Polishing
Polishing is generally the final step in the preparation
process, though some materials may require the etching of the
sample after polishing to reveal certain characteristics. Often an
intermediate polish is used, immediately following the final
grinding step. In this step, a non-woven, napless cloth, using a
3-9 micron diamond suspension can work well. The final
polish is often made using a soft, low-napped cloth, applying a
0.05 alumina suspension or colloidal silica. One of the most
common mistakesmade in the final polish is polishing too long or
with too much force. This causes undesirable rounding of the
sample. As a rule,polishing for one to two minutes is adequate.
POLISHING PRODUCTS
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