Petrography is the branch of petrology dealing with the study of rock minerals and its textures. Thin section is carried out to study the petrographic properties of minerals using a polarizing or petrographic microscope. On the common grounds, these thin section bearings are the tip of the iceberg in the optical mineralogy and petrography.
Thin section is the small slab of rock attached to a glass side with an epoxy. Typical glass slides are generally twenty six millimeter by forty six millimeter or one inch by two inches. After that, it will be ground to a thickness of zero point zero three millimeter or thirty microns. Thin sections are time consuming and costly to prepare. However, if you have the love for hard work and petrography, kindly scroll down and some tips will be revealed.
Slab saw, trim saw, grinder, cut off saw, are the main tools needed so they shall be prepared. Also, do not forget the glass slide, epoxy, and marker. But if you do not have any marker, a pencil can do. Before you read step one, make sure that you can handle the hard work and patience. Also, make sure that you do not have hand tremors. Those are the ingredients that will complete the dish.
Mark first the rock before cutting a slab. Use a pencil or marker in marking the stone. This will serve as your guide so make sure that it could be seen easily. Switch on the slab saw and cut your rock. Make sure you know how to operate it or you might cut your hand instead of the slab.
Reduce the size and polish the slab. Use the trim saw in cutting the chip. Reduction of size to one inch by two inches is needed since giant microscopes are not yet invented. To remove the marks, grind the chip using the grinding wheel.
Prepare the glass slide for the chip will be attached to it later on. Spin the grinding wheel and grind it on the wheel. After that, frost it to flatten out or roughen the surface. This is to make sure that the epoxy binds both well.
Glue the slab to the frosted side using epoxy. Mix both the epoxy from large bottle with one part hardener and from the small bottle. Stir the combined mixture in the same pattern. After mixing it, spread a tiny amount on the frosted side of the slide. Place the chip on it and gently squeeze to get the extra epoxy out.
Get the chip from the slide, and grind it. Do this slowly since this is the stage where most slides go bad. Turn on the cut off saw to cut most of the chip off while leaving a thin slide attached. After that, put a cover slip to the remaining slide. This is to ensure the clarity when observed in the microscope.
With all the rocks in the vicinity, no wonder mining is too mainstream. However, just practicing how the real petrographer does their job would not hurt a bit. After reading the tips above, it is now time for you to discover the rocks in your backyard by making thin section bearings.
Thin section is the small slab of rock attached to a glass side with an epoxy. Typical glass slides are generally twenty six millimeter by forty six millimeter or one inch by two inches. After that, it will be ground to a thickness of zero point zero three millimeter or thirty microns. Thin sections are time consuming and costly to prepare. However, if you have the love for hard work and petrography, kindly scroll down and some tips will be revealed.
Slab saw, trim saw, grinder, cut off saw, are the main tools needed so they shall be prepared. Also, do not forget the glass slide, epoxy, and marker. But if you do not have any marker, a pencil can do. Before you read step one, make sure that you can handle the hard work and patience. Also, make sure that you do not have hand tremors. Those are the ingredients that will complete the dish.
Mark first the rock before cutting a slab. Use a pencil or marker in marking the stone. This will serve as your guide so make sure that it could be seen easily. Switch on the slab saw and cut your rock. Make sure you know how to operate it or you might cut your hand instead of the slab.
Reduce the size and polish the slab. Use the trim saw in cutting the chip. Reduction of size to one inch by two inches is needed since giant microscopes are not yet invented. To remove the marks, grind the chip using the grinding wheel.
Prepare the glass slide for the chip will be attached to it later on. Spin the grinding wheel and grind it on the wheel. After that, frost it to flatten out or roughen the surface. This is to make sure that the epoxy binds both well.
Glue the slab to the frosted side using epoxy. Mix both the epoxy from large bottle with one part hardener and from the small bottle. Stir the combined mixture in the same pattern. After mixing it, spread a tiny amount on the frosted side of the slide. Place the chip on it and gently squeeze to get the extra epoxy out.
Get the chip from the slide, and grind it. Do this slowly since this is the stage where most slides go bad. Turn on the cut off saw to cut most of the chip off while leaving a thin slide attached. After that, put a cover slip to the remaining slide. This is to ensure the clarity when observed in the microscope.
With all the rocks in the vicinity, no wonder mining is too mainstream. However, just practicing how the real petrographer does their job would not hurt a bit. After reading the tips above, it is now time for you to discover the rocks in your backyard by making thin section bearings.
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