Tumbling vs Lathe polishing
In the past, most of my jewelry was at least partially soldered and I only used a lathe for polishing. (even on pieces that weren't soldered) I am starting a bunch of designs that don't require soldering. I'm sure there are personal preferences, etc. but what are the basic different circumstances for when you would use a tumbler and when you would use the lathe?
Many thanks.
Carol
Stacy's Answer:
Hi Carol. First, let me apologize for the long delay. I accidentally marked your question along with several others as "completed." In case you have not already found your answer, here's mine.I make jewelry both with and without solder and the soldering (or lack there of) is not a deciding factor in how the jewelry is finished. I prefer to tumble small items or intrigate items. Jewelry pieces with large surface areas like cuffs, bangles, larger cast pieces, etc. I prefer to use a buffing machine on.
I agree with you in that a lot of finishing work is personal preference. Sometimes, I'll try one method, and then switch to the other if I don't get the desired results the first time. With all the different wheels and mediums available for the lathe, AND the results are immediate, I tend to use it for different purposes and when I want something polished up fast. I never use the lathe or buffing/polishing machine on wire items as I don't want to clean rouge out of the busy bits, nor do I want to catch something in it which could result in an injury or ruined piece.
If I need to burnish something down, like an unwanted texture or roughness or add a texture, etc. I use my lathe. Tumbling is great for polishing a great many items all-at-once, allowing you to move on to other things while they polish. Findings, wire-work, etc. come out beautifully in the tumbler!
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