Cleaning and polishing metals and similar materials with a rotary tool is an easy no-fuss and no-mess solution. Here are 4 easy tips for amateurs or DIY professionals looking to brush up on their knowledge base a bit.

Begin by removing surface scratches.

Be careful when tackling surfaces scratches as you don’t want to remove too much. Selecting the polisher, you want to keep your drill moving to avoid fixating on any one area. If you don’t keep the rotary tool moving, you will end up with a groove in your metal where you don’t want one. This can take some time to master but take it slow. After you’re done, feel your work for any sharp edges. If everything’s good, rinse it and then, move onto your next polisher.

Remove remaining scratches and smooth things over.

After you have surface scratches taken care of, it’s time to smooth. You may notice some dust coming off. It’s best to wear safety goggles and a mask when tidying this up. Post-use, rinse and wipe again. The reason why dust must be wiped or washed after every polish with your rotary tool is because residue can be left on the coarser grits as you work. You could end up adding in extra surface marks as you’re polishing.

Clean up detailed areas of your work before continuing.

Before you move on to the last stages of polishing, clean up and polish the more detailed areas which may be more difficult to reach. Any jewelry that’s small or very detailed is going to require more detailed polishing than other items.

Use mini polishers across the whole piece to finish.

To give your item a shiny, high-gloss sheen, give everything one last polish. Use a pin with some grit. Use the flat side on larger surfaces to give some more flexibility. When you come to use a shorter pin, know that it will be stiffer. You can put a little more pressure on its tip.

There are a wide variety of polishers out there, some tailor made for small objects and others for large surfaces. Find the set of polishers that work for your rotary tool and attach them to the appropriate mandrel prior to fitting them into the rotary tool. Polishers generally come ready to use and so not much more is needed. Shop one of the best rotary tools in Canada with PrimeCables.