VIDEO: How to Use a Tumbler in Jewelry Making

High Polish for a Low Price

Not everyone can have all the tools they want for finishing their jewelry creations. There are rotary tools, flex shafts, polishers, tumblers and more! All of these help create a nice, high-polish finish on metal pieces – each in their own way. Jewelers who aren’t interested in investing a lot in their finishing tools can turn to a tumbler for a polish that is a step-up from hand-finishing. They are fairly inexpensive, easy to use, and produce a great shine to your work. In addition, it is a great way to work-harden a piece that’s a little to soft and bendy.

Check out this VIDEO or continue reading below to learn the joys of tumbling your unfinished jewelry!

There are two kinds of tumblers available: a rotary tumbler or a vibrating tumbler. Both of these work essentially the same way except that one spins around and the other vibrates. Some people have a strong opinion about which is better; I don’t. When I was just starting out and wanted to save some money with my studio supplies, I picked up an affordable rotary tumbler and I’m still content with it today.

The Lortone Single-Barrel Rotary Tumbler was the best thing I could find for the price. You can typically get them for about $100.00. Mine is still going strong and I like the job it does. I’m going to be talking about my affordable rotary tumbler in this post – so if you get something different, just know that there could be some differences in process.

This tumbler can be used for polishing jewelry or for tumbling stones. The difference is in the polishing medium that you use. For jewelry, I use 2 lbs. of mixed stainless steel shot in my single-barrel tumbler. When you put your jewelry in the drum with the stainless steel, it gets mixed all around with the shot. The little pieces of stainless steel gently burnish the surface, and work-harden the metal by softly beating it up.

Here’s an overview of how to use a rotary tumbler for polishing your metal jewelry designs:

1. Do as much hand-finishing as possible. The tumbler will polish the surface but if there’s a scratch it will still be there (and maybe even more visible!) when you pull it out. When I hand-finish I sand up to 1200 or 1500 grit and then use a white polishing pad before tumbling.
2. Do NOT set your stone. Tumbling is probably okay for some harder stones, but it can harm softer stones – especially turquoise, pearl, amber, malachite, etc. And if you have a hard stone and a soft stone in the same tumbling session, the hard stone might affect the softer one. I know a lot of people who tumble their piece after setting the stone and they feel that it’s safe. Personally, I prefer not to risk it. So, experiment if you want to but be aware that some stones may dull in the tumbler.
3. Optional: Oxidize your piece and wipe off the surface patina with a white polishing pad. Tumbling will clean up your metal and some of the patina will be removed (especially if you leave it in for a long time), but most of the time the patina stays in the recessed areas and looks great!
4. Put your steel shot and your jewelry in the drum. Fill it with water just about an inch above the contents.
5. Add a burnishing lubricant. In this case, I mean Dawn dish soap.  A small squirt will work. The instructions that come with the tumbler say “no more than two drops” but I’ve used more with no problems. Too much and it’s just way too sudsy. I’ve also heard Simple Green works well. Stay away from abrasive or citrus cleaners as they might eat away at the rubber drum.
6. Close up the drum, set it on the rollers and plug in. Leave it to tumble for at least 30 minutes. Two hours is usually good. You can tumble as long as you want but there is a point where you may be removing fine details so be sure to check it now and then.
7. When it’s done, pour everything into a strainer over the sink. Rinse it well. Pour it out onto a tray lined with paper towels and pull out your pieces. Be sure to allow the shot to dry thoroughly before storing it away.

Using a rotary tumbler for jewelry finishing is an affordable, easy way to get a professional looking polish! Use it for all kinds of metal work including soldering, chain mail, and wire weaving.