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Permalink Reply by Bob Harrison on April 1, 2011 at 4:49am

Don, that’s cool you know of the dangers.

 

 For all others Buffing is a very dangerous operation.

 
Buffing chains or a pickup with wires tangling could grab and cutoff fingers or worse. Always hold items in such a way that it can be easily pulled from the fingers.

 

 All please read how to buff.  When I went to a trade school for musical instrument repair there was a guy with missing fingers from the buffer grabbing a cornet and took fingers with it.

 

There’s a lot from the knife makers about buffing we could learn from.

Cheers

Bob

Don Thompson said:

Bob, thanks, In my previous life I was a jeweler and then ran a metal polishing shop for ten years.

Don

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Trappes on April 1, 2011 at 9:35am

I've found that getting a good clear coat is not that easy on small items.

I used a touchup spray gun initially, but really wasn't happy with the end result.

The best I've found is a Hi Gloss Enamel clear coat made by Galmet, in a spray can (part number: GSPCLA350).

Of course you then have the problem of whether you got a good fine spray tip on the can.

Might pay to look through a Stew-Mac catalogue to see if they have anything better.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Hunt on April 2, 2011 at 4:55am

There are two different steps to polishing nickel silver. First you need to buff it. This is the process to remove scratches and and get a smooth surface. Buffing actually removes metal and if you over buff, then you thin the part. If possible, try buffing the piece before you solder it, then do a second buffing. Keep your buffing wheel clean. When not in use store it in a zip lock back to avoid contaimination. Nickel Silver, Gold, and Silver are generally buffed with a Tripoli compound. I like to use a heavy stiched muslem or cotton wheel for buffing Nickel Silver. I find a sisel wheel has a heavier cutting action and can sometimes scratch the piece.

 

The second step is polishing. I like to use a lightly sewn or loose cotton wheel for polishing. For Nickel Silver, Silver and Gold I use a red rouge compound. Don't overload your wheel, keep your wheel clean and store in a zip lock bag when not in use. http://www.dadsrockshop.com/compounds_acc.html           http://www.riogrande.com/

 

Here is a nice article that goes over buffing and polishing of various metals.

 

http://gemstone.smfforfree4.com/index.php?topic=1010.0;wap2

 

Hope this helps.

 

Brian Hunt.

 

 

You can find the compounds you need at a good jewelry supply or lapidary store.  

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