Handmade Silver Jewelry by Jo

Tumbling….just get a tumbler (jewelry supply stores, Harbor Freight if you have one)…you can get a double or single…makes no difference, they hold a lot.  A small one is fine.  Put about 2-3 lbs of shot ( I use stainless steel which is expensive, but you only buy it once.  If you use just plain steel, you have to take steps to make sure it doesn’t rust)

If you can’t afford shot, you can use a bunch of varied little tiny sizes of stainless screws, nuts, and “whatnots” if you can find them in a hardware store or scrap metal place, but stainless is the key.  A jewelry supplier will carry the jewelry quality shot.  Take a look at the real shot and try to find assorted hardware close to those sizes. I use the real shot from a jewelry supply store and have had no problems whatsoever.

 

The jewelry supply will tell you exactly how much you’d need, but you only fill the drum up about an inch and a half deep.  Then add about a teaspoon of burnishing compound, and a drop of Dawn, add water to cover everything, close it tight and leave it 4-12 hours depending what you’re tumbling.  Take it out, dump it into a mesh strainer and  wash it.  Voila!  Dump the clean stainless shot into a towel and let it dry before you put it back into the cleaned out cylinder.