Cleanup time/polish slices

PDXBarbara · Post by **PDXBarbara** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 12:17 pm

Greetings, all.

I've searched old & new archives but not finding exactly what I need to know.

What I need to know:
After slicing up small pattern bars on the tile saw, I've found that I need to grind & polish them a bit prior to fusing them onto or into other projects. When I don't do this, the result includes those nasty lines & foggy reminders of the sawing.

How to do this w/out spending untold hours doing them individually at the grinding/polishing wheel?

I'm thinking some kind of tumbler or vibrolap w/ medium of some sort. I just need them cleaned up enough to fuse well.

Suggestions?

Thanks, guys.
Barbara

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 12:36 pm

Hi Barbara,

What about sandblasting? Acid wash?

Thanks for the pixs!

Cheers,

Bob

Nikki ONeill · Post by **Nikki ONeill** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 12:42 pm

Barbara: Ultrasonic cleaning is fast and has worked well to clean up my slices. However one time a batch came out with some internal fissures (probably poorly annealed).
Nikki

Ron Coleman · Post by **Ron Coleman** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 12:49 pm

Somewhere back in the old days and the old archives, Brian tells about how he uses wax to bond a bunch of his Pebbles into a large piece and then grinds them all on a Vibra Lap at one time.

Ron

PDXBarbara · Post by **PDXBarbara** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 2:59 pm

Thanks Bob, Nikki & Ron for the fast replies...
Here are my f/u questions...

Sandblasting, acid wash....
Blasting will still require doing them 1 at a time...
Acid wash sounds like fun... would that be muriatic acid, Bob?
Just Dump&Go(tm)?

Ron, I'll look for that goody of Brian's. But since I need to do both faces of the slices, I'm not seeing how it'll work for this particular application. What am I missing?

Nikki...what does one need to do ultrasound cleaning? Is it like the dentists use? Also, will it actually make the slices good enough to fuse both ON the surface and BELOW the surface of the finished piece? In other words, is the goal to clean the pieces throroughly? Or to actually grind/polish down ridges from the saw? If I'm simply cleaning my slices thoroughly, in effect, by grinding & polishing... then my eyes are wide open to new ideas.

My fantasy was this:
1) Open the door,
2) Pile in the slices & media
3) Close door & flip the "on" switch,
4) Come back later & voila beautiful slices ready to lay up for fusing.

Thanks,
ActiveImaginationGirl
P.S... You're welcome for the pix, Bob. For some reason Paul didn't receive them...

Barbara Muth · Post by **Barbara Muth** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 3:20 pm

Barb, here is how I would sanblast them all. Get some very sticky contact paper. sticK a bunch of components to the paper. Blast away. then if you need to blast the other side as well (though why?) flip, stick and blast. Or you could attach them to each other with wax like Ron suggested. Me, I like contact paper. It makes the blasting a little faster.

PDXBarbara · Post by **PDXBarbara** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 3:25 pm

Barbara Muth wrote:Barb, here is how I would sanblast them all. Get some very sticky contact paper. sticK a bunch of components to the paper. Blast away. then if you need to blast the other side as well (though why?) flip, stick and blast. Or you could attach them to each other with wax like Ron suggested. Me, I like contact paper. It makes the blasting a little faster.

OH.. having NOT looked up the wax post mentioned by Ron, I imagined the pieces stacked & waxed.... hmmm.

I need to do both sides because if I'm embedding them in clear, both sides are visible.

Thanks, Barbara

Nikki ONeill · Post by **Nikki ONeill** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 3:30 pm

Unlike sandblasting, you won't change the surface texture of slices using ultrasound, but the pieces will be free of grit.
Ultrasonic cleaners are used often by jewlers, and by scientists who need ultra-clean glassware. Using sound wave cavitation, all the little particles of glass scum are shaken loose so that after rinsing you end up with a perfectly clean surface (but not any smoother). I usually add a little detergent and aciify the water to reduce surface tension and to dissolve the most fine particles, although that's probably not necessary. So you just dump in the slices, turn on the sonicator for about 5 minutes or so, remove and rinse.
Have fun!
Nikki

Barbara Muth · Post by **Barbara Muth** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 3:35 pm

So Nikki, is your sonicator one of those jewelry cleaners? or do you have a bigun?

Nikki ONeill · Post by **Nikki ONeill** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 3:36 pm

It holds over a quart of water.
Nikki

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:22 pm

Nikki O'Neill wrote:Unlike sandblasting, you won't change the surface texture of slices using ultrasound, but the pieces will be free of grit.
Ultrasonic cleaners are used often by jewlers, and by scientists who need ultra-clean glassware. Using sound wave cavitation, all the little particles of glass scum are shaken loose so that after rinsing you end up with a perfectly clean surface (but not any smoother). I usually add a little detergent and aciify the water to reduce surface tension and to dissolve the most fine particles, although that's probably not necessary. So you just dump in the slices, turn on the sonicator for about 5 minutes or so, remove and rinse.
Have fun!
Nikki

i'd be really surprised if you actually dissolve the particles. you might suspend in the solution though instead.

i'm sure lisa will pipe in and tell us how to do this, but all i've ever done is clean them with a plastic scrubby really well after soaking them in water, and spraying them with spray-a before firing.

