Anyone working with resin usually likes to polish up at the end. The polish not only removes minor scratches but imparts a glassy look to the work. Resin designs used as key chain embellishments also need a polish now and then when they become dull and frosted. But what should we use?
Long time readers will remember that I used a polish typically used on cars for my
"gold" leaf resin ring tutorial. I needed to buff up the rings after sanding. I used
Mothers California Gold Micro-Polishing Glaze Step 2 which removes tiny scratches, then followed by
Mothers California Gold Pure Brazilian Carnauba Liquid Wax Step 3.
Carnauba wax is a natural wax made from a kind of palm tree which grows only in Brazil.
But I received
the Flitz polish from
Little Windows, to try. It too is a non-toxic and an Eco-Safe product designed to polish metal, plastic and fiberglass.
Is it better than the car polish I have been using? Time to check it out on a couple of resin pendants leftover from
my Easy Photo Resin Jewelry Tutorial. I hand polished rather than use mechanical aid. Using a dremel with a buffing wheel is faster but you have to be careful not to press too hard.
 |
| original resin photo pendants |
I then deliberately scratched both of them with some #0000 steel wool until they became dull.
The rose resin was polished with the carnauba polishes. I used the Flitz polishing cloth so that the comparison had one less variable. I actually placed the resin piece on the table, dabbed on a little polish and polished in a circular motion.
I also did the same but with the Flitz polish on the day lily resin piece. I rinsed and dried both pieces and repeated the polishing step.
It is very difficult to show the difference in photographs. But after two cycles of polish, rinse and dry, both the resin pieces looked better although still not as clear as in the original photo.
 |
| After 2 cycles of polish, rinse, dry |
I also tilted them to catch the light, and here I could see a noticeable difference. The rose resin showed it still retained a lot of fine scratches from the steel wool whereas the day lily one was noticeably clearer.
So I went on to do another 3 more cycles of polish, rinse and dry. This time both looked much better, pretty much like when they started.
But if you look closely at the tilted view (to better catch the light), fine hatches of scratches are noticeably on the rose pendant. The day lily one had very few scratches left.
The experiment was enough to show me that it was easier to remove fine scratches with Flitz than with the car polish I had. A single tube does the scratch removing and polishing at the same time.
What also convinced me was when I accidentally scratched a resin piece (see
Pressed Real Flower Resin Jewelry Tutorial Part II) when the spiral ratchet drill I was using, skittered off. I managed to reduce the scratch to a barely visible one with just the Flitz and some elbow grease. Ordinarily, I would have had to start a sanding regimen and add a fresh resin layer on top.
What scratch? The accidental scratch went from the drilled hole straight down to the center of the flower.
Would I switch? Yup. The carnauba polish set is now going to be used for -you guessed it - my car!
I am also looking forward to using the Flitz for metal work as it can polish sterling silver, brass, copper etc as well as protect the finish for a while. If you do not have a tumbler to polish silver pieces or Renaissance wax for protection, then consider the Flitz.
DisclosureI receive books and products for review. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links which are provided as resource information for readers. This goes towards the support of this blog. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
PhotographyI used natural light, my iPhone 6S with the ProCamera app and the Modahaus TS400 tabletop studio and the steady stand for all the photography. Check out my
How to Photograph Jewelry Webinar .
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