Body Jewelry Tumbling

We received a post a couple of years ago about polishing body jewelry in a vibratory tumbler. While very similar to other jewelry there was a concern about the size of the parts and the threads at the ends. The recommendation was to polish the parts using a Precision Ceramic media to be able to get into the finer areas of the part without damaging the threads. Steel tumbling (while also effective) might roll the thread edges. A simple but effective result.

Polishing Aluminum

Bringing machined aluminum into a highly polished finish is a multi-step and sometimes challenging process.
The first step is to tumble (vibratory usually works best) the parts in an abrasive media such as a Plastic or Synthetic Media. Using as round a media shape as possible - cones vs triangles - will result in a smoother finish producing a better end result.
The second step is a polishing step using a Ceramic Media. Either an Angle Cut Cylinder or a Precision Ceramic Sphere will produce a smooth surface finish - again rounder is better.
In order to burnish the surface (if necessary), a third step can be to dry tumble the parts with a Walnut Shell Grit possibly treated with a fine abrasive such as jeweler's rouge.
It is important to make sure that the chemical compounds you use will not attack the aluminum. Depending on the final finish required, a small amount of hand polishing may be needed.

Blast Cleaning Steel

Historically, steel has been blasted using silica sand. For obvious health reasons (potential silicosis hazard), silica is not a safe media to use. Many industrial contractors, municipalities and military facilities are now using Crushed Glass Grit to blast steel.

Crushed Glass Grit will remove paint, dirt, soils and rust leaving a 'white' metal surface. Depending on the grit size used, a micro-finish can be achieved so that the steel can be immediately primed and painted with no further preparation.

Produced from recycled bottle (mostly) glass, Crushed Glass Grit contains no free silica, heavy metals and is approved in many of the most stringent air quality districts. Crushed Glass Grit is also considered a green blasting media since it is 'neutral' to the environment.

July 4th BBQ

Take a look at your wood deck or concrete or stone patio while you are grilling over the weekend. Does the surface need some attention? A few tips to begin the cleaning and restoration process:

Wood Decks -- Dry abrasive blasting with Corn Cob Grit can strip dirt, soils, stains and coatings without damaging the wood or raising the grain. Avoid harder media such as sand (don't ever blast with silica sand anyway) or glass or coal slag as these will definately etch the wood and can cause damage. The main benefit of dry abrasive blasting versus high pressure water is that the dry surface can be re-sealed immediately - a one weekend project instead of two or three.

Concrete or Stone Patios -- Stripping paint off concrete surfaces requires a more aggressive abrasive such as Crushed Glass Grit. Stone which can be softer than concrete might demand Crushed Glass Grit but Walnut Shell Grit may be a better option since it is not as aggressive and stone is easier to clean (typically no paint or coatings to remove).

Final tip -- Enjoy the BBQ first, then start the work!