Hello

[Gia K]

My name is Gia. I am a jewelry designer and I wanted to join a fotum with people that shared my love and interest for stones and I've found the right place. Right now, I am learning to work with my rock drill. I use it to mostly to sand and shape stones. Right now, I am in a delimna because I was able to shape and carve, but now I am not sure how and what I should use to polish the piece... Any suggestions?

[seth]

Hi Gia, welcome to the forum. It would depend on what the last grit you used to shape your stone was to say what to do next.

[Taogem]

Hi Gia,

I started at the bottom of the forums recent posts and ended up here last..... So you already got the same response from Seth as I had asked in your other post about the last grit that was used 

Apparently you are using your drill in some way to shape and sand. I have never done that, so it is a new way of grinding and sanding to me.

I sort of touched on your question in your other post about the sanding and polishing.

It really comes down to if you have sanded the stone in steps. Starting with a more course grit paper and hopefully worked your way down to a very fine grit paper so that it is ready to hit the polishing pad with it.

Do you know how to post pictures on a forum?

Warm welcome to you Gia. Glad you found our forum    I can tell you that everyone here is more than willing to share their experiences with you and be of any help we can.

Look forward to talking more with you 

[freeform]

Olah Gia,  welcome.

If you are using a dremel type setup(hand held mutli drill tool). You will need to aqiure sanding bits in order to further work your piece/s.

Often we shape/carve with hard(metal) type bits. These often are around a 100grit, which is great for shaping. but you will need higher grit "soft" bits(200 and above) Ideally you should get rubberized bits, like these "Lasco sells Diamond bits"

notice they have them in 240, upto 1500 grit size. These, in secession, will sand your carvings. They will not polish them. In order to polish, using the same method, simply get "felt bits" In which you also get diamond polishing compound, load the compound to the felt bit, and use just like the others. Be warned you need each its own felt bits for each polishing stage you do. As with sanding, pre-polishing certain materials can benefit. For example, fire agates do well when pre-polished, i shape on 80grit, sand from 100,220,400,600 grit silicon carbide, pre-polish starting at 1200, then 14,000, and 50,000 diamond compound. And in some cases i do a final polish using Optical Cerium.

 however, Turquoise you can sand up till 600 grit, than polish using ZAM compound and be done. So it all depends on the material your cutting, and in time, you develope your own method of process when sanding and polishing. No matter the form or method used.  Hope this makes sence and is not too confusing.