Working with Silver Polishing


Polishing should only be attempted once you have successfully completed the filing and emery paper stages of finishing. Once all the surface marks and scratches have been removed it is time to start polishing. A fine, mirror polish can be achieved using soft cloth wheels (mops) and polish which are rotated at high speed via a motor to buff the silver to a fantastic shine.


16 Two Steps to Shine...


You can either utilise a bench mounted motor which uses large mops and normally has a capability of 1/4 horsepower and above. Or you can use a hobby drill or pendant motor which is essentially a mini-drill like hand piece which will hold a variety of small scale polishing accessories mounted on small steel shafts. The principle is the same for both methods and this is achieved via a two part process.


Step 1 is called the pre-polish and uses a white polish called ‘tripoli’ which is buffed onto your item using a slightly harder polishing mop made of either calico or felt.


Step 2 is the final polish and is done with compound known as ‘rouge’ which is a red / brown colour. This is used in conjunction with a softer mop made of linen or down.


The table right gives a more detailed breakdown of which item to use at what stage and also gives options for hand polishing if mechanised methods are not accessible.


Pre-Polish


Mops for a Bench Motor


hard suede mop


cotton mop


hard calico mop


felt mop – for large areas


felt cone – for rings


Mops for Pendant Motor small felt mop


small calico mop


Hand Polishing Equipment


suede stick


felt polishing stick


polishing thread


Polishing Papers


Polishing Compound - - - Tripoli/lustre - Polishing Compound Tripoli - Polishing Compound Tripoli


Tripoli + lighter fluid


Tripoli + lighter fluid


- Final Polish


Mops for a Bench Motor


reflex mop


swansdown mop


lambs wool mop


soft suede mop


felt cone for rings


Mops for a Pendant Motor small wool mop


small suede mop


Hand Polishing Equipment


chamois leather polishing thread burnisher


Polishing Papers


Polishing Compound - - - Rouge - Polishing Compound Rouge - Polishing Compound


Rouge + lighter fluid


Rouge + lighter fluid


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