|
|
|
Direct Links to popular gemstones and cabochons:
Amazonite
Opals, Boulder
Parrot Wing Understand mm sizes: Quick guide: 1" = 25mm 1/2"=13mm 1/4"=6.5mm Change can help: 1 quarter= 24.2 mm 1 dime= 18mm Both coins: 42mm |
Burnishers I got turned on to the use of burnishers when I learned that artist Barbara Heinrich uses them to control the placement and level of shine on a piece. What a neat idea! Burnishing, or rubbing metal with a harder material, can be done with polished stainless steel burnishers, or with smooth, hard stones like hematite or agate. Burnishing doesn't work well on large areas that are not already cleaned up. You won't get a high polish by trying to burnish scratched metal. My best luck with burnishing is on silver that's already been polished with white diamond. I usually burnish twice, first with stainless steel or agate, then with hematite or magnetite for a high shine. With any burnisher, the trick is to hold the piece firmly so that it doesn't slip. As always, you gain control if you can brace your hands against each other while you burnish. Hold the tool or stone carefully and rub it back and forth over the same area again and again, applying a decent amount of steady pressure. Soon you'll see a gleam rising from the metal's surface. Be aware that you might have to burnish over the edge of a sheet to sort of "fold" the metal over, so as to avoid leaving a sharp edge. Always test the edges of your piece with your fingertips to make sure nothing catches or is sharp to the touch. After I've done my basic burnishing, I go for a high polish by using hematite (or magnetite). It gives a fabulous glittery gleam to edges, and is great for polishing the highlights on textured metal. If you have big hands and are planning to burnish pretty large areas, choose a large piece of hematite with rounded corners. The ones with pointed ends allow you to squeeze into smaller areas and polish them. The prices below are for ONE piece, which is all you'll really need. Please don't order more than one of each as quantities are limited.
"Magnetite" Burnishers These are very similar to the hematite burnishers I used to carry, but these have the added bonus of being magnetized, so they'll stick to any steel area of your workbench, filing cabinets, etc. That makes them easy to store right at hand, but, you have to remember to treat them like any magnet: DON'T place them near key cards or credit cards (with metal strips on the back), or cell phones or flash drives. Quantities are limited to one of each per order. Click on photo to enlarge.
Where to Next? Click on underlined text to go to your desired destination, or use link bars at top of this page. Next page: Sweet Deals Previous Gemstone Page: StoneScapes ô Information on how to buy stones from this site: Designer Gems Browsing? Try these interesting pages elsewhere on the website: Metalsmithing bench tips ô Metal and fused glass designs by Judith Kiriazis ô Intriguing finished jewelry from around the world in the Heart of Stone Online Catalog Questions? Looking for something slightly different? I might have it...E-Mail Me. To check on what you've ordered so far, click: |
Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Heart of Stone Studio Gemstones
Cabochons
|
Back to the Stone Age: Rock Tools for Metalsmiths