Post by rockjunquie on Jul 23, 2013 19:40:50 GMT -5
Here are my thoughts. This is not written in stone. Lots of people do lots of different things.
ALWAYS use common sense and rock sense.
ALWAYS run a test piece if you are unsure.
ALWAYS remove a tumbling piece every hour or so to check it if you are not sure.
I know that malachite does NOT tumble well. Coated beads and wire do NOT tumble well. Coated cabs- like titanium coated- do NOT tumble well. "Varnish" coated beads, like mother of pearl, do NOT tumble well. Stones with a lot of soft matrix do NOT tumble well- like some turquoise or variscite. This is off the top of my head. When in doubt, ALWAYS test by running it through the tumbler and checking on it every hour or so. Take notes, mental or otherwise. I have tumbled good quality pearls, opals, gemstones, ammolite and crystals. Some may choose not to, but I will always test and risk. There are very few things I will not tumble.
Gold fill tumbles fine, so does silver and copper. I have run all of them over night or longer with no trouble. I have not tumbled silver fill, so I don't know about it. I have not tumbled craft wire, but I know that some of it is unsuitable for tumbling. Do your own experiments. I wouldn't tumble anodized metal, either.
I have a lortone 3a for jewelry. I use about 1 lb of mixed STAINLESS STEEL jeweler's shot. Don't waste money on steel. Spend the bucks for STAINLESS steel. It is expensive, but you buy it once.
I have had my tumbler for abt 15 years. It has never been without water in it. I leave my steel covered with water, at all times. It doesn't harm it. I change the water when it is dirty. I use plastic pellets to cushion the jewelry. I use Dawn dish soap, a good squirt. I have used shaving from an ivory bar, as well. The soap is as much for lubricating the steel shot as it is for cleaning the jewelry. I put the shot in the barrel, fill with pellets to near the top, then add a little water to cover and come close to the top. Then I add soap.
For finished pieces, I will run for a few hours or overnight (8-12 hours). For just a cleaning, I do it a few hours. For something that might have some tool marks or lots of cut ends, I'll do it overnight. Tumbling will clean, polish, deburr, harden (slightly), remove or lessen some tool marks and dull some sharp edges. HOWEVER- don't rely on tumbling to take care of sloppy work. ALWAYS us your cutters correctly. ALWAYS file ends that need it. ALWAYS use the right hardness of wire. The tumbler will not turn soft metal into hard or even half hard. In my experience, it seems to harden silver the most and copper the least.
I usually will attach a loop of copper 20g to a piece to make it easier to fish it out of tumbler. I put earrings together on a wire, too. If I need to tumbler metal from a pickle, which works real well, I join the pieces with wire. I tumble pieces together if they will fit, not weigh too much for the 3lb tumbler or damage each other. Rock smarts come into play. Don't tumble a soft cab with a hard cab.
I've tumbled silver and copper together. Some people won't. I won't tumble clean silver with a patina metal, like a copper patina piece. BTW- tumbling works beautifully on a patina piece.
I have a Mini Speed Brite which cleans copper, silver and gold beautifully. I usually will use it as a last step. It will remove any residue left on the piece. I then dry well, wipe with a Sunshine polishing cloth and store in a zip lock bag with a 3M anti tarnish tab. (I did a blog on the Speed Brite.)
I think I covered everything I can think of. Please don't ask a million questions. I understand that it seems intimidating, but you will never learn without first doing.
Just try it and remember to be cautious while learning. Make or take notes. Don't risk something that you can't afford to lose. Experiment and don't be intimidated.
A last word.... you'll want a wire or something to push those pellets and pins out of areas that you never knew they would get stuck in. Oh, and the pellets will get everywhere!
ALWAYS use common sense and rock sense.
ALWAYS run a test piece if you are unsure.
ALWAYS remove a tumbling piece every hour or so to check it if you are not sure.
I know that malachite does NOT tumble well. Coated beads and wire do NOT tumble well. Coated cabs- like titanium coated- do NOT tumble well. "Varnish" coated beads, like mother of pearl, do NOT tumble well. Stones with a lot of soft matrix do NOT tumble well- like some turquoise or variscite. This is off the top of my head. When in doubt, ALWAYS test by running it through the tumbler and checking on it every hour or so. Take notes, mental or otherwise. I have tumbled good quality pearls, opals, gemstones, ammolite and crystals. Some may choose not to, but I will always test and risk. There are very few things I will not tumble.
Gold fill tumbles fine, so does silver and copper. I have run all of them over night or longer with no trouble. I have not tumbled silver fill, so I don't know about it. I have not tumbled craft wire, but I know that some of it is unsuitable for tumbling. Do your own experiments. I wouldn't tumble anodized metal, either.
I have a lortone 3a for jewelry. I use about 1 lb of mixed STAINLESS STEEL jeweler's shot. Don't waste money on steel. Spend the bucks for STAINLESS steel. It is expensive, but you buy it once.
I have had my tumbler for abt 15 years. It has never been without water in it. I leave my steel covered with water, at all times. It doesn't harm it. I change the water when it is dirty. I use plastic pellets to cushion the jewelry. I use Dawn dish soap, a good squirt. I have used shaving from an ivory bar, as well. The soap is as much for lubricating the steel shot as it is for cleaning the jewelry. I put the shot in the barrel, fill with pellets to near the top, then add a little water to cover and come close to the top. Then I add soap.
For finished pieces, I will run for a few hours or overnight (8-12 hours). For just a cleaning, I do it a few hours. For something that might have some tool marks or lots of cut ends, I'll do it overnight. Tumbling will clean, polish, deburr, harden (slightly), remove or lessen some tool marks and dull some sharp edges. HOWEVER- don't rely on tumbling to take care of sloppy work. ALWAYS us your cutters correctly. ALWAYS file ends that need it. ALWAYS use the right hardness of wire. The tumbler will not turn soft metal into hard or even half hard. In my experience, it seems to harden silver the most and copper the least.
I usually will attach a loop of copper 20g to a piece to make it easier to fish it out of tumbler. I put earrings together on a wire, too. If I need to tumbler metal from a pickle, which works real well, I join the pieces with wire. I tumble pieces together if they will fit, not weigh too much for the 3lb tumbler or damage each other. Rock smarts come into play. Don't tumble a soft cab with a hard cab.
I've tumbled silver and copper together. Some people won't. I won't tumble clean silver with a patina metal, like a copper patina piece. BTW- tumbling works beautifully on a patina piece.
I have a Mini Speed Brite which cleans copper, silver and gold beautifully. I usually will use it as a last step. It will remove any residue left on the piece. I then dry well, wipe with a Sunshine polishing cloth and store in a zip lock bag with a 3M anti tarnish tab. (I did a blog on the Speed Brite.)
I think I covered everything I can think of. Please don't ask a million questions. I understand that it seems intimidating, but you will never learn without first doing.
Just try it and remember to be cautious while learning. Make or take notes. Don't risk something that you can't afford to lose. Experiment and don't be intimidated.A last word.... you'll want a wire or something to push those pellets and pins out of areas that you never knew they would get stuck in.
Oh, and the pellets will get everywhere!
Thanks again Tela!!!
