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I don't like polishing. It takes so long and when
you finally
get a "grey polish" you know you are still not even
half
way there.
Today I tried something worth mentioning. Last week
there
was a short thread concerning the overarm motion on
a
machine. It got me to thinking that the back and
forth
motion is the only one doing the polishing since
the tool
and mirror tend to rotate at close to the same
speed.
With that in mind, and not wanting the zones
produced when
the tool is held stationary while the blank rotates
I set up an
experiment.
I attached a cloth covered rubber "hold-down"
between the post
supporting the overarm and a screw inserted in the
edge of the
tool. When the overarm went back and forth the tool
stayed still,
but not in one place. The elastic hold-down allowed
it to spin an
inch or two and then return.
Next I added weight. I normally use 15 lbs of
barbell weight. This
time I used thirty. Enough to make the squeeking
sound I usually
only hear at the end of a wet. But it wasn't
the high pitched squeel
that warns you those puppies are about to become
one....it was
a lower "in serious contact" sound.
For the next hour I replaced CeO and water at least
four times as it
was used up. But after that hour the surface was
the most magnificent
clear I had seen in a long time. The channels
started to close, but I
opened them again.
The surface (on the stand without cooling) was
brilliant in the light of my
LED tester and very smooth to the eye. I
couldn't tell much because of
the heat waves it was putting off.
I let it cool of an hour and came back. I
found no zones, a perfect polish, and half
my TDE gone. In addition I had pretty close
to a sphere. It was truly amazing, 4-5
hours of polishing in one....with no adverse
effects.
I'm sold on this method and will update if
anything
adverse >does< show up...... Now.....where
did I leave my patent application forms?
In friendship,
Frank Ward
Atlanta, GA
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