i've been lucky to find some gilding wheels on ebay for relatively cheap (certainly cheaper than new) and all in servicable condition. however, they've been pretty dirty, so thought this warranted a few comments on my clean up process.
you'll need:
- 220 grit sanding block
- 320 grit sanding paper
- 600/1000 grit polishing pad
- leather (horse butt or other good strop leather)
- some wd-40 if desired
make sure to do this outside (and probably with a mask on, especially important if done inside!).
- if the base of the tool is particularly rusty, use the 220 grid sanding block to clean up the rust. don't use this on the brass.
- transition to the 320 grit to clean up the base of the tool. it's probably unnecessary to use the 320 grit unless there's necessary reshaping of dents.
- use the polishing cloth on the edge of the wheel, you should go over the edge of the wheel until it glints in the sun.
- finish the edge by repeating the same steps of the 600 grit polishing pad with strop leather, much like you were finishing sharpening a knife.
i also recommend cleaning up the rust on the hardware holding the wheel to the handle. once cleaned up and reassembled, put a little wd-40 where the hardware meets the wheel and cleanup any overflow – don't want oil to get anywhere it shouldn't be!
before
after
last updated: 2023-10-11 21:46:27