Polishing Cast Dice with a Pottery Wheel: A Quick Start Guide

Polishing Cast Dice with a Pottery Wheel: A Quick Start Guide

Prep Work:

• Cure Time: Ensure dice are fully cured (at least 72 hours, but check your MSDS for full cure time).
• Organize Dice: On a sheet of paper, note each die you'll work on and note any flaws.
• Please be sure to use all your PPE - gloves, a mask and be working in a well ventilated area. 

Polishing Process:

1. 1000-Grit Sandpaper: IF NECESSARY use 1000-grit sandpaper to remove severe flaws.
   Sand each face with gentle, circular motions BY HAND (these will be called revolutions going forward).
   Rinse between faces | you'll want to rinse well between each face going forward as well.
   With your Pottery Wheel turned on
   
2. Green Zona: Polish for 5 revolutions per face.
3. Gray Zona: Polish for 5 revolutions per face.
4. Blue Zona: Polish for 6 revolutions per face.
5. Pink Zona: Polish for 6 revolutions per face.
6. Teal Zona: Polish for 6 revolutions per face.
7. White Zona: Polish for 8 revolutions per face.

Tips:

• Water Storage: Keep dice in water during polishing.
• Clean Water: Use fresh water for each step to prevent scratches.
• Use Gentle Pressure: Allow the polishing papers to do the work.
• Rinse Thoroughly: Remove any debris from the dice after each step.
• Uniformity: Anything you do to one face should be done to the others if you want to prevent wandering corners. 

By following these steps and using the appropriate polishing papers, you can achieve a smooth, glossy finish on your cast dice BUT always remember, we're human and maker marks are a small part of what make handmade dice special. 

**Please note these figures are made using a 9 inch pottery wheel with a quarter size sheet of zona polishing paper. If you're using one of the smaller wheels you may want to increase the revolutions.**