Polishing tools for small blemishes

Cliff Swanson · Post by **Cliff Swanson** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 8:26 am

I need to buff out a small area, maybe 1 cm diameter. Looking through the archives and then into the HIS site, I found these:

http://hisglassworks.com/pages/smallsmooth.html

I'm not clear as to whether these pads and mandrels are meant to be driven by a Dremel tool or some other device. I'd appreciate any comments on these polishing discs and how to best use them.

TIA,

Cliff

ellen abbott · Post by **ellen abbott** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 10:30 am

It looks to me like they are meant for a dremel or off-hand engraver. That's what I use, but I don't use the discs. Mostly I use jeweler's polishing bullets so I can get into the nooks and crannies of the sculpted surfaces.

ellen

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:18 pm

Ellen,

Can you talk about your process? Do you use abrasive cones or the felt cones with abrasive/polishing compounds? Water?

Tony

Jack Bowman · Post by **Jack Bowman** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 3:44 pm

Ellen,

Do you have a good source for the polishing bullets? What abrasives do you use?

Thank you,

Jack

ellen abbott · Post by **ellen abbott** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 6:17 pm

I use jewelers Craytex polishing bullets that are available at a jeweler's supply. They are rubber impregnated with silicon carbide and come in coarse, medium, fine, extra fine, and pumice. I use mainly the medium and fine grades with an off hand engraver (I have a Foredom) but I started out with just a dremel. I also use the diamond bits and burs (these I usually special order out of the Foredom catalog, but I did score a really great selection of 24 different bits on e-bay for really CHEAP once) for grinding and shaping small areas. All this work is done dry. I burned up several diamond and ruby bits before I learned to sloooow down. I use an upright composite wheel for a final, wet polish, although on the sculpted vessels and forms the surface contact varies. A flat lap (wet) for rim and bottom work. This is all for finishing our pate de verre cast pieces. They will take whatever shine there is off but my work has a more matte finish anyway. I suppose you could take it all the way back up to high polish if you wanted to follow up the bullets with felt points and cerium oxide or other polishing compounds (also available at jeweler's supply). Our work is plenty time consuming enough as it is. Besides, the cast surface of our pieces aren't glassy smooth so the best you could hope for would be a mottled look. I don't know how effective any of this would be on fused work.

Tony...I've never used these tools on the etched glass (you're the resident sandblasting question guru, right?) although I do have a picture in a book of some old European artisan carving a panel with a lifesize angelic sort of figure using an off-hand engraver. It never occured to me. But when I saw your inquiry, I immediately made that jump. I'll have to see what effects I can get on the carved surfaces on our architectural sandblasted work. Such are the associations of creation.

ellen

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 8:27 pm

I'll have to see what effects I can get on the carved surfaces on our architectural sandblasted work. Such are the associations of creation.

It's funny the way the mind works. But that is how new techniques get discovered and old techniques get reinvented... just don't take credit for them.

Tony

Linda Hassur · Post by **Linda Hassur** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 8:49 pm

I've had good luck using a lapidary tube of diamond grit from Diamond Pacific
in a solution that is put on a hard buff on a mandrel. I've been able to get out some craters and scratches using this. Linda

ellen abbott · Post by **ellen abbott** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 10:18 pm

just don't take credit for them

Heck no. Nuthin' new under the sun.

ellen
http://www.emstudioglass.com

Steph Mader · Post by **Steph Mader** » Wed Apr 09, 2003 1:07 am

I use similar diamond pads on my cast work. I knock any flashing or bubbles off with a diamond burr tool (I use a Foredom), and then use five grades of diamond pads to get rid of the burr marks & get a smooth finish.

I also use a flat lap for the rim & base. I am setting up a brush wheel, which I'll use for pumice, and a felt wheel for cerium. But right now I'm finising the pieces in sugar acid. That makes a nice satiny finish on lead glass, and a frosted surface on soda lime glasses.

Steph

lohman · Post by **lohman** » Wed Apr 09, 2003 9:24 am

Steph--What is suger acid?

Steph Mader · Post by **Steph Mader** » Thu Apr 10, 2003 12:15 am

It's a mixture of aluminum bifluoride and sugar in water. Someone said that it makes a dilute sulfuric acid solution, I don't personally know if that's correct. I suit up and am very careful around it, anyway, and keep it and the process outside.

Bob from Hisglassworks.com told me that they were preparing to sell it. I'm not sure when they will have it. Anyway, it's great for lead glass and saves a bit of coldwork time.

watershed · Post by **watershed** » Thu Apr 10, 2003 8:47 am

Sugar acid: There's a recipe in Glassnotes.

Greg