Tumbling beads help with what I need

[redjay]

I have been etching my beads up to now but find I am not always happy with the finish, etching fluid is expensive and hard to get hold of (unless I am missing something) also there are the risks involved of having chemicals about.

I know it will not have quite the same finish, but does tumbling give a nice matt finish? and how long does it take to tumble a handful of medium beads?

Lastly...what sort of set up do I need? I have looked around online but am not sure what sort of kit I will need. I don't want to spend mountains of cash either. Where is the best place to find one online?

Thanks x

[lampworklover]

Not sure about where to buy a tumbler as I bought mine from a fellow frit-er, but I tumble mine with water, 400 grit (teaspoon or so), pony beads and a tiny drop of washing up liquid.  Usually leave them for about 4 hours and they are lovely and matte. You can re-use the (messy) mixture over and over again, I just add a bit more grit occasionally.

Top tips:

Use one colour of pony bead; trying to find your beads in a multi-coloured mix will only lead to swearing, especially if they are small, trust me!
Count your beads in, and out.
Bear in mind that etching fluid can get in nooks and crannies, tumbling won't, so beads with any kind of crease/crevice won't be matte all over. I still keep a bottle of Etchall for those. (Have had mine six years and it still works.....)
Similarly, if you want any areas of resist/ shiny, I *think* tumbling might be less successful. I haven't tried it, but I tend to use PVA glue, which I think would probably get tumbled off and so I stick to acid for those.

Sure others will be along with more info...

[redjay]

Not sure about where to buy a tumbler as I bought mine from a fellow frit-er, but I tumble mine with water, 400 grit (teaspoon or so), pony beads and a tiny drop of washing up liquid.  Usually leave them for about 4 hours and they are lovely and matte. You can re-use the (messy) mixture over and over again, I just add a bit more grit occasionally.

Top tips:

Use one colour of pony bead; trying to find your beads in a multi-coloured mix will only lead to swearing, especially if they are small, trust me!
Count your beads in, and out.
Bear in mind that etching fluid can get in nooks and crannies, tumbling won't, so beads with any kind of crease/crevice won't be matte all over. I still keep a bottle of Etchall for those. (Have had mine six years and it still works.....)
Similarly, if you want any areas of resist/ shiny, I *think* tumbling might be less successful. I haven't tried it, but I tend to use PVA glue, which I think would probably get tumbled off and so I stick to acid for those.

Sure others will be along with more info...

Thank you for that  that is all really useful and the answer I wanted to hear. Just need to find out what sort of tumbler to get and where from... What are you using Lampworklover?

[ajda]

Good advice from lampworklover. I would add that it's worth experimenting with coarse, medium and fine grits and with longer and shorter times to find the effects you like best. Fine grit will give you a smooth velvety finish, coarse will give you a grainy sea-glass effect. Also watch out for bobbly bits or anything like silver standing proud on the bead - these bits can easily be chipped or knocked off in the tumbler. As for type, I'm not sure it matters - I'd just go for the cheapest rotary tumbler I could find...

[redjay]

Really great thank you so much 

[Margram]

Got my tumbler from http://www.ukge.com. They were very helpful

[Pauline]

I got my tumbler off ebay. I use gravel and medium grit and top up to about 3/4 full with water.   I put it on the floor as it can be noisy on any hollow surface.  rubber barrels are quieter but more expensive. fins make it quicker.  don't use your grit barrel for polishing silver.

[MangoBeads]

I think its all been said - experiment with different grades and length of time - it kind of depends what finish you want ...

[lampworklover]

Thanks for that link Margram, just bought a replacement barrel for mine!

[Nicknack]

I've got a real cheapo one I got off ebay, and don't use (got a better one), you can have that for a tenner + postage, if you want.

Nick

[Glyn Burton]

I use a tumbler from Palmer Metals which I am happy with and seems robust but I only use it for polishing silver. If I want a matt bead I prefer to etch or use a sand blaster the one I bought from Martin at Flame Off is superb.

[redjay]

Thank you so much everyone. I got a tumbler from manchester minerals and am going to have my first attempt today! :-) Thanks for all the advice.