Hairline clasp marks

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richtel
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Re: Hairline clasp marks

Post by richtel »

My technique is to

- use a large abrasive pad (such as https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/pads- ... leaning-3m)
- wet the pad and squeeze it out- a wet pad gives a lighter 'satin' finish- and lay it flat on a large wooden kitchen cutting board
- place another cutting board so it overlaps the abrasive pad on one of its long sides
IMG_0052.jpg
- using the edge of the second cutting board as a guide, pull the clasp down along it, repeating the action in one single direction until you acheive the finish you're looking for.
IMG_0054.jpg
Doing the above guides the piece in a straight line against the abrasive, aligning the brush marks so they are perfectly in line and results in a really good finish. For me, trying to make straight movements by hand with a small piece of abrasive without the guide inevitably ends up with slightly curved brush lines.

I use a similar setup when brushing a bracelet, but I remove the bracelet from the watch, separate it into two halves if I can, and mount it on a small piece of wood (actually an old piece of Brio wooden toy train track!) so that I can draw that wood against the cutting board straight edge as above and end up with perfectly straight brush lines along the complete length of the bracelet segment.
Rich

"The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot."
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