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Thread: Any experience with stonewash finishing?

  1. #1

    Any experience with stonewash finishing?

    I decided to try stone washing some metal parts I had laying around. I got some stonewash media from Harbor Freight and rigged up a cheap tumbler with a plastic jar and my drill. I didn’t do much research, but these are my observations so far.

    Some of the pieces I tried it on were titanium and the scratch patterns are more visible if you darken the metal. I guess its all about the contrast. I anodized the titanium bronze before stonewashing for a nice look.

    I also got better looking results on sandblasted surfaces. I think the smoother surfaces didn’t show the scratch patters as well. Or maybe it was because the media didn’t bite as well into the smooth surface?!?!

    For a more even finish,I added more media into my tumbler. For a more random finish, I used less. I think with less media in the jar, there was more room for it to move around and impact the metal from different angles. For the best results, I’d first fill the jar about half way and spin it for about 5-10 minutes to get an even finish. I’d then reduce the media to about 1/4 of the jar and spin for 5 minutes.

    Any other hints or tricks would be appreciated!

  2. #2
    Here’s some pic at my latest attempt… they are titanium pod. I sandblasted, anodized, then ran in the tumbler 10 minutes half full, and 5 minutes 1/4 full. I forgot to mention I put a SMALL amount of soapy water in the jar… just enough to moisten the media.

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  3. #3
    Just an update on my stonewashing experiments…

    It seems like I get better visual effects when I’m stonewashing heavier items. I tried doing a belt clip from one of my knives and the sw finish was barely visible.

    I’m thinking that during tumbling, the heavier objects strike the media harder, creating a more defined scratch pattern.

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