Do I need a dedicated tumbler for etching with silicon carbide?

LunadelaOssa · #1 2015-03-27, 9:51am

A search here on LE led me to Corina's tutorial on this method. Has anyone used this method for etching?

artwhim · #2 2015-03-27, 10:45am

Yes, it's messy and would be hard to clean out each time. I also reuse the media.

Trish915 · #3 2015-03-27, 1:31pm

Same here, i just re-use the same solution every time. Love it.

Eileen · #4 2015-03-27, 1:46pm

Yes, I just leave it in the tumbler container.

LunadelaOssa · #5 2015-03-27, 6:52pm

Thank you! At first I thought I would need to order another tumbler

then realized I just needed to order another barrel.

Mina · #6 2015-03-27, 9:37pm

What are you using in your tumblers? Are you using stainless steel shot with the carbide?

artwhim · #7 2015-03-27, 10:27pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mina

What are you using in your tumblers? Are you using stainless steel shot with the carbide?

Glass pony beads, a few size 6 beads, and several strips of ultra suede seem to work the best for me. This is an etch barrel. I have a second one with just stainless shot and water for polishing jewelry.

AmorphousDesigns · #8 2015-03-28, 7:54am

Two barrels depending on what you want to accomplish. It's possible, of course, to just use one barrel and clean thoroughly between uses, but it's oh, so much easier to just have an extra dedicated "etch" barrel.

1st for etching with some kind of grit (I use 220 aluminum oxide), water and some sacrificial beads (like Artwhim above). A side benefit is you can also etch boro beads this way, as boro is hard to chemically etch.

2nd for metal polishing with stainless steel "jewelry mix" shot, water and a tablespoon of Woolite.

losthelm · #9 2015-03-28, 8:15am

A lot depends on how often you use it.
Leaving water and stuff in the barrel can get gross over time.
If you have a 2quart container or ice cream bucket its fairly easy to rinse out abrasives, clean then move to your next project.
The abrasives will settle out over time and you can poor off the water and le it dry out compleatly before it starts going stagnant or growing.
You can also use a coffee filer if you want to seperate things out faster.

If your doing a lot of etching having a dedicated barrel saves time.
If you have a use for faux sea glass just keep it running...