Thread: Polishing scales in a tumbler

I'm having a hard time getting my black micarta scales to shine a nice black. They still have a bit of gray in them that I need to remove. I'm wondering if anyone has ever used a tumbler to finish micarta? What about other typesnof finishes like CA coated wood?

So yeah, that didn't work. It kind if polishes the finish but really rounds the corners and edges. I would stick to using metal objects.

I've got news for you, that tumbler will round the edges of metal too if you leave it long enough. The tumbler is just not a fine detail tool.

For micarta, you'll want to do a lot of hand sanding, progressing up the grit scale and ending as high as possible. By "high as possible" we're talking 15K micromesh, 10K polishing cloths, like that. After the sanding, going to white rouge on a buffer is pretty common practice. I've used the Novus 3-2-1 stuff on G10 and it kinda works. Then again, if you've done a good job sanding you might be ready to go without these extra steps.

As for the gray you're seeing, it's possible that the polishing will take it away. At the same time, the texture of the fabric layers might just make it turn out gray, or the resin they used, or something else which will make that the finished look. It's a little trial and error.

If you decide to use CA to finish the scales, my guess is you'll just be putting a clear layer over the existing problem. No real experience with CA so wait for someone else to chime in. But I would suggest getting the most out of the raw material before adding any finishes.

Yeah Ive seen tumblers round edges of metal, but it takes a while it seems. It removes the finish from the corners of the scales after about 12 hours.

As for the sanding, I did up to 2k with wet/dry paper then up to 12k micromesh and still have a bit of gray. I'll try it again and then polish and see how it goes. What's
the usual method for white canvas micarta? After 2k and a polish it looks pretty good to me but should I go up to 12k micromesh and then polishing compounds?

I've made one set of my own "micarta" scales out of canvas and resin. I had to coat them with CA to seal the fuzzy edges of the exposed cloth. It worked great! I then carried on with another 14 or 15 layers of CA like I normaly would, here's some pics of the finished product.

Nice work! I don't seem to have any fuzzy bits on the white after the lower grit sanding(2k). The black has no fuzz, other than the gray spots that I'm assuming aren't quite as smooth as the black spots even though they feel smooth.

I would do an experiment with an off-cut if you have any left. The CA will flow into whatever fibers are exposed, fill in the low spots or scratches, and then try to sand them up. I'm thinking of it like finishing with regular laquer: when you sand between coats, the sanding leaves a hazyness (fine scratches) that are filled and smoothed by the next layer.

I really wasn't going to get anywhere with those scales I did until I coated them with CA. It made the loose fibers stiff and sandable wich let me polish it right up.

Can you post some pics?

Agreed- Tumblers are for rocks! Vibrators are for polishing anything else. And will, given the correct polishing medium and timing, reveal good detail.

Sorry, Its a vibratory polisher I'm using not a tumbler. I'll try some CA or maybe even cleaar coat. I can't post pics, I'm working right now(sort of-sitting in my van reading SRP on the iPhone) but I'll do before and after later. Also, is there a way to post pics from an iPhone without hooking it up to a computer? Sorry to get off topic but if there is I could put the pics up since the scales are with me.

It really depends on the media you're using. It would take some research but you could find the right media to properly polish micarta .