I first came across the Flitz polish when I reviewed Flitz paste for polishing resin jewelry pieces. This water based, eco-friendly and non-toxic polish did a better job with resin (a kind of plastic) than what I was using before.  Intrigued, I wondered back then how it would perform on metal.


Well, I got my chance to experiment recently when Flitz sent me another of their polishes for review.  They make a number of polishes  (available in multiple sizes) for the home.....which includes the craft studio!  I had previously used the paste form which came in a tube. This time, I received a bottle of the Liquid Flitz polish - a dilute version of the paste.

This review will be of interest to jewelry makers who need to polish up tarnished metal and bring back the shine.  While  tumbling silver pieces with some stainless steel shot (my aluminum chain maille jewelry is tumbled with dry rice or walnut pieces) do a great job, not everyone has a tumbler.



I tried them both out on different metal components I had. I didn't have sterling silver but these marquise shape aluminum blanks were on hand.  I added the paste (a bluish color) and the liquid Flitz(greenish color) to two of the blanks.  The third was untreated.

I also made sure I never got the blanks mixed up by first marking the backs (actually these are the blank fronts as the protective peel off plastic layers were still on).  dF stood for dilute of liquid Flitz.


I used just the Flitz cloth and elbow grease to polish the two pieces before the polishes dried.  The paste, being more concentrated, took more time to polish and buff as I squirted just a tad too much of it. So use sparingly!

In order to make a good comparison, I used the Flitz cloth for all the metal pieces I tested.  On their website, Flitz actually recommends a paper towel with the paste for aluminum (mag alloys and stainless steel), followed by a cloth for buffing.

Polishing was much easier with the Liquid Flitz.  The Flitz paste did a better job but neither truly removed all the scratches.  A lot of sanding, preferably with a power tool like a Dremel or flex shaft is needed for mirror finishes. See my past post on How to Sand and Polish Metal .


I liked how the Flitz polishes removed the tarnished from some copper blanks. The polished copper became much lighter in color! As you can see I still needed more polishing work with the liquid Flitz.


And the same with some vintage brass components I had.


I compared using the Flitz cloth with an ordinary microfiber cloth.  I saw no difference between the two. Flitz says you can use a dry towel too.



I sometimes teach basic chain maille at Iguana Beads , my local jewelry supply store.  We use aluminum jump rings.  While aluminum does not tarnish like sterling silver - it still retains the silver look - a black tarnish does develop with time and can be seen on the skin when you wear the pieces. So cleaning and polishing is necessary from time to time.  Many students do not have tumblers and need some sort of polish. So I was keen to see if it was possible polish up a tarnished aluminum chain maille necklace I had using Flitz polishes.



I sectioned off the necklace and used not just the two Flitz polishes but also used a jeweler's rouge polishing cloth - the red side has jeweler's rouge embedded in it (the yellow side is for buffing).


Chain maille jewelry is a challenge to polish by hand compared to flat pieces. But the Flitz polishes could handle the job better as I was able to apply more polish than with the rouge cloth.  It was hard to tell visually, but in the photo, the two Flitz sections look slightly lighter to me.




I found the Flitz polishes do a great job at removing fingerprints and tarnish, thus bringing a lovely shine back to metal pieces.  They can also remove water stains, heat discoloration  - think about when you have to use a torch!  I don't imagine jewelry makers will be in the situation where they need the Flitz paste for rust corrosion and lime removal!  This product can do double duty in the studio as well as the home.

I tested only 3 metals but Flitz polishes can shine up many other metals including sterling silver, bronze, gold, silverplated, platinum, stainless steel pieces.  I am certainly going to try it on household items which are chrome and stainless steel!

If you want to shop, Flitz is offering a special 20% off discount code for readers. Use BG20 at checkout.


Giveaway

If you'd like to win this giveaway for a Liquid Flitz bottle so you can polish and shine up your metal jewelry,  please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info below if you do not have an online shop or blog.



Email subscribers need to scroll down the post they receive, click on Share Comment and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank.

This giveaway is for US and Canada only.

Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments. (The exception is Facebook - just like/comment on the giveaway status there!!)

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, September 3, 2018. I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!

Photography
I used my iPhone 6S with the Camera+  app. I used  the Orangemonkie studio which comes equipped with LED lights - for artificial light photography in my windowless basement studio. The Foldio2 is particularly affordable. I use the Foldio3 because I need the room for tutorial photography. 

My online class Easy Guide to Smartphone Jewelry Photography is now available. Read more about it here.  

Disclosure
This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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