Tumble That Tarnish Away!
Jewelry that has metal (wire work, metal beads, etc.,) can be tumbled to add shine, remove tarnish, and harden metal work. Follow these easy steps to use a common rock tumbler to tumble your finished jewelry or components.
What you need
A rock tumbler. Craft quality is fine if you will tumble infrequently or will only tumble very lightweight pieces. Remember however, that a craft quality tumbler will not last as long as a professional tumbler! I use a Lortone brand tumbler that has been in my family for over 30 years, and it still works great. Make sure that if your tumbler has been used for rocks that you clean it THOROUGHLY. Any grit or rock pieces left in the tumbler will scratch and damage your jewelry.
Mixed steel shot or plastic pellets. Mixed steel shot is used for jewelry or wire work that you want hardened; plastic pellets are used when you only are shining or polishing. Mixed steel shot has balls, pins, and other shapes in assorted sizes...these will wiggle their way inside your jewelry and tumble it in every nook and cranny! Before using for the first time, rinse shot or pellets thoroughly several times to clean. I use a mesh strainer that has holes smaller than the pins in my mixed steel shot to rinse and drain.
Water. Clean, clear water. Enough to cover the shot or pellets in your tumbler barrel plus an inch or so more.
Liquid dishwashing soap or Sunsheen Burnishing Compound (available from Rio Grande). I just use a squirt or two of Dawn or other liquid dishwashing liquid in my tumbler. It's cheaper and from what I've seen, does a comparable job.
How To Tumble
After cleaning your shot or pellets, load them up in the tumbler barrel. Add clean water so that it covers the shot/pellets, plus an inch or two. Squirt a little dishwashing liquid in the water (not too much!) and then add your pieces to be tumbled. There should be enough water to cover all of your jewelry or components. Close the tumbler barrel and start up the tumbler. One note — I put my tumbler on a floor in a tiled room or in a shallow baking dish. Occasionally the barrel lid is not completely tight and may leak!
I usually check my pieces after an hour and a half to see how they are coming along. I remove my jewelry from the tumbler, rinse in clear water, and dry. I then take a look at the shine — is it to the point that I want it? I also check hardness if I am using steel shot. If the piece is hardened, I will stop tumbling even if the shine is not bright enough. Shine can always be improved upon using a polishing cloth or a wee bit of cream tarnish remover (diluted with water and applied with a toothbrush). On the other hand, over hardening wire or metals will cause them to become brittle and weak.
Some heavier piece will require additional time — you will learn approximate tumble time based on wire gauge, complexity of piece, etc., as you work with your tumbler. When you are pleased with your results, remove jewelry from tumbler, rinse the jewelry, dry and store the tumbler.
Care Of Your Tumbler
I reuse water in the barrel a couple of times and then change it — simply pour the water and shot/pellets into the mesh strainer and rinse well. Add new clean water and dishwashing liquid/burnishing compound as you did when first setting up your tumbler.
Tumbler components — belts, electrical connections, etc., — should be checked every few months, especially if you use your tumbler frequently. My tumbler is old and has not required any major maintenance, but like any machinery, it should be checked for loose belts, dirt build up, etc., regularly.
Note that most stones and beads are safe to tumble, with the exception of polymer clay, pearls, opals, shells and other fragile materials. If you are in doubt, you can tumble a sample, or tumble metal components only prior to assembly.
