I have a long way to go in the metalsmithing department. This week I have been learning about polishing and finishing. Lexi Erickson has a good video filled with 
useful information on finishing jewelry by hand called (not surprisingly) Hand Finishing Jewelry. But not everyone wants to finish their jewelry the old fashioned way.
If you want to learn about the myriad of rotary tools and flex shaft attachments available to put a shine on your jewelry, I can recommend two free on-line videos.
The first one is from Nancy Hamilton and the second one is from Beaducation. For someone like me who did not even know what all the tools were called much less how to use them, these videos were a key to the mysterious world of tripoli, radial brushes, microns, their seemingly endless varieties, and what attachment to use use for what. I learned what a pin polisher is, what those brushy attachments that 3m makes are called (bristle disc or brush discs), what the different colors mean (I found this handy information on the Contenti site) and lots of other tips including safely precautions. And Nancy Hamilton has a page on her web site which is chock-a-block with information on how to make your jewelry shine.
Now all I have to do is practice, practice practice my fabrication skills (which I have time to do now that I am retired.) All the finishing in the world won’t cover up poor fabrication. But one step at a time, right?
Ornamento 