Magnetic tumblers?

[Aaron Nelson]

Has anyone out there used a magnetic 'tumbler', or finisher? I make some pierced jewelry also, and this type of finisher is supposed to be good to get into the little holes, but I hear that it frosts large flat parts of jewelry, such as I would have with engraved pieces.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Dave P]

A magnetic tumbler is a wonderful tool, with limited uses. It is used in the jewelry business primarily as a pre-polisher. Depending on the shot you use, it will get into very small holes and semi-finish just about anywhere on small items. It leaves a surface similar to bead-blasting and the softer the material, the coarser the finish. All it does however is kind of burnish the surfaces as they already are. A magnetic tumbler does not remove any material as the polishing process does. In the case of castings or piercings, although it will smooth things out, it will not remove parting lines, saw kerf marks or file marks, except for the very finest of lines. Just like any other tool, it has it's uses, and what it does it does great. But if you are looking for a magic bullet that will effortlessly high polish a piece of sheet, a tumbler won't do it. In fact, if you try to use one on something already high polished, you will probably create far more work than you will save. It will also destroy engraving, so don't even think about using one on an engraved piece!

Dave