Nowadays, mass finishing machines can produce "ready to sell" surfaces. Although the users of these mass finishing machines are using recommended finishing media, often their results could be improved with changes of some process parameters like speed, time or compound, etc. Anyone who mass finishes jewelry needs to understand the relationship between process parameters and finishing results. Learn how much surface hardening is produced by different finishing media, and to what extent steel ball burnishing can close porosity. The proportional cut rate that wet media gives and the influence that water-compound mixture flow-through has on surface quality are defined, as well as the influence the speed of the machine has on rounding edges. The influence that compound and polishing paste have on oxidation is also discussed. With this information, you will be able to evaluate the process parameters of your mass finishing machine and change them to achieve better finishing results.

Author: Martin Moser