A rapid method for the preparation of thin rock-sections

Abstract

The basic technique for preparing micro-thin rock-sections has altered little since this method of studying rocks was first accepted. Abrasive powders were, and still are, used either on glass or metal plates, the grinding being done entirely by hand. At the present time carborundum is almost universally used as the abrasive. The technique has been speeded up somewhat by the use of horizontal metal laps, and in more recent years the introduction of high-speed diamond-cutting and lapping apparatus has considerably reduced the time involved in making a thin rock-section. But even with this apparatus the process is still long and laborious, and, even more important, the operator must have considerable skill and experience in keeping the specimen whole and of uniform thickness throughout the entire operation.