My new quartz polish

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This is where my special alloy polishing lap proved beyond doubt its superiority to other polish laps. I gathered a Zinc,Batt,Type metal, and Special Alloy lap. I firstly resurfaced the laps to remove any previous diamond and oxides. The first run was a 3000 pre-polish with a 100,000 finish on the already split lap. I used a light oil mix without any additives and got good results in the 100,000 on all laps but a poor result on all laps with the best being the Special Alloy but not much in it. I added some lubricants and got a slightly better poor result with a better result on the zinc overall.Although the zinc was satisfactory it was after a few facets inconsistent. Oil just wasnt working. So I went through my cupboards to look for water based lubricants and found a very basic fluid that was safe and easily available. I added the polish and lubricants and stared to polish. The results were instant across the board but all required an additional light spray of water every few facets or marks started to appear. I noticed that the Type metal lap started to produce an inconsistent surface if polished too long but still a polish that was scratch free. Zinc also gave mixed results but very sharp flat facets and quickly. I put this down to its hardness and will revisit it when I improve the formula. Its now down to the Batt and Special Alloy. This is what I wanted. A final result that was on the lap I developed and the most popular American lap the Batt.

Lets look at the stone prep. I first preformed a 15mm smoky quartz and clear. I then cut the full pavillion on the 800 sintered disc and it took 4.5 minutes. I then polished all the mains and girdle facets one on the Batt and the other the Special Alloy. The results were what was interesting as I got exceptionally sharp flat facets that were scratch free on the Special and a few random scratches easily fixed with the Batt. Its the time that shocked me. I used a 10X lense to get best meets and a perfect polish. It took me less than 12 minutes. That's great for any stone but on Quartz thats exceptional. Did I say perfect by lense. Of course I did. More on the polish. Firstly the 3000 was a good finish but not as shinny as the diamond finish on other stones,but it was clean and moved facets easily. It the transitioned to 100,000 very easily and still moved facets on a smaller scale as you would expect from a fine finish. Its the sharpness and clean finish that got me happy to polish quartz again. Once again the Special alloy was faster and no scratching at all.

But it doesn't end there. I made a diamond equivalent water based polish and it was also faster sharper and easier to cleanup. On both solutions I got great results with minimum amounts of polish as I have heard comments about water based polish being more wasteful.

http://facetinglaps.blogspot.com.au/

Regards Anthony
 
Great read up R2C and thanks for the blog link with the extra info. I'm interested in the cold and hot pressing techniques you use, ill be reading some more on that. I havnt used a split lap yet, does the excess from the inner circle fall down the little gap between the two grades? Or does the inner fluid and 'bits' get to the outer as well.

One thing I can't figure out mate, is Special alloy a brand of lap, or a disc you have lathed up of composite metals ( unknown )

I've always understood that acrylic / perspex lap and an oxide polish was best for quartz, I've gotten a pretty clean face by hnd using tin oxide and glass ( mirror glass to be exact ), but as you know..I know bugger all!

Something I can't seem to find are photos showing the results between other laps and special alloy facet finished? Are there examples online at all?

When making a polish at home from chromium or tin oxide, it doesn't mix very well or homogonise at all..rather clumpy. Any tips?
 
I stopped using Perspex 30 years ago. My Special alloy is a lap I developed that just seems to work. Cant take good photos so I get cutters who I know are good to test my laps and polish, who also have the overseas laps and polish in there kit to test against. I would hate to drop that stone on a glass lap while its rotating. Im on wolfram Id bleed out and probably create a new polish at the same time. Oxides have long past there use by date. Diamond is fast and efficient for most stones and plastics aren't very consistent. Quartz has always been hard to master a good polish and I avoid it as it always takes far too long to achieve a very good finish. I haven't seen your faceting under a halogen light with a 10X lense to see if your results are good. My faceting class is all about reckonising a good polish. That why I always get my laps and polish tested elsewhere for independent verification.

Regards Anthony
 
AtomRat said:
Great read up R2C and thanks for the blog link with the extra info. I'm interested in the cold and hot pressing techniques you use, ill be reading some more on that. I havnt used a split lap yet, does the excess from the inner circle fall down the little gap between the two grades? Or does the inner fluid and 'bits' get to the outer as well.

One thing I can't figure out mate, is Special alloy a brand of lap, or a disc you have lathed up of composite metals ( unknown )

I've always understood that acrylic / perspex lap and an oxide polish was best for quartz, I've gotten a pretty clean face by hnd using tin oxide and glass ( mirror glass to be exact ), but as you know..I know bugger all!

Something I can't seem to find are photos showing the results between other laps and special alloy facet finished? Are there examples online at all?

When making a polish at home from chromium or tin oxide, it doesn't mix very well or homogonise at all..rather clumpy. Any tips?
I just posted a pic of some stones , all done on special alloy . Using the new polish now . Get back soon about that . Think the subject was too large for testing tho . Facet is almost bigger than the lap... Need to dop a smaller stone , each facet on this is bigger than normal table:)
1454502462_image.jpg
 
Certainly not a glass lap R2C - just a piece of glass I was runbing it on by hand with cerium oxide, but it made some nice flat flawless areas but patchy as done by hand. Something everyone is saying is that quartz is hard to work with, being the most common rock I have, its all I've put on the machine, so if I can work quartz semi o.k in the future, I'd love to see what happens to the other stones then. I've still barely had much chance to cut and polish anything on the facetor as I don't want to break it, make it off balance or dodgy it further until I get to see one in action with my own eyes. Have you thought of selling your classes on dvd r2c?

Cheers Soloman, ill go take a look at them :) I remember that smokey if its the same one. Quite a different finish now I think
 
A freestyle pear I cut with the new polish . Very , very good results . If you cut a stone freestyle .. Write everything down . Cant stress this enough . Very frustrated cutting will endure if not , trust me :) quartz is not an enemy with this polish . This is some lovely citrine 2.5 from 5.2 carat rough .
1456065551_image.jpg
 

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