Polish and finish jewellery or silverware to meet commercial needs
Overview
This standard covers the skills to polish and finish components using techniques to achieve a commercial standard. This can include using polishing lathes, pendant motors, ultrasonic methods on a range of metals. You will use a range of mops, bobs and compounds to achieve the finish required for different products.
In polishing the items, you will be required to work to instructions and to use a range of polishing and finishing techniques appropriate to the type of material and finish required. During, and on completion of, the polishing operations, you will be expected to check the quality of the work using specified guidelines appropriate to the type of finish required.
You will need to be able to recognise any defects and take appropriate action to put right any faults that occur ensuring that the finished work meets the specification required.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- research commercial finishes on work for different projects in line with industry best practice
- polish work made in a range of precious metals for different projects in line with industry best practice
- finish work using a range of equipment in line with workplace instructions
- check components are dimensionally accurate, the forming is correct and there are no excessive marks visible in line with project needs
- produce commercial finishes in line with project needs
- seek support and guidance when problems arise in line with workplace instructions
- check the work for defects in line with the needs of the project
- take action to rectify any defects detected in line with industry best practice
- complete the work to the given specification in line with workplace instructions
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- safety precautions to be taken when polishing and finishing to commercial standards
- common compounds such as abrasive, polishing, finishing and matting
- common mops, brushes, felt bobs, composition wheels
- how to dress mops and bobs
- where to find sources of information about commercial finishing and polishing
- safe methods for presentation of objects to the polishing lathe
- the correct sequence in removing fire-stain, preliminary abrasive polishing, bright polishing and finishing
- how to achieve commercially acceptable finishes
- hand polishing techniques
- who to ask for support and when to do so
- how to check finished work pieces for dimensional accuracy
- how to check final pieces meet needs of specification
- functions of the materials used in barrel polishing
- uses of ultrasonic cleaning machines and hand methods of cleaning
- uses of sawdust drying
- uses of plating equipment including the micron thickness for different products
- how to check that the finishing meets the needs of the specification
- best practice in commercial finishing within chosen jewellery industry
- the importance of following the given specification and timescales
- common defects and ways to rectify these
Scope/range
1. Precious metals and equipment can include:
Group 1 – Jeweller
Precious metals:
- silver
- gold
- platinum
- palladium
Equipment:
- polishing lathe
- pendant motor
- ultrasonic
- rhodium and gold plating
OR
Group 2 – Silversmith
Precious metals:
- silver
- gold
Equipment:
- polishing lathe
- pendant motor
- ultrasonic
- silver plating and gold plating