Hi, I am very new to jewelry-making.  I really like hand-stamping sterling silver, but I don't know anything about how to really work with the silver.  The stamping blanks I receive seem to have burs on them and the edges are almost sharp..not smooth and the face of the pieces seem very raw.  I don't have a lot of work space or money for machinery and I don't want to store a lot of chemicals.  Does anyone know a simple way to make the hand-stamped pieces feel smooth on the edges and look more finished on the surfaces without using machines or too many different chemicals?  I would love a response with as much detail (and yet simple...assume I know absolutely nothing!) as possible. thank you!

File the edges and then use sand paper to remove any sharp edges. Use sand paper on the flat surfaces.

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 Our goldsmiths ancestors had also no electrical machines. Nevertheless, they made wonderfully polished gold or silver jewelry.
First use coarse carborundum sandpaper, about 220 fine and remove the coarse scratches. Then, rotating the piece 90 degrees and sanding it with approximately 360-fine carborundum paper. Continue this procedure with always finer carborundum paper until the 800-fine- or 1000-fine paper. If you change to the next finer paper, clean the surface  in advance well, or you get coarser scratches again.  
After finishing with 1000-fine  paper, polish the surface with a suede-cloth and a polishing paste for silver.

Because it is a hard and boring job it is told, that our goldsmith-ancestors have always an a bit in the mind restricted boy, who has to do this job!!

thank you for the quick responses...

a few questions: is the sand paper the same kind you'd use on wood? 

Do you know a good polishing paste & where to get it?  I have a 'silver polish' but does the polishing paste have some abrasive in it to do a better job than regular silver polish? 

where can i find a suede cloth?

And most of the pieces I am using are just round sterling silver discs..so is using the sand paper at different grades still what to do with these small flat circles? 

sorry for all the questions..i just want a good result!

I don't know where you are located so I will give you some general suggestions. Wood sandpaper and metal sandpaper are different. I suggest that you go to a auto supply store or Harbor Freight to buy your sandpaper for metal. You can sometimes find variety packs at home centers like Lowe's or Home Depot, Ace and True Value have single sheets. I would file the edges smooth and then sand the faces smooth. After you sand all of the faces smooth and have finish with the 1200 grit you can give the regular silver polish a try but I think that you will find it wanting. You can purchase pumice powder from Otto Frei or Rio Grande, both have web based catalogs.

thanks for the response..I am in napa, ca and can't seem to find any local places to get the things I need.  Do you know of any materials I could use for the polishing paste that I might be able to get a regular hardware store or like a Home Depot?  I don't mind buying stuff on-line but I just don't want to wait a week or more to try this! :) 

And will sand paper take off a sharp edge left by a hole punch plier or do I need a file for that?  could you tell me what kind of file and/or sandpaper I should use?  thanks!

Sometimes I use an Exacto knife to gently cut the sharp edge off of a drilled or punched hole. Pumice is used in furniture finishing so maybe you can ask in the paint department. Are there no auto supply stores in Napa, CA? Any auto body shops? Go to one and ask for the finest grade of wet/dry sand paper they have, some of the flour grades are incredibly fine.

thank you so much for all the helpful answers!  one last probably silly question but I'm not sure what kind of file you mean for the edges...does it have to be a jewelry file at a certain grit or can i try using a nail file!?  I've seen file sets on-line but if there's one I could get at a hardware store, I'd love to run out and get it today to give it a try..which one would you suggest? thanks!

 No, nail-files do not work, because they are too soft. You can use some different coarse hand-files as you get by every tool supplier. Or you can buy a coarse and fine set of needle-files.
Such a set you can buy by Otto Frei for only 5 US$.  
Edmund

www.emailkunst.de

 I forgot. In a shop for tools , you  also should get a set key file. This are little files of about 10 cm mostly with a little handle. This are also suitable.
Instead of a suede flap, you can also use a chamois leather, or even if you do not get those,  use a slightly thicker piece of felt.

e.m.

thanks for all the responses and knowledge you shared!