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Author Topic: Amber, how do you [polish it from rough  (Read 7760 times)

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55fossil

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Amber, how do you [polish it from rough
« on: October 21, 2023, 10:20:38 AM »

     I was gifted a large (golf ball size) piece of Amber. It is a blood red when you shine a light through it. Not gin clear but a beautiful rich color. So, what is the best way to polish Amber? I want to leave one side natural and get rid of ll the rough outer edges. I do not want to just smear it with oil and call a poor finish good. I see that on a lot of internet post where they just get a smooth but not polished surface on their amber and then oil it.
    So, wet or dry polish?
    Can you polish it with a machine using diamond or Silicon Carbide?
    Any tips are appreciated. If you have actually polished some Amber and got a really nice finish on it, I would really like to hear about how you did it.

thanks
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christos

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Re: Amber, how do you [polish it from rough
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2023, 12:02:31 PM »

     I was gifted a large (golf ball size) piece of Amber. It is a blood red when you shine a light through it. Not gin clear but a beautiful rich color. So, what is the best way to polish Amber? I want to leave one side natural and get rid of ll the rough outer edges. I do not want to just smear it with oil and call a poor finish good. I see that on a lot of internet post where they just get a smooth but not polished surface on their amber and then oil it.
    So, wet or dry polish?
    Can you polish it with a machine using diamond or Silicon Carbide?
    Any tips are appreciated. If you have actually polished some Amber and got a really nice finish on it, I would really like to hear about how you did it.

thanks
Amber is hardened sap. high heat may cloud it and crack it since its fragile molecularly. . I never worked on amber  but i would do everything by hand using sandpaper . silicon carbide doesnt sound right but who knows.
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Septicdeath

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Re: Amber, how do you [polish it from rough
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2024, 06:20:18 PM »

 Polish with toothpaste. Pretty much any type works. I use a damp washcloth to apply the
polish, and rub by hand. It’s quick and easy, also no chance of overheating. I also shape the stone by hand,using sandpaper. More
work, but you never have to worry about overheating. If you use a wheel use very light strokes to avoid overheating.




 

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