What is a Hand Grinding and Polishing Worker?
Career Description Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.
A Day in the Life of a Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker
- Spread emery powder or other polishing compounds on stone, or wet stone surfaces with hoses, and guide buffing wheels over stone to polish surfaces.
- Apply solutions and chemicals to equipment, objects, or parts, using hand tools.
- Repair and maintain equipment, objects, or parts, using hand tools.
- Fill cracks or imperfections in marble with wax that matches the stone color.
- Load and adjust workpieces onto equipment or work tables, using hand tools.
- Move controls to adjust, start, or stop equipment during grinding and polishing processes.
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Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker Skills
These are the skills Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers say are the most useful in their careers:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Types of Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker Jobs
- Dial Polisher
- Gold Burnisher
- Jewel Bearing Polisher
- Hand Shaper
- Fiberglass Boat Parts Finisher
Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker Job Outlook
There were about 26,600 jobs for Hand Grinding and Polishing Worker in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Hand Grinding and Polishing Worker. The BLS estimates 2,100 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker are Colorado, Maryland, and Idaho. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, Maine, or New Hampshire. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker
Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers make between $21,500 and $46,980 a year.

Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers who work in Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Maine, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $30,920 |
Arizona | $34,310 |
Arkansas | $27,990 |
California | $33,260 |
Colorado | $36,680 |
Connecticut | $34,850 |
Florida | $32,130 |
Georgia | $28,800 |
Hawaii | $31,670 |
Illinois | $30,900 |
Indiana | $31,880 |
Iowa | $31,500 |
Kansas | $30,780 |
Kentucky | $31,680 |
Louisiana | $26,860 |
Maine | $41,260 |
Maryland | $35,980 |
Massachusetts | $42,560 |
Michigan | $30,050 |
Minnesota | $36,060 |
Mississippi | $29,240 |
Missouri | $29,990 |
Montana | $31,580 |
Nebraska | $33,910 |
Nevada | $27,760 |
New Hampshire | $29,790 |
New Jersey | $39,090 |
New Mexico | $28,140 |
New York | $36,460 |
North Carolina | $28,450 |
North Dakota | $28,130 |
Ohio | $29,390 |
Oklahoma | $30,340 |
Oregon | $32,010 |
Pennsylvania | $35,830 |
Rhode Island | $36,950 |
South Carolina | $27,970 |
South Dakota | $32,920 |
Tennessee | $29,980 |
Texas | $31,720 |
Utah | $30,750 |
Vermont | $31,930 |
Virginia | $35,720 |
Washington | $33,130 |
West Virginia | $27,300 |
Wisconsin | $29,450 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Data entry software
Becoming a Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker
Learn what Hand Grinding and Polishing Worker education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Hand Grinding & Polishing Worker?

Where Hand Grinding and Polishing Workers Are Employed

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those who work as a Hand Grinding and Polishing Worker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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