Hi,

I badly need advice on the usage of the different points, brush, rubber polishing points and so on that is used with a Dremel tool.

My immediate question is,

What can i use to polish sea shells?

I've got 4 sets (kits) so i should have what is needed.

Thank you in advance.

justunecomoi

Sorry for my phrasing, I'm french

If it has a buffing tool use that with buffing compound on the cloth of the buffer.

it's really easier to show you, come on over and bring your dremel

damn, you beat me to that ese...
nice

Well thank you for the invatation but there is a distance issue and yes, he did beat you to it!!

damn... i can't even use the distance thing either because he is in the next town over...

welcome to mingle

bee sure to keep a good hold on the dremel and the shell your polishing, they can fly out of your hand easy if not. and wear saftey glasses, really sucks to get something thrown into your eye. other then that give it a try, if it's your first time don't expect awesome results unless your talented, practice makes perfect.

What you want is something called jewelers rouge. It's a kind of pasty polishing compound. Use it with the soft cottony buffing wheels. And like storm said wear glasses and be careful.

I've got a red paste but it's very hard and dry,,,i will try it with a little water and i just have to try mineral oil for the finishing touch...get back with the result.

My Dremel is suspended from a mounted stand, for little craft it gets to heavy so i got the extension shaft,,,sort of a pen you hold. Glasses, gloves and do not use the little metal brush, the wire fly's out of it and into you!

My first try with the shells was not a remarkable succes ...i used the green past with the felt.

The silicon carbide grinding stones are designed (in the book)to work on stone, glass, ceramics, porcelain and non-ferrous metals...How? It's not working for me.

Thank you very much and i will get back with the results...

Grinding stones are not meant for polishing.
They will take off way too much material.
Unless you are thinking of doing some kind of engraving on the shells.
Shells are a porous material, kind of like teeth.
You may try an abrasive whitening tooth polish.
Something with the gritty stuff in it not the gel.

Thank you for...

Unless you are thinking of doing some kind of engraving on the shells. (i don't know how to quote)

Now I know what they are used for. The discription only tell you what to use it on, not what it will do (result)

Tooth past for shure! I should have an old tube burried somewhere around.

The rubber polishing points, cleans and defines grooves, also effective on many stones and ceramics. It did not polish, it stained the shells. ?

The drum sander mandrel used for the round sanding bands. Why do the explode? Flying missil...and i use them a lot. Very dangerous

click on 'quote' in the bottom right hand corner...

click on 'quote' in the bottom right hand corner...



Ok... thank you

Well i have the results to what worked best in the options listed by you all. thank you u 2

The worst was the toothpaste, a sticky mess not worth it

The red paste did not really change the dullness, (it's not for jewelery)

The mineral oil is only good to rip the buffing pad to pieces

The green past did a nice job, you can see difference in color and nuance and it did shine but the green stays on the shell, just a shade... to much

The absolute best...will looking for the toothpaste i found some New finish car polish

It is THE product, until now, that did a very, very good job, easy to use and shines like a bran new car. .

Investing a little amount on a good car polish, better than what i had available, not as old anyway is worth the moneu and i will have some for the rest of my life.

Any more suggestions, i will try them out.

And i still need help knowing what tip does what

Thank you
see you soon.

If you are just wanting to clean and polish the shells, a dremel might not be your best option.

If the shells are fresh from the beach, soak in a bleach mixture to kill any bacteria and to soak a lot of the grime off. You can use a bristle brush while you are rinsing to get the rest of the grit off. For small pinholes, I've used toothbrushes and pointy tweezers to clean the debris.

I've heard that some people use Lime-A-Way also but I haven't had to use it personally.

I use a fine grit sandpaper or a polishing emery board to smooth any roughness. This will give the shell some natural shine as well. Rinse and let dry thoroughly before rubbing with any mineral oil.

this is a link to the dremel website. follow the prompts and you will be able to view every attachment and a description of it's uses. lots of information and available in several countries and languages

http://www.dremel.com/Pages/default.aspx

Having a vacume hose clamped on your work bench will help prevent some of the mess. I would recommend wearing a surgical mask because breathing the ultra fine dust on many of these projects is hard on your lungs.

I use a dremel tool a lot in my art. For what you are asking, I think perhaps a slow speed and a bit of toothpaste. The toothpaste is very slightly abrasive, and may not remove too much material? Worth a try, eh? Best of luck to you!