[meteorite-list] Info on Polishing Cut Stones?

From: Galactic Stone and Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:39:34 -0400
Message-ID: <AANLkTikrzh+NsJ3CHxxN9hgy75BMk46iVdUbyKhpzYZE_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Dennis and List,

You and I probably have very big forearms and hands - like genetic
freaks or mutated super heroes. LOL

A couple of specifics on how I do it (others' mileage may vary) -

I don't always start out at 100 grit - that is for very hard
chondrites that may have a deep saw mark to remove. 100 is very
aggressive and it removes a lot of material. It can damage friable
types and should be used on a case by case basis only. Typically, if
I did a good job of cutting and there are no deep saw marks to remove,
I start at 200 or 400. 200 for harder types and 400 for softer types
(like carbs, most HED's, LL6, etc).

I dry sand in an area with good ventilation. Water never touches the
specimens after the initial cutting. This makes for more a lot more
work, but less contamination and less oxidation.

This method leaves a lot of dry powder embedded into the surface of
the specimen that needs to be removed. I've experimented with various
ways to remove it - rinsing it with alcohol, brushing it away, using
compressed air to blow it away, and using a vacuum(!) to suck the dust
out. I find that brushing the specimen, using compressed air to blow
it off and then a gentle wipe down works well.

I don't advocate this kind of manual preparation for the masses - it's
very time intensive and I find it therapeutic and entrancing to do it.
 Like Dennis said, I'll do it while listening to music or watching TV.
 It almost becomes automatic, like riding a stationary bike. The
hours slip by without much notice. But, using this method, my
production is slow, and it can take me a week or more to process a
single stone into slices. When done correctly, the final result is
just as good as a powered lap polisher in terms of appearance.

Best regards,

MikeG

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites

Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------

On 3/17/11, Dennis Miller <astroroks at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Good Morning All.... "Poor man Method" If you don't want to spend a bundle
> on lapidary equipment and you have a durable wrist, I would suggest a good
> Silicon-carbide sand paper, a 12X12 marble tile, and a shallow plastic pan.
> I buy Norton Black Ice paper from our local Grainger store, use a single
> tile
> from Lowe's, and a small pan I swiped from our kitchen. Place the paper,
> tile and a little water in the pan, place your meteorite slice on the paper
> and
> rub like hell... switching hands as one wares out. I start with a 400 grit,
> then
> 600, 800 and finish with a 1200. The 4 boxes of 50 sheets of wet paper will
> be your biggest expense. But it will last you a lifetime or until you need a
> wrist replacement. As a matter of fact I just cut up some NWA 869 that I'll
> start polishing as I watch TV tonight, because the process is Quiet and you
> can do it in front of the TV in the den.....
> Good Luck and Kiss a Leprechaun Today!
> Dennis O'Miller
>
> P.S. I use a good marble tile because of it's
> high polish and flat surface...
>
>
>
>> Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:49:08 -0400
>> From: meteoritemike at gmail.com
>> To: keith at lobstershack.com
>> CC: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Info on Polishing Cut Stones?
>>
>> Hi Keith,
>>
>> That clear-coat or "wet" look comes from a high polish, which is
>> usually about 800 grit or higher. I can get that wet look by going
>> all the way to 1500 grit and then finishing the piece with jeweler's
>> rouge. Although, the rouge is not really necessary in most cases to
>> get that final slick look.
>>
>> The quick and easy way to get that kind of polish is to use a powered
>> lap polisher. It takes minutes to get that high polish look. Lap
>> polishers can be expensive and can cost you a fingertip if you are not
>> careful.
>>
>> The poor-man's way is sandpaper, in progressive grits - 100, 200, 400,
>> 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500. This is much much slower and requires
>> healthy arms and lots of work. Initial expense is much cheaper than a
>> powered lap-polisher, but you will eventually spend a small fortune on
>> sandpaper over time.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
>>
>> Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> News Feed - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>> EOM - http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> On 3/17/11, Keith Wandry <keith at lobstershack.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > Are there any reference books or online sources for information on
>> > polishing cut pieces?
>> > I have some cheap pieces to practice on and am interested in knowing
>> > what to use and how some pieces I've seen have a sheen that almost
>> > looks like a clear coat on it.
>> > Pros? Cons? Etc...
>> >
>> > Thanks for an enlightenment!
>> > Keith
>> >
>> > Keith Wandry
>> > keith at lobstershack.com
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>> >
>>
>>
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--

Received on Thu 17 Mar 2011 11:39:34 AM PDT