Remove or heavily reduce the hours spent on hand-finishing. Tumble your designs while you sleep, spend time with family, or focus on building new work or other aspects of your business.  Depending on scale, multiple pieces can be tumbled at once, further increasing your efficiency. 

Rather than spending countless dollars (and table space) on polishing cabinets and motors, flex shaft accessories, polishing compounds, buffs, brushes, wheels, and dust collection systems, you can get exceptional results using a rotary tumbler, a splash of dish soap, tap water, and H&H tumbling medium.

Hone & Highlight™ tumbling media is used wet, meaning there are no dust or particulates to inhale.  H&H is a nonfibrous form of Silicon Carbide.  It is free of dyes, formaldehyde, environmentally unfriendly plastics and chemical additives. Unlike finishing compounds, H&H products are articles as defined by GHS regulation and do not require a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

Additionally, tumbling is a passive form of finishing that does not require prolonged hands-on labor. Personal safety concerns and risks to jewelry designs associated with spinning motors and wheels are eliminated.

If you're either not a fan of hand-finishing, aren't sure how, or simply don't have the time, Hone & Highlight streamlines the whole process.

Overwhelmed by the choices in compounds, wheels, and associated safety equipment? Eliminate the guesswork and mess and get consistent, customized results across multiple pieces and collections.

Show coming up? Wholesale order to fill? Tumble finish multiple pieces at once while creating more work.

Achieve the same consistent contrast and smooth, refined surface texture time and time again.  Whether you're creating a cohesive collection or just want a consistent, signature finish across a wide body of work, this medium lends itself to taking care of it for you.  No more struggling with perfectly matching the patina and polish across multiple parts or pieces.

Hone & Highlight™ is a consumable tumbling media used to refine or finish jewelry made from nonferrous metals. It's composition is a silicon carbide grit housed in a long-wearing ceramic binder. After nearly a decade of extensive experimentation with commercially available silicon carbide medias, Rosy Revolver LTD sought out a machining manufacturer with the goal of creating a silicon carbide tumbling media whose shape, size, and cut would be suitable for the jewelry scale and available in smaller quantities for independent artists. This is Hone & Honelight™, a product designed to soften edges, smooth surface areas, blend away small imperfections, selectively remove patina, and leave a soft matte to satin finish... all while increasing overall productivity and saving metalsmiths time, space, and money.

Naturally occurring Silicon Carbide is extremely rare on Earth, instead existing more in space as the stuff of stardust and meteorites.  Manufactured versions have been mass-produced since the late 1800s, earning a role in industries such as machine manufacturing and the finishing of automobile parts. Today, varying forms of silicon carbide can be found everywhere: from LEDs to bulletproof vests, skateboard grip tape, and even synthetic moissanite gemstones.  It is also widely used as an abrasive, falling somewhere between diamond carbide and aluminum oxide on the Mohs hardness scale. As a consumable for mass finishing metal, it's commonly available in large quantities of small grains intended for sandblasting.

Silicon Carbide, in a bulk solid form such as Hone & Highlight™, is considered a nonhazardous article and requires no material safety data sheet. While the dust is classified as a category 2 carcinogen; wet processes such as tumbling eliminate the dust and subsequent exposure. Those with respiratory issues are encouraged to wear a dust mask out of an abundance of caution. Unlike many other commercially available consumables, H&H does not contain formaldehyde.

For best results, it's strongly recommended that H&H be used in a rotary-style tumbler as opposed to a vibratory tumbler. Not for use in magnetic finishers.

Tumbling should take place after all construction and cleanup. Work to be tumbled should be free of all residual chemicals including pickle, polishing compounds, blade lubricant, etc.

General Instructions:

1. Fill tumbler barrel 1/3 to 1/2 full with H&H tumbling media. One pound of H&H is slightly more than enough to accomodate a 3lb capacity barrel.
2. Add designs to be tumbled to barrel.
3. Add enough water to cover all media and work by approximately 1" or more.
4. Add a small squeeze of dish soap (blue dawn in preferred as it's a gentler formula than many others.)
5. Close barrel and tumble until desired results are acheived. It is recommended that you open the barrel and check your work often until you have a solid idea of the relationship between tumble time and results. The longer you tumble, the smoother your work will be become and the more patina will be removed.

