I have always cut stones whose hardness varies from 5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. I would now like to cut stones whose hardness is less than 5. To begin, I think to cut Fluorites. With determination and perseverance, I should succeed. However, I need your opinion about polishing, which could pose some difficulties. As far as I'm concerned, I've always used Ultralaps to polish my stones. The result has always satisfied me. It's clean, easy and fast. However, I would like your opinion for Fluorites. Has anyone ever successfully used Ultralaps to polish Fluorites? Thank you for sharing your experience with me.
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 2:51 am Posts: 755 Location: South Africa
Hello Claude
I suppose silence means nobody here has tried polishing fluorite with Ultralaps. I haven't either, and use a Gearloose Lightside lap for fluorite. But I know someone who uses 100,000 diamond Ultralaps for polishing other soft stones. Perhaps you would like to try it on fluorite, and let us know the results.
Dear Duncan Thanks for your reply. Using a 100,000 Diamond Ultralap could be interesting. If I ever do it, I’ll keep you informed. In the past few days, I have read some of Jeff Graham's articles on the subject. He said that Fluorites were not part of the stones he was cutting. However, he gave some information about their polishing. In an article, he mentions that they can be polished with Cerium Oxyde Ultralap. In another, he mentions the Chromium Oxyde Ultralap. Jeff Graham was an experienced and highly respected gemcutter. But the fact that he gave two different answers to the same question puzzles me. I am afraid that I will have to go through trial and error to get an answer to my question. It's nothing dramatic, but it’s always better when we can avoid it. Thanks again for your reply. I’ll do some experiments and let you know the results !
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 2:51 am Posts: 755 Location: South Africa
Hi Claude
Last night I searched online for 100k Ultralaps but the best I could find were 50k 'Dia-Film Polishing Discs' at http://www.amlap.com/alw/facetsupp.html, although Tom Herbst lists 100k Ultralaps on page 80 in Volume 1 of his 'Amateur Gemstone Faceting'. Anyway, experiment with the cerium oxide and chrome oxide Ultralaps if those are what you have, and let's see what happens.
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:01 pm Posts: 1902 Location: Pine City, NY and Dothan, AL
I don't agree with everything Jeff Graham said, but in this case, he's probably right about either oxide working. Zirconium oxide might work even better, if it's available in Ultralaps.
BTW, I doubt you'll see a big difference between 50K and 100K diamond.
I just finished polishing the pavilion of a Fluorite. I started using a Tin Oxide Ultralap. The result was not good because several scratches appeared on the facet. I immediately changed to a Chrome Oxide Ultralap. The scratches disappeared instantly. So I continued polishing the other facets. All responded well. It would be interesting to compare with a polish obtained by 50k or 100k diamond. But for now, Chrome Oxide Ultralaps give a very satisfactory result.
Thanks Al and Duncan for your help and your comments. I really appreciate.
I was just about to get a Lap for polishing stones with a hardness of less than 5. I was recommended for the Lightside with Battstick Alumina Oxide. What do you think ?
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:32 pm Posts: 1747 Location: Florida, United States
Claude wrote:
I was just about to get a Lap for polishing stones with a hardness of less than 5. I was recommended for the Lightside with Battstick Alumina Oxide. What do you think ?
Good choice. I developed the Lightside lap and, as far as I know, combined with the right choice of polishing compound, you should be able to polish any gem material on it.
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 2:51 am Posts: 755 Location: South Africa
This morning I tried polishing a scrap piece of fluorite with chromium oxide Battstik on a Gearloose Greenway lap. The polishing was quick and easy. There were a few hairline scratches, but the material is from Riemvasmaak and has lots of tiny inclusions so they may be responsible for the scratching. I can't try oxides meaningfully on my Lightside lap because it has been used with 100k Blakstik diamond.
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