Tips for Using Your Jewelry Tumbler

Shiny jewelry delights the eye. Whether you are a professional or hobbyist jewelry maker, you may use a tumbler to polish and work harden metal jewelry. Learn some tips for using your jewelry tumbler.

What Is a Jewelry Tumbler

Jewelry tumblers are like mini-versions of industrial deburring tumblers. Jewelry tumblers are very small, electric-powered rotating barrels that can polish metal jewelry to a shiny, mirror finish. The machine consists of a barrel, which holds the tumbling media (the material that provides the friction to polish the metal) and a base, which rotates the barrel when you plug the tumbler into an electric outlet. For jewelry, the media of choice is stainless steel shot. Typically, these tumblers hold two pounds of a mix of round and cylindrical shot.

In addition to the shot, jewelry polishers add water and either a small amount of burnishing compound or just a bit of gentle, pure soap. Many tumbler barrels are made of rubber, and some are plastic. An important tip to remember for using your jewelry tumbler is that some burnishing compounds cause rubber to break down and leave residue on the pieces you are tumbling. That’s why it is safer to only use water and soap with a rubber tumbler.

Clean Barrel and Shot Prior To Use

To ensure there is no residual dirt or grease on the shot or the inside of the tumbler barrel, one silversmith recommends running the shot with equal parts water and vinegar in the tumbler for three twenty-minute cycles. Follow this with a solution of water and some baking soda for one cycle. Hobbyists and pros alike sometimes use flat Coca-Cola as a cleaner for the barrel. Rinse thoroughly when the barrel and shot are clean.

Tumble Clean Pieces, and Don’t Tumble Stones

The goal of the tumbling process is to polish and burnish or work harden your metal jewelry pieces. It isn’t for cleaning them. Make sure your pieces are clean before you put them in the tumbler barrel. Tumble pieces before setting the stone, to ensure you don’t damage softer stones.

Tumbling jewelry can give you gorgeous, shiny results. Join an online community of jewelry makers for more tips and pointers about producing gleaming rings and metal chains.