M-5
M-5 is a fantastic polish. I've received nothing but good / great comments from very happy customers and they've used it for a wide variety of stones from opal to jade to agates.
I have a couple of customers in Australia who will now use nothing but M-5 on their Boulder opal and have also received excellent feedback from Jade polishers. With other polishes, jade will sometimes get an 'orange peel' effect and that won't happen with M-5.
Instructions for polishing with a buffing pad:
1. Mix a small amount of M-5 with water to the consistency of milk.
2. Apply to the buffing pad with a clean paint brush or piece of cloth.
3. It works best nearly dry, but if the pad becomes too dry, have a spray bottle handy and lightly dampen the surface.
4. For best results, apply pressure against the buffer.
NOTE: This polish will work well on any buffing wheel, but leather or unbleached canvas (cotton duck #8) is recommended.
I have cut discs of #8 canvas for my flat lap and wrapped layers of canvas around a buffing wheel and it worked better than the felt belt that came with my fancy belt sander! It's a lot less expensive, too. Just make sure you have enough layers of canvas that you don't ever eat through the material to the metal below.
Following are instructions for using M-5 in a rotary tumbler:
1. After going through all of the grit stages to prepare the stones to accept polish (usually 60-90 through 400 or 600), use the Fundamental Rockhound's Super (economy) polish or something inexpensive like Tripoli as a prepolish and run for about a week.
2. Fill the barrel to 3/4 full with rock that has been tumbled through prepolish. Use two heaping tablespoons of M-5 for every five (5) pounds of rock. Add a level tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid for every five (5) pounds of rock. Add water up to the bottom half of the barrel. Check it after one hour of running. The idea is for the polish to be carried in a creamy soap layer on the rock. If the detergent is foamy, remove some of the water.
3. Check again in five to seven days.
Using M-5 in a vibratory tumbler:
1. Follow the same directions as above, but slowly add the water while the barrel is running until the rocks have a creamy coating of soap.
2. I don't think you need to run a vibratory tumbler as long as a rotary, so check more often.
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