How to polish your silver with a tumbler (video).

**stewart73** · 12-10-2012, 10:55 AM

A quick video for you guys showing how to use a tumbler to pretty up those nasty silver bits you pull out of the sand.

http://www.minelabowners.com/forum/v...php?tubeid=571

**minty fresh** · 12-10-2012, 11:28 AM

nice video mate, i seen 1 where the guy used iron filings to clean old coins.. what a mess when he opened the tumbler it was like a big pile of gooey rusted froth, didnt make much difference too the coins either

**mal** · 12-10-2012, 12:10 PM

Nice video Stewart, well put together.

The problem with tumbling silver is as its soft, you are removing/polishing by abrasion with the tumbler and shapes which is a bad method in my opinion. Stainless steel is harder than silver. Never been a fan of tumblers except for polishing gem stones definately not fine items like jewellery or coins.

I find the bowl, hot water, foil and bicarb is quicker and safer especially for the fine items of jewellery.

I first use a soft toothbrush with bicarb toothpaste to start the process, then the bowl with foil and Bicarb then rinse and polish with a silver cleaning cloth. takes minutes for each item and you can see whats happening.

Another method is to use silver dip used by jewelers which is a quick chemical method.

**moparado** · 12-10-2012, 03:30 PM

Another well produced video! Steven Spielberg look out!

At first glance and as mal said, hard stainless steel against the much softer silver kind of makes my teeth grind.
But it must work OK as many black powder cartridge reloaders use an even harder ceramic tumbling media to clean their badly fouled and corroded brass cases. The brass cases come out shiny and looking like new.

I clean my brass cartridge cases using a nut shell media treated with polishing rouge which i would try first.
But i don't have enough silver jewelry to worry about it.

**Gold Finger** · 12-10-2012, 05:18 PM

great vid.
I clean my silver rings and chains as mal described. Then shine with brasso. Only my modern coins are tumbled.

**whigsvolt** · 12-10-2012, 07:07 PM

I would never use a tumbler to clean any silver.Period.
Interesting video all the same.

**Kyle** · 12-10-2012, 07:11 PM

i had a micro cloth - think thats what its called - like you clean sunglasses with ......awesome on hammered coins ..rudy awesome....like finding it all over again as it surfaces from the cloth ...bling bling

**stewart73** · 13-10-2012, 09:28 AM

Thanks for all the comments guys. A few points:

Firstly, tumbling silver isn't nearly as abrasive/destructive as you might think. Many (if not most) jewelry makers and silversmiths batch polish using this very method. Most of the stuff I bought and information/instruction on this came from either sterling jewelry makers' websites or silversmiths websites. You would have to leave silver in for a VERY long time to actually damage it (as I did with those two Tiffany rings). Indeed I've left silver in for 4 or 5 hours and it still doesn't remove even surface scratches so it can't be eating away that much metal.

Secondly, I'm talking about cruddy old rings that I've found on the beach....making them presentable or even saleable and maybe increasing the value from $5 to $10. Obviously you wouldn't be tumbling your silver hammereds or your great gran's Victorian brooch collection. This is just a fast way to shine up rings that are already imperfect (though as I mentioned, many silversmiths tumble their wares as a final polishing step before selling them).

**Kyle** · 13-10-2012, 09:53 AM

agreed stuart and a great post/video - very helpful and definately something i would consider for lets say non valuable finds that need bringing back to life.

**Goldhunter** · 13-10-2012, 11:25 PM

Great video, thanks for posting.

**moparado** · 14-10-2012, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by stewart73

Thanks for all the comments guys. A few points:

Firstly, tumbling silver isn't nearly as abrasive/destructive as you might think. Many (if not most) jewelry makers and silversmiths batch polish using this very method. Most of the stuff I bought and information/instruction on this came from either sterling jewelry makers' websites or silversmiths websites. You would have to leave silver in for a VERY long time to actually damage it (as I did with those two Tiffany rings). Indeed I've left silver in for 4 or 5 hours and it still doesn't remove even surface scratches so it can't be eating away that much metal.

Secondly, I'm talking about cruddy old rings that I've found on the beach....making them presentable or even saleable and maybe increasing the value from $5 to $10. Obviously you wouldn't be tumbling your silver hammereds or your great gran's Victorian brooch collection. This is just a fast way to shine up rings that are already imperfect (though as I mentioned, many silversmiths tumble their wares as a final polishing step before selling them).

Sometimes things are not as they are perceived to be.
For example, when they switched from steel timing chains to synthetic belts years ago, most people at the time thought they wouldn't hold up. But they did as most 4 cyl. engines today use timing belts and they can last 100K + miles.
If jewelers and silversmiths use this process, there must be something to it.

You might want to research the ceramic media also and experiment with it. The ceramic media are small cylindrical pieces which can get into small nook and crannies even cartridge primer pockets. Check out some cartridge reloading supply stores. Here's one link:

http://www.buffaloarms.com/Ceramic_T....aspx?CAT=3889

Black powder fouling is very corrosive and will permanently stain/corrode a bright new brass cartridge case. Although i haven't used it myself, i've seen brass cartridge cases tumbled in ceramic media that are bright and shiny looking better than new. The guys that use it, claim it doesn't wear down the brass. And brass is a much softer metal than silver.

Me, i'd take some baby steps starting out with the nut shell type media and progress upward to the harder medias'.
I don't use a true tumbler for cleaning my brass cases but a vibration system something like this which is somewhat gentler.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/t...ro-tumbler.php

**des** · 14-10-2012, 01:11 PM

Sunday

Great video Stewart...
A LOT of work in that one!
Those royalty free pictures certainly give it a "Pro" edge and a quirky feel,
It is probably the best detecting related clip I've seen for a while.
I've not got any silver nor do I posses a tumbler but, after seeing that I'll probably dig some silver today???

Great job

Des

**Tony Hunt** · 17-10-2012, 08:56 AM

No silver Des after all the hours you spend detecting sorry testing.

**Randy Dee** · 17-10-2012, 11:05 AM

Hello Stewart
You made a cracking video there.
I have been using the very same tumbler for the past 7 years and the Lortone Model 3A is the best tumbler out there more expensive but definitely none of the others can touch it, I use the stainless steel shot with burnishing soap powder and it brings any beach found coin up like it has just come out of the mint again you have got to be sensible of how long you leave the jewelry and coins in the tumbler if it is only light staining about half an hour is adequate, I have got a bag of the nylon beads for soft metals and I have found that it is the burnishing soap that is doing the better part of removing the crap and staining.

Good Luck
Randy Dee