When the epoxy plug is cured, the
mounted specimen is ground on a 600 grit
diamond stone in order to remove all saw
marks. The specimen is cleaned prior to
polishing using the ultrasonic cleaner.
The
specimen is then polished using a
sequence of 6, 3, and 1 micron diamond
paste on billiard cloths (Buehler)
lubricated with baby oil. I use a
Buehler Ecomet with a Whirlimet
attachment, which allows for
semi-automated polishing.
The final
polishing is done by hand using 0.06 micron silica
suspension (Extec) on a low-nap cloth.
After polishing, the specimen is
gently washed with distilled water,
rinsed with
ethanol, and finally dried using a hair dryer.
When the epoxy plug is cured, the
mounted specimen is ground on a 600 grit
diamond stone in order to remove all saw
marks. The specimen is cleaned prior to
polishing using the ultrasonic cleaner.