NOTE: The above instructions are generic, no matter where in the creation process H&H is implemented. For specific tips on various finishes, see the detailed images below.

Rotary tumblers will give the best, most even finish when using this media. Vibratory tumblers often don't provide enough "churn" and agitation necessary for the media to perform at peak efficacy.

The following tumblers all feature 3lb capacity barrels. One pound of H&H tumbling media is more than enough to accomodate a single 3lb capacity barrel.

Lortone tumblers are excellent given their rubber barrels which run more quietly with the rock-style media inside, as well as their durable construction and long-wearing motors. Preferred models include:

33b (double barrel)

3a (single barrel)

Harbor Freight also makes a great tumbler. This economical option is similar to the Lortone in style.

Central Machinery Dual Drum

Storage:

H&H is a very simple product.  Rinse it thoroughly after each use to remove any residual slurry; otherwise, it requires no special cleaning, drying or storing.

When rinsing, use of a fine strainer made of wire mesh will prevent small, old bits of media from escaping down the drain.  Leaving dirty water or slurry on your media can have a "glazing" effect over time, making the media less porous and effective at creating the desired finish.

H&H can be left to dry in the sink and kept either in the strainer or else stored away.

DISPOSAL:

After tumbling, the water will be a dark gray color.  This is due to the removed patina in conjunction with the slow erosion of the H&H media. This water should be dumped promptly down the drain, followed by plenty of tap water. Failing to immediately empty the water from the barrel can result in the formation of slurry, a thickened substance made of settled particles that is more difficult to rinse away and less friendly to plumbing.

AFter dumping and flushing away the tumble water, rinse your sink and tumbler barrels well to prevent staining or the formation of dust as the tumbler water evaporates and dries. 

An alternative to disposal of used water down the drain is cat litter.  Cheap clay or pine litter may be kept in a waste basket near the sink.  Discarded water poured into this container will be absorbed and form a solid, making it safe for disposal with your regular trash without the concern of it penetrating soil or ground water.  Additionally, while I have never had a problem with pipes or a septic system, this may be a better method of disposal for you if you feel the water could harm your home.

NOTE: Never put solid pieces of media down the drain, no matter how small.  Only the discarded water should be allowed to flush away.  

NOTE: You are responsible for practicing safe studio protocols.  I do not and can not know the rules and guidelines for all locations.  Please check with your local and state regulations regarding the disposal of H&H in your area.

• Designers fulfilling wholesale orders and artists looking to stock their booth at a show will appreciate the ability to batch finish multiple pieces at once while freeing themselves up to make more work
• Hobbyists and students looking for ease of use and consistently beautiful results
• Those who just don't enjoy hand-finishing and would rather be creating more work or tending to other areas of life and business
• Those with wrist fusions, carpel tunnel, arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other physical challenges who would benefit from the ability to passively finish work with less repetitive stress on extremities

Who it may not be for: H&H is a dual product: it smoothes and refines metal while selectively removing patina from elevated areas, thereby creating a contrasting finish.  If you do not patina your work, this is likely not the product you need as you'd be foregoing one of the primary purposes H&H serves.

Those who already have an adept, efficient touch at hand finishing and who value direct contact the entire way through the creation process may not find this method as personally/artistically fulfilling.

This is not a product for jewelry designs created with beading techniques.  It should also not be used with stones, glass, enamel, found objects, or resin. Hone & Highlight™ is for metalworking only.  Those who are setting stones or adding beads, etc., should only do so after designs have tumbled in H&H.

Work that involved layers and texture always do well with H&H. This includes:

• rolling mill textures
• etchings
• lost wax castings
• sand castings
• hammer textures
• filigree
• layers of sheet/piercing/applique
• stamping
• reticulation
• hydraulic press forms
• die forms
• shot plate accents
• fold forming
• rivets and pins
• checkering file patterns

Delicate chains, tiny prongs such as those in fine jewelry, and easily bent or manipulated designs are not recommended for use with H&H.

If you have any doubt or questions, always tumble a small sample piece prior to your final design.

H&H is for nonferrous metals only. It works beautifully with silver, gold, copper, bronze, brass, and aluminum.

I love the Liver of Sulfur XL Gel by Midas.

Patina should be mixed (if required) and applied according to manufacturer instructions. Depending on my design and desired finish, I either dip my pieces or else paint them by hand when selective placement is desired.

