Post subject: Re: To be use with Oxide, BATT or BA5T?
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 11:30 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am Posts: 1322 Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
What are you polishing?
I have not tried a BA5t yet. I came in 4th in the armature class of the USFG single stone completion last year. I am thinking of a BA5T for this years stone. It will be spinell, so I am probably headed to a diamond polish.
know that both will work. But I have had a lot more luck with oxides on a matrix (or diamatrix, or the diamatrix in the zinc+ diamatrix).
The matrix and diamatrix are softer than the BATT or BA5t. Sme people have said that they get rounding on the matrix material. I like the material in the zinc+, is is a little harder than the previous versions.
I am not sure if all of the diamatrix laps now use that material or not.
Post subject: Re: To be use with Oxide, BATT or BA5T?
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:29 am
Active Member
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:46 am Posts: 96 Location: Tampa, Florida
The BATT is better with oxides than the BA5T. The BA5T is very hard and smooth which makes it harder for the oxide to stay on when polishing. This is what makes the Matrix so great for oxides- the pores hold the oxide in place.
The difference is the BATT will produce much less facet rounding but will be slower than the Matrix.
Post subject: Re: To be use with Oxide, BATT or BA5T?
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 12:21 pm
Valued Contributor
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 7:39 am Posts: 228 Location: Long Island NY, USA
I've always secretly wanted a Ba5t lap
Think of it almost like a badge of proficiency,...if I can manage to use it successfully, that somehow rates my gem faceting quality higher. At least in my own mind, if no where else.
That being said, I love my second generation BATT laps, especially the full 8" variety, as opposed to banded. Nothing wrong with the banded laps, butI feel that the full 8" sweep on that particular lap allows for very flat facets that would rival those a ceramic lap would produce anyday.
How does a BATT compare with a Ba5t in general? With either oxides or diamond, for polish or prepolish, or even cutting, as some are wont to do I hear.
Post subject: Re: To be use with Oxide, BATT or BA5T?
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 2:59 pm
Active Member
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:46 am Posts: 96 Location: Tampa, Florida
The BA5T is a harder and smoother version of the BATT.
Because it is harder and the grain of the alloy finer it is more difficult to embed with diamond and get a proper charge.
There are a few differences in performance that come out of this property. The first noticeable thing is that the BA5T will polish faster than the BATT when it is equally charged. The reason for this is that the particles embed farther into the BATT and act like smaller particles. You can get a finer finish with the same polish with the BATT for this reason. However the BA5T will produce sharper facet junctions which results in a more diamond-like appearance of the stone. This can be marginal if you do not use pressure with the BATT and polish from a fine enough prepolish.
The BA5T is not a better lap than the BATT, it just has different uses- like for harder stone or large stone. I have both in several grit sizes and use them all the time, so I recommend both, not just one.
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