I want to get kind of a grainy-matte surface on silver, and I do this on a regular basis with sandpaper in a rolling mill.  However, I want to tumble polish some thicker pieces so that the edges are nice and rounded, and get the same surface on the edges.  Will bead-blasting do this?  I don't want to invest in the equipment if it's not going to do what I want.

thanks!

Robin

Hello Robin,

you get a nice matt finish with a "Texturing wheel". Such wheels you get by your goldsmith supplier. This one is from the Otto Frei catalogue. Put it in your flex-shaft and work with high speed. Don't forget to wear ey protect glasses

Texturing wheel

Edmund from Bavaria/D

www.emailkunst.de 

  Normal 0 21

Hello Robin,

Still another hint. If you mask a polished surface with tape partially, you can, with this wheel, matting only the unprotected part of the surface. The with tape masked surface remains shining.

Edmund

www.emailkunst.de 

Thanks Edmund, I actually have 3 of those texture wheels, but I have the 2 smallest sizes, which don't give a lot of texture, and the biggest one, which, like, chews up the metal.  I did order 2 of the middle sizes and am looking forward to seeing what they will do. 

Note to anyone considering these wheels:  DO wear eye protection.  The first time I used one, one of the little metal prongs flew off and hit my glasses.  Thank goodness I was wearing them.. 

Thanks for the replies!

Robin

Ok - here's an update on the texture wheels - they don't do well on large flat surfaces.  Even with the Flexshaft at max speed, they leave directional lines that reflect the light differently depending on how you turn the piece.  Not the look I was trying to get. 

So back to my original question - will bead blasting with coarse media do what I want?

thanks! 

Hi Robin,

  Normal 0 21 yes, if you have the equipment for sandblasting, you can get very different surface textures. However some tests are necessary. Depending upon the air pressure, duration of blasting and blasting material (hard, softly, spherically, sharp edged, fine, coarse) and hardness of the surface of your piece, the result iss differently. Also the angle in that the blasting material on the surface arises, changes the appearance of the surface. The large advantage of the sandblast: one comes into almost any corner and angle.

Edmund

www.enmailkunst.de 

Thanks - I ordered the sandblasting equipment and will see how it goes.

Bead blasting, and sand blasting are different. I use a sand blaster with medium that is set up for glass on my metal as well as glass. But when I tried a baster with garnet medium for metal, I was in love. Bead blasting uses glass beads. So it would be the difference between cutting the surface and burnishing. Best wishes.

Wouldn't you want to get that kind of a surface on the wax model before it was cast?  It seems that it would be much simpler but I have never done it so maybe I don't understand all that is involved.

You can do some of it  before casting but it tends to get lost in the finishing process and then you have a difficult time in matching what you cast into the metal and need to do it all over again. So save yourself some grief and do it last, no big deal with the right tools.