▪ Tumbling Polishing Q & A ▪

What are the plastic beads with the HF tumbler for?  I am tumbling sterling silver in my HF tumbler for the first time ever, and am having trouble with the pieces getting the black/hematite look. I will try ...

Tumbled too long?  I tumbled a few silver bracelets and fell asleep. Oops! When I opened the container I was mortified to see that all my silver jewelry had turned a blackish ...

Sterling turns black!  I tumble my sterling jewelry with mixed stainless steel shot and it turns it black! It's driving my insane. I even exchanged the rubber housing (The Chicago ...

Problem with Copper Patina Polishing  Hello to everyone!

I attached a photo of pieces what I get after tumbling. (picture keychains Mostar) and picture of finished product like I want to ...

Walnut Shells Not Removing Tarnish in Tumbler  I recently got into chainmaille and have finished about 20 different bracelets in Jewelers Brass- after a month of showing pieces around most have a very ...

Protecting the Stone in Wire Wrap  Does anyone know of a way to protect the stone in an already wire wrapped piece. I recently had some wraps tumbled and the silver was very nice, but the ...

Tumble Polishing Causing My Jewelry to Tarnish?  Hi!

I've been trying to tumble polish for a week now and am having troubles with a coating that looks like tarnish.

My sterling and copper pieces ...

Brass & Copper Tumble  Can you tumble brass (jewelers brass - nugold) & copper together? If so, is it worth adding the burnishing to it.

Thank you Stacy
Deb Mae

Stacy'...

What shot can be used to get a matte, dull shine on silver discs?  I now use ss shot in my 3lb tumbler overnight on my handstamped sterling silver 1/2" discs. Then I re-tumble w/these plastic small green pyramid shaped ...

Wire wraps  Hi, you have a great site! My question is, in wire wrapping stones with 22 gauge argentium wire, can you successfully tumble them to harden them without ...

Tumbling Gold and Silver Together  I've been doing a lot of chainmaille lately and I have found I prefer working with tumbled rings. I usually have enough components to tumble my gold-filled ...

Tumbling Lampwork  I find myself reading your website and realizing I really have no idea what I am doing. Your thoughts on jewelry tumbling are unique in that I have pored ...

Water Turning Grey  My tumbler was working really well until I put in some beads with fine silver on them - the water came out a dark grey colour and the shot is dull and ...

Grey scum on copper pieces after tumbling.  I have just started using copper with my lampwork beads, and when I tumble the pieces I get a grey scum in all the crevices, which I have to brush out ...

Using a Tumbler for Polishing Jewelry with Beads  Hi Stacy,

I would like to ask you about using a tumbler for polishing jewelry with beads as ceramic, lampwork, pearls, gems, corals. What kind of beads ...

Tumbling Oxidized Metal  Have you ever had a problem with tumbling oxidized metal? Is it better to tumble it dry — copper, for example? If I oxidize it to black and tumble it, will ...

Is there a way to tumble Sterling silver chain?  I was wondering if you can tumble thin Sterling silver chain? If not, how else can I polish it?

Stacy's Answer: Hi Riley. You could wrap your chain ...

My shot has turned very dark ?  I recently tumbled some sterling that must have had a reaction from the soap with the left over pickle used? My shot turned very dark. Can I still use ...

Tumbling vs Lathe polishing  In the past, most of my jewelry was at least partially soldered and I only used a lathe for polishing. (even on pieces that weren't soldered) I am starting ...

Does stainless steel shot need replacing?  Hi there, just wondering if I need to replace my jewelry shot? I use the Lortone 3A tumbler and have 1-lb of stainless steel jewelry mix shot in it, have ...

Why does the silver turn grey  When tumbling why does the silver some times turn grey

Stacy's Answer: Hi Dave. Sorry for the long delay in responding. Your question was accidentally ...

My silver pieces look no different after 2 hrs of tumbling  hi there, I recently purchased a Lortone 3A tumbler. I followed all the instructions and my sterling silver pieces looked absolutely no different after ...

How long to tumble  Stacy, How long would I tumble ear wires to work harden them? Is there a general rule of thumb for time to tumble to work harden jewelry pieces?

Thanks....

tumbling gold castings  I would like to know if a vibratery tumbler can remove casting lines from gold. I have used green plastic pyramids with a small amount of water for 20 ...

Tumbling Permanently Colored Copper Wire Coiled Components  I make lampwork beads. I have begun using the beads in wire jewelry. I make links and/or coils of permanently colored copper wire. I can harden some ...

smoothing sawed brass edges  How do I smooth rough sawed metal egdes on my handmade components?
Stacy's Answer: I usually use a medium or fine-cut hand file for metal to smooth ...

Will tumbling remove an etched image?  I would like the last step of my construction process to be the tumbling and not to etch after tumbling. the metal will be red brass, is it ok to put ...

Polishing Gold Filled and Silver  I have some charms that have scratchy marks on the back, almost a brushed finish because the are stamped, not cast. I was hoping the tumbler would remove ...

Want to turn white pewter in a tumbled satin-matte finish  Hello:

I recently bought a Thumbler Tumbler to tumble white pewter figurines (D&D) into a nice satin-matte finish. I am using a ceramic media of different ...

Tiny specs all over silver  I have been trying to tumble some silver castings in my 3lb tumbler and they keep coming out with tiny specs all over them. Do you know what is causing ...

