Re: [ATM] First Timer Polishing Questions

[Guy Brandenburg <gfbrandenburg@yahoo.com>]

I think we've finally found a *reliable* way to tell if a mirror is truly polished out. Radio Shack sells (or at least they did) little inexpensive, hand-held microscopes that go up to 30 X, and they also have a built-in light, for something like $10. With the highest power, you can actually SEE the little imperfections that show whether the glass surface is really polished or not. If you see'em, just polish some more, until they are gone.

Up until now, even using a laser beam and the unfrosted light bulb were totally unsatisfactory to me. I was just guessing, because I couldn't really tell if it was polished out or not, and the results were not always wonderful. The microscope works great, very reliable.
Guy

Bob May <bobmay@nethere.com> wrote: The thing that you have to remember is that the glass surface
will reflect about 4% of the light from the pointer with more at
an angle with 100% beyond the Brewster angle.
Thus it isn't that you're getting a reflection at all, you will
be getting one, but whether that reflection is specular in it's
action.  Bright flashes of light as you move the beam about is
what you are really looking for.  A steady reflection indicates a
good polish while a brightening and dimming reflection indicates
a poor polish.



Guy  Brandenburg
Washington, DC
My home page:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gfbranden/GFB_Home_Page.html
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