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 Post subject: Polishing Zircon
PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:14 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 08, 2015 10:35 am
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Location: Switzerland
Hello, I'm faceting my first Zircon and I'm ending up with a strange polishing issue.
I'm using good quality Aluminium oxyde on a thin lap and pure water. The polishing is very difficult . on every facets if i'm polishing to long I sort of loose the surface. I almost get it polished and then I'm loosing parts of the surface. Hard to explain in english but it suddenly become like a moon surface at once. Nothing to do with the usual scratches. I't not directional. Any idea why this happens ?
I'm planning to try my new dominatrix lap on it. but still I wonder if this is a standard behaviour for real zircon (not cubic) .

thank to the experts .

fred from Switzerland


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 Post subject: Re: Polishing Zircon
PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 3:23 am 
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Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
I have only done a few facets of it as test cuts. (I want to get better before I try the real stuff). But on the few tests that I have done I have dne it has always been 100,000 poly on a diamatrix.


I would certainly defer to others who will chime in with more experience with it.


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 Post subject: Re: Polishing Zircon
PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:09 pm 
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I finally opened my unused gearloose dominatrix lap. What a surprise. It feels like another century. Used 100,000 on the inner ceramic lap. just did the job.no more problem. Seems like for at least that zircon, mechanical polishing is way above Aluminium - tin chemical polishing.

what a lap ! I just finished 2 more stones : a pink sapphire I never could polish correctly and a new test tourmaline. finished it in half the time I usually need.

Jon Rolfe you are a Genius ! =D>


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