very fine Reflex Mops.

How do I Clean Up After Using Compound?

There is black residue on my jewellery, how do I get it off?

This is totally normal for polishing. The compound is waxy so will need to be cleaned off your work. Most simply you can clean your piece with warm soapy water (be careful around pearls and opals etc). A very soft toothbrush can be used to clean detailed areas.

Alternatively when there are no sensitive stones you can pop the piece in an ultrasonic tank. This will shake the residues from holes and detailed areas.

It is good practise to clean between polishing stages too, this prevents cutting compound from contaminating the finer compounds preventing a good shine.

Ultrasonic Cleaner

An ultrasonic is brilliant for shaking compound from holes and detail creating the best, cleanest finish.


View Ultrasonic Tanks

What Compounds do you use for Polishing Glass & Plastics?

Plastics

This includes resin and acrylic. Firstly the surface needs to be sanded with wet, wet & dry paper to around an 800 - 1200g finish. Then the best compound to use is Menzerna Wax 16. Its essentially the same as Vonax, but the finish is much clearer and only one grade is necessary.

Glass

Glass can be tricky to polish. If you have fine scratches a combination of pumice them cerium oxide can be used to polish them out.

Stones are often lapped with felt wheels and Cerium Oxide too.

Menzerna Wax 16

Wax 16 is excellent for all plastics, resin and other mixed media materials.

Very useful for polishing acrylic display furniture and safety glasses!


View Wax 16

Glass Polishing

Glass is generally polished using cerium oxide powder mixed to a paste with water. We sell a kit which comes with pumice too for the 1st stage. Used with felt bobs.


View Glass Polishing Powders

Pendant Motor vs Micromotor System

Which to Choose.. Pendant Motor vs Micromotor System?

It's a very common question, the choices can be dumbfounding. 

The key features where they differ:

  • A pendant motor has a flexible shaft while the Micromotor has a thin wire cable connecting the motor to the control box.

The flexible shaft has to be hung to prevent damage, this is fine in a workshop but can be tricky in a home or learning setting. It can be cumbersome to move and whilst flexible there is some restriction to movement. 

The micromotor cable however is very light and very flexible. It allows for greater accuracy of movement. 

  • Pendant Motor vs Micromotor System on Noise

The first thing customers note when using a micromotor for the first time is the noise level, they are quiet! We have customers who have smart jewellery showrooms with studios at the rear, quiet micromotor systems are a must to keep the pleasant atmosphere in the shop. Equally in the home this can be a major plus.

  • A Pendant Motor is often higher torque than a Micromotor

Torque is the amount of force put into rotation. Not all applications need the highest torque available. For Jewellers or Dental Technicians for example a Micromotor system will often have adequate torque. Wheels and burrs tend to be small and therefore need less torque.

For engineers, fabricators, sculptors etc they may need a bit more grunt and higher torque to drive larger wheels and points. 

  • Micromotors can offer higher speeds

Pendant Motors tend to be limited to 25,000 rpm (some more, some less), Micromotors however typically offer closer to 35,000 rpm. Some carbide burrs and cutters like to be run at higher speeds, small diameter burrs work well with the lower torque and high speeds. 

This makes them a good option for delicate jobs like stone setting, precision engineering and dental technician work.

  • Are Pendant Drills Heavier Duty?

For fabrication, large sculpture, engine tuning, engineering etc the best choice is normally a pendant motor. They are really built for slightly rougher treatment.

Certainly our LY128 system has proven over the years to be a sturdy workhorse with little going wrong with it. 

However in precision engineering environments our Eneska Micromotor system really holds it's own. They are very sturdy and can withstand long hours of use. For the user they are much more comfortable to use for prolonged periods. 

  • Vibration

Micromotors have noticeably less vibration. In a lot of industries now there are health and safety regulations on vibration. Micromotors tend to be the choice where this is a requirement. They are much more comfortable for operators to use for long shifts. For all users this is a plus point, the difference is very obvious.

  • Pendant Motor vs Micromotor System on Handpieces

Handpieces can often be the deciding factor, they are very much down to personal preference and application.

Generally speaking it simply depends on the brand and model of micromotor or pendant motor as to the extent of the handpieces available.  

Below you can see examples; in white pendant motor handpieces and blue micromotor handpieces. 

Our Foredom SR pendant motor comes with a choice of countless handpieces, the LY128 however is fixed and cannot be changed. A fixed handpiece often makes the price much more attractive and is a very useable option for most people. 

Similarly our very popular Strong 209 Micromotor comes with a fixed handpiece, it is larger overall but actually has a small end to it which is easier to hold and is pretty light with the cable.

Our modular micromotor systems such as Eneska (NSK) and Urawa offer a very large range of handpieces that range in size and features. Hammer handpieces and angled handpieces are available.

The beauty of micromotor handpieces is that they feature a quick release collet system in most cases making it quick to change between burrs. They normally have a collet system though which means drills and burrs need to be on a 2.35mm (or 1.6mm) minimum spindle where a chuck handpiece (such as on the LY128 pendant motor) can clasp very small drill bits and a range of spindle sizes. 

  • One final point on Micromotors

Micromotors are a revelation to a lot of people as the feel is something entirely different if you are used to a pendant motor (flex shaft). Operators report better feeling, without the drag of the flex shaft and the minimal vibration. You have more control.

It is possible to maintain better control with the stop start controls on some systems (Eneska). Speed can be set on some models. The start is much more gradual and smooth. Flex shafts are frequently said to jump as they start, although not always a problem for high precision work it is less than ideal. 

Micromotors work well at low speeds and run smoother. 

Pendant Motor vs Micromotor System:

Who Wins?

Its a good question, you may have found several points particularly important to you. The good news is that each option has a range of price points from entry level to industrial standard. 

If you still have questions please get in touch!

01722 711988