Polishing/buffing silver?

[pk941]

I am a novice in making jewelry and would like to know the best way to polish/buff small silver pieces. Right now all I'm making are small wire pieces and small bezels. All I have as far as "polishing" equipment is a dremel tool.

Thanks for your help
pk

[Russ Nobbs]

Thanks for joining our forums, pk!

The "best way" may be whatever method fits the equipment you have.

I lot of people doing wire work like a tumbler loaded with steel shot. It slightly work hardens the wire and burnishes the wire to a nice finish.
The classic polishing method is with a large 2 wheel buffer, one wheel charged with tripoli (for smoothing) and the other charged with Zam or rouge (for the final polish.) Zam for sterling, rouge for gold. This is the standard for most silversmiths and gives the highest polish.

Your Dremel tool with a set of hard and soft buffs and polishing compounds can give similar results. Be careful not to contaminate a buff with different polishing compounds. The Dremel might be safer for wire work than a big buffer. The fast spinning wheels on a large buffer can grab the work away from you and destroy or distort your piece.

If you stay with wire work and get into production volume the tumbler method might be the way to go.
If you get into silversmithing the 2 wheel buffer would be the way to go.

Let's see what other opinions our members can offer.