Help finding non-toxic tumbling recipe  I've wanted to avoid retail burnishing compounds since I have a toddler and prefer to keep everything as non-toxic as possible. I've been experimenting ...

Tumble Polishing Coral Beads  What would I use to re-polish coral beads in a tumbler?

Stacy's Answer: Hello to you in Hawaii Maria! I can help you with questions about metal work,...

Ever worked with Titanium?  Hello,

I have been doing chainmaille jewelery for several years, and have always used a tumbler with great results on almost every metal, from bronze,...

Tumbling silver and brass together?  I've read that you can tumble copper and silver together, but what about brass and silver? Is it safe? Thanks!

Stacy's Answer: Hi Angela! I tumble ...

Can a US Tumbler be used in Spain?   Hi, I know very little about tumbling and am trying to learn quickly!!! I live in Spain but have only found tumblers I can buy from the US. Can these ...

Wire Jewelry White Instead of Bright After Tumbling  My silver wire jewelry comes out looking white instead of bright and the silver beads looks grey. I'm using stainless shot and Woolite. What am I doing ...

Toy Tumbler  All I have (and all I can afford right now) is a "Rolling Stones" red plastic toy tumbler. I think it has maybe a 1/2 pound capacity. About how much shot ...

sterling turns coppery  My sterling begins to look coppery if I tumble it for 20 or 30 minutes...and doesn't get polished no matter how long it runs. What am I doing wrong?

Stacy'...

Can you tumble silver plated jump ring chainmail?  Can you tumble silver plated chainmail jewelry to harden it? Will it affect the plating?

Stacy's Answer: Hi Lisa. Tumbling will polish up and help ...

Time to tumble  How long should I tumble a chainmaille Byzantine bracelet in a Lortone 3a tumbler?

Stacy's Answer: Shirley, that would depend upon what metal you ...

Tumbling copper and silver together   Can you tumble copper and silver together?

Stacy's Answer: This seems to be a popular question. Yes, you can tumble copper and silver together. Or ...

Silver looks the same afterwards!  So apparently one pound of stainless steel shot should be enough for a Lortone 3A tumbler, but I'm beginning to wonder. Or I'm doing something wrong!

I ...

What size tumbler to use  I am a wire-wrapper and I want to tumble/burnish my wire-wrap bracelets with stainless steel shot. About 7" circumfrance and 1/2" wide. Say tumble about ...

Tumbling Argentium Wire Chains  What would the correct work sequence be when working with Argentium Silver chains?

Tumble first then place in oven to improve tarnish resistance OR
...

Safely Tumbling Freshwater Pearls and Silver?  Stacy's Answer:
Hi Christine!

As pearls are soft, it's the banging around in there and the abrasiveness of the shot or other hard items in the ...

cleaning oxidized wire wraps  what is the easiest and most time efficient way to clean the oxidization from LOS off of wire wraps. i often have clusters of small (26g) wraps and have ...

Where can I buy stainless shot?  Where can I buy stainless steel shot for a good price? $20.00/ lb. is the cheapest I have found so far for it.

Also how much do I need for a 3 lb tumbler ...

How To Tumble 18, 20, 22 GA round wire - Oxidized Sterling Silver  If I wanted to tumble an ounce of Oxidized Sterling Silver, could I do it in the smaller Loratone tumbler? Is it better to oxidized after the piece is ...

Tumble Scratches  I tumbled some silver pieces last night and they are all the same size and shape pretty much. One piece came out with some scratches in one area but the ...

I want to tumble polish a bottle  I want to tumble polish an old glass bottle to enhance its appearance and remove a surface of glass sickness from being burried in the ground will this ...

Tumbling aluminum wire  Can you tumble aluminum wire to harden it just like you do silver or other wires?

Stacy's Answer: Hi Billi! From the limited amount I know about ...

Gold foil in the tumbler  Hi...Is it ok to tumble an earring that has gold foil on it? The gold foil is attached using a torch and burnisher.

Thanks for your help.
Rachel

Stacy'...

Should I tumble silver plated jump rings?  My question is simple, I think? Can silver plated jump rings be tumbled to remove burrs?
Margaret

Stacy's Answer: Hi Margaret!

There are a lot ...

Stone hardness and tumbling  Do you have a certain "Moh" hardness level you would suggest NOT tumbling? I know you mentioned turquoise and pearls and dyed corals but what about the ...

Copper Turned Dark  My Copper Bracelet came out beautifully the first time I tumbled it but the 2nd time it turned out dark and looked ugly, dark and tarnished. I used Tarn-...

Tumble Burnishing Gold-Fill Wire  Hi-
Is there a way to tumble polish - burnish gold fill wire to a satin/brushed/ or matte finish before I wrap gems or incorporate it into a final piece?...

Alternatives to tumbling  Dear Stacy,

I would like to make woven wire jewelry which incorporates Swarovski crystals, Freshwater pearls, gemstones (some softer than 5 on the Mohs ...

Using a vibrating tumbler to remove oxidation  Hello! I oxidize copper and silver for metal pendants. I am trying to find a way to speed up my polishing step. So I purchased a vibrating tumbler with ...

Removing Plier Marks With a Tumbler  I thought I had heard from someone that the tumbler will remove little dings and marks made by your pliers on your handmade silver jewelry pieces. On the ...

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