QuestionHi Peter. I have recently started casting jewelry in sterling silver. I will soon begin the process of finishing and polishing by hand with a flex shaft. All the jewelry making techniques I have learned are self taught from books or articles on the Internet. I am having trouble locating any information on a compound which will give the silver pieces a satin finish, as most compounds seem to give high lustre finish. Could you please recommend a polishing compound, or a particular technique, which I could use to obtain a satin finish?
AnswerHello Alexandra,
The most important thing to do with finishing any piece of jewellery is that the form and lines are clean.
This is the case whether it will be high polished or satin finished.
If the form isn't clean then the polish wont last very long in the case of a Hi-Fin, and will just look dirty if its satin finished.
The best way to achieve a beautiful finish, is approach it as if it will be hi polished, so first you need to polish the piece and ensure that all the edges curves and faces are clean ie is that they flow and don't have ripples.
Then you can take the finish back using many different processes such as brass brush, fine metal brush, satin fly wheel or even scotch-brite wheel. All of these are available to fit a flex drive and should be available form a jewellers supply house.
You could also obtain a brass brush or even a scotch brite pad that you would use with you washing up...and rather than using one direction, a better finish is obtained using a random motion.
Ideally though you would be best to use a polishing motor. The reason being that the larger wheel will give a much more even finish....and will last longer.
Hope this helps you out.
Cheers, P
