Making Petrographic Thin Sections - Union College

1 Making Petrographic thin Sections The following is a description of how to make thin Sections using the facilities in the Union College Geology Department. thin section facilities at other schools will probably have somewhat different equipment, supplies, and rules, but these instructions will be largely correct in anywhere. Making thin Sections is both an art and a science. We have sufficient equipment so that the art aspects are relatively minor, but every rock is different and technique can best be learned by perseverance and practice. SUMMARY INSTRUCTIONS 1. Cut the slab. 2. Mark the slab and cut the chip.

2 3. Label one side of the chip, and impregnate the other side with C-D epoxy. 4. Hand grind the chip first with 400 grit, then with 1000 grit. 5. Frost the glass slide. 6. Wash the chip and slide. 7. Cement the chip to the slide using A-B epoxy. 8. Trim off the excess epoxy, and label the section . 9. Trim off the chip using the chip trim saw. 10. Grind the section on the thin section machine. 11. Wash the section . 12. Surface impregnate the section using C-D epoxy. 13. Hand grind the section using 600 grit. 14. Finish hand grinding using 1000 grit (or finer). 15. Trim off excess epoxy from around the section . 16. Wash the section . 17. Put on the coverslip.

3 18. Remove excess balsam with a razor blade, and then acetone. 19. Label the section . 20. Be sure the room and equipment is clean when you leave. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS I. Cutting the Rock Slab: 1. Check to be sure that the large diamond saw has enough coolant in its tank. The tank should be full to within about 3 cm of its rim. The pump should always be covered. 2. Decide where you want to cut the rock. This is not as trivial a matter as you might think. Different cuts through an anisotropic rock will show the rock fabric differently. 3. Mount the rock in the large diamond saw vise. Clamp the rock securely, so that the rock sticks out on the saw side of the vise by at least 3 cm.

4 You should be able to yank on the rock without Making it move. If the rock shifts during cutting it can damage the blade or burn out the drive belt. Also remember that the blade cuts a 3 mm thickness of rock (about 1/8"). 4. Using the ratchet wrench, position the vise so that the first (outside) cut through the rock is at least 2 cm from the vise. Roll the vise so that the rock is about 3 mm from the blade but not touching the blade. Engage the vise feed clutch. 5. Close the lid and turn on the saw. make sure that coolant comes out on BOTH sides of the blade within a few seconds. If this doesn't happen, either the pump is broken or the coolant lines are clogged.

5 Shut off the saw and have the problem fixed. Running the saw without coolant will ruin the very expensive blade within a few seconds. Do not wander off while the large saw is running. If the blade does jam, turn the saw off as quickly as possible. 6. After the cut is complete, turn off the saw and lift the lid. Don't remove the rock from the vise yet! Disengage the vise feed clutch and roll the vise back from the blade. Using the ratchet wrench, move the vise so that a second (inside) cut through the rock will leave a cut slab 5-15 mm thick. 7. Move the vise up to the blade again, engage the clutch, and make the second cut. When finished, remove the rock and your slab.

6 Always leave the saw lid open when the saw is not in use or it will rust. II. Preparing the Chip: 1. If your rock is friable or full of holes, go to Appendix B first, then come back here. Using a coverslip or a ruler, mark off a coverslip-size area on the rock slab that you want to see in thin section . Several chips can be marked at once on a big slab this way. Remember that the trim saw blade makes cuts about mm thick (about 1/16"). 2. make sure the small trim saw has enough coolant in its tank. Turn on the saw and make sure coolant sprays from the blade on both sides. Put your slab flat on the saw table (break off any rock protrusions if necessary).

7 Align one side of your marked area with the blade, and slowly push the slab into the blade to make your cut. Hold the slab firmly, and try to make the cut as straight as possible. Let the saw cut at its own pace, and don't force it. When finished, make the other three cuts to complete the chip. 3. Wash the chip with detergent and water and dry the chip. Label the back with the sample number using an indelible marker or paint. Don't use enamel paint because it will melt. 4. Cover a hot plate with aluminum foil, and put the chips on the hot plate thin section side up. Set the hot plate to 150 F and let it equilibrate for 30 minutes or so. Use a contact thermometer to check the temperature.

8 5. Mix a small batch of Hillquist C-D epoxy (see Appendix A). 6. Coat the thin section side of the chip (unlabeled side) with epoxy and let it sit for a minute to soak in. Take the chip off the hot plate and wipe off all excess epoxy. Put the chip back on the hot plate to cure (about 30 minutes). If you don't wipe off the excess epoxy when it is liquid, you will have to grind it off later, which is no fun. 7. Clean off a piece of plate glass and find an area on the glass that is flat. On a flat part of the glass, make a slurry with about one level teaspoon of 400 grit SiC and a little water. Using a circular or figure-8 motion and with moderate pressure, slide the chip around in the grit slurry to grind away the saw marks and the plucked and damaged layer.

9 This can take 1-10 minutes. You will have to practice a bit to get the water/grit ratio correct. Check the flatness and quality of the chip surface frequently by cleaning and drying the chip and holding the chip at a small angle up to a light. Continue grinding until the chip is flat and smooth. 8. Wash the chip and clean the plate glass. Prepare another slurry on the clean glass using 1000 grit SiC, and grind the chip for about 1 minute. The result should be a flat and smooth reflective surface. Check this by holding the cleaned and dried chip at a small angle up to a light. Once a smooth, flat surface on the chip is obtained, your chip is done. III.

10 Preparing the Glass Slide: 1. Glass slides have to be roughened or the epoxy will not stick and your thin section will fall off. Get as many glass slides as you have chips. Check that there is enough coolant in the thin section machine tank. Turn on the coolant pump and vacuum pump and make sure that coolant is coming out onto the cup wheel and that air is being sucked into the vacuum chuck. You may have to adjust the vacuum and coolant line valves to direct the flow to proper places. Turn on the thin section machine. 2. While carefully but firmly holding a glass slide, touch one corner of the slide to the flat surface of the cup wheel for a second or so, just enough to grind off a bit of the corner.