PDXBarbara · Post by **PDXBarbara** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 4:35 pm

I now understand that my problem with the slices isn't about cleaning. Tho slices must be scrubbed first, the roughness left by the tile saw permits trapping of little air bubble bits.

BB

Lisa Allen · Post by **Lisa Allen** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 4:42 pm

PDXBarbara (Bader) wrote:I now understand that my problem with the slices isn't about cleaning. Tho slices must be scrubbed first, the roughness left by the tile saw permits trapping of little air bubble bits.

BB

I don't clean mine very well at all, just a rinse with water from my hose. I get around the scummy stuff by sandblasting the final piece.

But I do have to say.....what a huge difference the saw makes. I have been using my MK370 for the last year and just got the MK100 with a result blade from HIS. Silky smooth slices that are fabulous, no saw marks and no chipping.....I am in love.

Lisa

PDXBarbara · Post by **PDXBarbara** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 4:49 pm

Lisa Allen wrote:

I don't clean mine very well at all, just a rinse with water from my hose. I get around the scummy stuff by sandblasting the final piece.

But I do have to say.....what a huge difference the saw makes. I have been using my MK370 for the last year and just got the MK100 with a result blade from HIS. Silky smooth slices that are fabulous, no saw marks and no chipping.....I am in love.

Lisa

Hi Lisa... do you use them exclusively on the surface of your gorgeous work? See, I'm using some of mine in multiple layers with clear over many of them.
Thanks,
BB

Brian and Jenny Blanthorn · Thu Aug 21, 2003 4:58 pm

PDXBarbara (Bader) wrote:Thanks Bob, Nikki & Ron for the fast replies...
Here are my f/u questions...

Sandblasting, acid wash....
Blasting will still require doing them 1 at a time...
Acid wash sounds like fun... would that be muriatic acid, Bob?
Just Dump&Go(tm)?

Ron, I'll look for that goody of Brian's. But since I need to do both faces of the slices, I'm not seeing how it'll work for this particular application. What am I missing?

Nikki...what does one need to do ultrasound cleaning? Is it like the dentists use? Also, will it actually make the slices good enough to fuse both ON the surface and BELOW the surface of the finished piece? In other words, is the goal to clean the pieces throroughly? Or to actually grind/polish down ridges from the saw? If I'm simply cleaning my slices thoroughly, in effect, by grinding & polishing... then my eyes are wide open to new ideas.

My fantasy was this:
1) Open the door,
2) Pile in the slices & media
3) Close door & flip the "on" switch,
4) Come back later & voila beautiful slices ready to lay up for fusing.

Thanks,
ActiveImaginationGirl
P.S... You're welcome for the pix, Bob. For some reason Paul didn't receive them...

The wax method works well but is a little complex 2 get it 2 work
N U realy neead a reciprolap 2 get it 2 B ergonomic

If U realy wanna know

Ask

Lisa Allen · Post by **Lisa Allen** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 4:59 pm

PDXBarbara (Bader) wrote:
Hi Lisa... do you use them exclusively on the surface of your gorgeous work? See, I'm using some of mine in multiple layers with clear over many of them.
Thanks,
BB

Hey barbara. Yeah, mine are only used on the surface. I would sure try the MK100 wonder saw if you need no saw marks and divots though. It is a huge difference in the quality of the slices.

Lisa

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 5:07 pm

Lisa Allen wrote:Hey barbara. Yeah, mine are only used on the surface. I would sure try the MK100 wonder saw if you need no saw marks and divots though. It is a huge difference in the quality of the slices.

Lisa

95% of the quality of the cut is the blade, not the saw.

Lisa Allen · Post by **Lisa Allen** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 5:15 pm

charlie wrote:
Lisa Allen wrote:Hey barbara. Yeah, mine are only used on the surface. I would sure try the MK100 wonder saw if you need no saw marks and divots though. It is a huge difference in the quality of the slices.

Lisa
95% of the quality of the cut is the blade, not the saw.

I agree with you absolutely. I should have been clearer to say the MK wonder saw with Result blade. I never got a blade that I was happy with for the MK370. The Result doesn't come in 7", plus my slabs are getting bigger and bigger, so I went ahead and upgraded to the MK100. Now, not only am I getting better quality slices, but I don't have to wear ear plugs or sit inside a garbage bag to keep from getting drenched.....

Lisa