H&H does two things: refines work and (if appicable) removes patina from elevated and open areas.

The longer you tumble, the more dramatic these effects will be.

I like efficiency and ease when it comes to finishing my work. I tend to tumble overnight, because I like the weathered, soft look of heirloom jewelry that longer tumble times produce. I also prefer not hearing my tumbler running, so my work finishes while I sleep.

It is recommended that you play around with various lengths of time; if you like patina with a strong contrast, you'll want to tumble several hours. If you like a more muted contrast or just a weathered patina, you won't tumble very long. Experiment until you find a finish or two that suit your style and aesthetic; once you have solid idea of the relationship between tumbling times and their respective results, you can default to that custom process moving forward.

Hone & Highlight is a manmade product meant to emulate certain structures of naturally occurring silicon carbide.  As with any rock or mineral, erosion will occur with time and friction.  The pointed edges and flat faces of your H&H nuggets will begin to round down and wear away, leaving you with smaller, more organically shaped media. Despite the changes, there is no loss of performance. Such changes benefit the tumbling process by allowing the media to make better contact with deeper recesses and tighter spaces within your designs. 

NOTE: How long this media will last you before it is greatly reduced in size is a matter of how frequently you use it, and for how long.  Generally, you can expect a year or longer out of a pound of media, but it will be entirely relative to the amount of work you create and the duration of your tumbling time.

Eventually, the nuggets will become so small that you will no longer be able to fill the tumbler barrel with enough media to efficiently accommodate the barrel capacity and workload.  At this point, you must refresh the media by adding new, unworn nuggets to the older mix.  This creates a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and will have the most effective impact on the work. Old and worn down media still serves a purpose in accessing smaller, tighter recesses in your designs, and does not need to be discarded.  Rather, it can be used until it completely wears away.

Tumblers are meant to hold a certain capacity, usually dictated by pounds and determined by the manufacturer.  This capacity includes your tumbling media, the work being tumbled, water, and any additives you may include such as soap or burnishing liquid.  A three pound capacity barrel is therefore not meant to hold three pounds of tumbling media alone!  

One pound of H&H media is enough to use in a 3lb capacity barrel, such as those included in the Lortone 3A and 33B models or the Central Machinery rotary tumbler, with some to spare.

No. Except when you want to.

Hone & Highlight™ is an abrasive. It will remove the polish from shiny stones and can damage softer gems like turquoise, opal, apatite, etc. Unless you are going for a particular look, it is always advised that stones and beads be added after all tumbling and finishing are complete.

H&H will also leave a matte finish on glass and acrylic.

Absolutely not. This is a design decision and completely up to you.

If you do follow up with steel shot, be sure to either use a separate tumbler drum or else rinse your barrel thoroughly after emptying it of Hone & Highlight™ so as not to dull the steel.

If you follow up with steel shot and inadvertently get your work shinier than you intended, it may be placed back into the Hone & Highlight™ for a small amount of time.  This will eliminate the extra shine in all areas where the media can access the metal. 

Other ways to create additional shine on pieces tumbled with H&H include following up with a fine sanding sponge, steel brush, nail buff, or polishing pad.

It's not recommended.

Residue from Hone & Highlight™ will remove the polish from steel shot, rendering the shot ineffective for the creation of a high polish. It is recommended that you either have designated tumbler barrels for each media, or you rinse the barrel extremely well after tumbling with H&H and prior to using steel. Never combine both medias in the same tumbler barrel during use.

Quality Control: You're going to find out quickly how solid your solder joins are. Hone & Highlight is not abrasive enough to remove embellishments or deconstruct jewelry. If something pops off or comes apart in the tumbler, it's a craftsmanship issue that would have likely been an issue down the road regardless of tumbling.

Softening detail: While not abrasive enough to rapidly remove metal, H&H is moderately aggressive. Small details like serrated bezels and very shallow textures will be substantially softened if tumbling for more than an hour or two. Check your work often until you are sure of the relationship between time and results.

Stuck media:  As the media shrinks, it may get lodged in the tight crevices of your work during the tumbling process.  In this sense, it is no different than steel shot.  Check your work throughout the duration of tumbling every couple of hours.  If a nugget has become stuck, simply remove it with fine tweezers before resuming tumbling.