I have a dremel, and have noticed, on the Warm Glass site, that they sell specially coated pads for glass polishing.
http://www.warm-glass.co.uk/polishing-discs-25mm-p-3011.html?cPath=177_71
Not inexpensive mind you, so I would love to know if they work well before I spend nearly fifty squids on them. You apparently have to use each one in succession and finish off with a felt pad and cerium oxide.
I recently made a little pyramid "paperweight" which came out with cloudy sides; to polish it I would have needed a flat lap, I think...so instead, I firepolished it - which worked well, it is now beautifully shiny and clear but the poor thing did shrink even more! It is now more of a cushion with a pointed top than a pyramid! I want to make some cast pieces but I am now nervous about firepolishing them.
I dont want to invest in a flat lap just yet, so if anyone has used the Warm Glass polishing pieces, please can they let me know if they are good or not?
They are small - could be a long job polishing anything bigger than a bead... and at that price I'd be concerned about how long they'd last... but I'd also be interested to hear of anyone else's experience with them.
I like the look of the book that's advertised on the same page, "Coldworking Glass without Machines".
You might explore whether a studio near you has a wet belt sander or flat lap for hire before spending your hard earned dosh.
sounds like your kiln was a bit hot if the shape changed with fire polishing. These pads look similar to the rectangular ones used for hand polishing, they work OK, but aren't a quick fix. What you need will depend on whether you're polishing flat or curved surfaces,
Been thinking about this myself but there are places that sell polishing bits and bobs for far less money e.g, cerium oxide can be bought for £7.99 from these people http://www.glasspolishshop.com/cerium-oxide?gclid=CJWorMaoqMQCFWbHtAodmFAADw (http://www.glasspolishshop.com/cerium-oxide?gclid=CJWorMaoqMQCFWbHtAodmFAADw) as opposed to almost £19 from Warm Glass. I'd shop around. Best of luck :)
Quote from: jackiesimmonds on March 14, 2015, 10:00:21 AM
I dont want to invest in a flat lap just yet, so if anyone has used the Warm Glass polishing pieces, please can they let me know if they are good or not?
I bought something similar from a diamond tool company online - my budget doesn't run to the WG ones, they've already had all my glass money for this month. I got 400 and 800 grit and so far they've worked well getting the sharp corners off the few pieces I needed to sort. They look tough enough but how long they will last I don't know. Think I paid about £10 each for them.
http://www.atsdiamondtools.co.uk/diamondpolishing
I always shop around....I too found Cerium Oxide for a much cheaper price, plus other things too....I bought a tile cutter for considerably less than I would have had to pay from WG...but having said that, it didn't come with the super after-sales service one gets from WG, which I do appreciate! I spend a lot there, and bought a kiln from them, so I now get a decent discount, which helps a little with the guilt.....
I am very grateful for the link to the diamond people...if nothing else, their grit pads, which I use for my enamelling pn copper, and for some glass use, are an amazing price, only £9 instead of the usual £17 or so I have had to pay till now. So thanks v much for that link
It looks like there is no easy way to polish larger pieces, so I think I need to find, somewhere, someone who polishes glass for a fee ...I have made a couple of sculptural cast pieces, not too small either, and with my lousy back, I cannot see myself spending hours and hours polishing. If anyone knows of anyone who polishes glass as a service, please let me know.