Chemical apparatus; Electroplating; Glass blowing and working; Glass coatings; Glass grinding and polishing; Lampwork; Mirrors
Sec. 60. The tools and lens being all of the same curvature, the state
of the surface is gradually improved by grinding with finer and finer
emery. The best way of grading the emery is by washing it with clean
water, and allowing the emery (at first stirred up with the water) to
settle out. The longer the time required for this part of the process
the finer will be the emery deposited. An ordinary bedroom jug is a
very good utensil to employ during this process; a large glass jug is
even better. The following grades will be found sufficient, though I
daresay every operative's practice differs a little on this point.
1st grade: Flour emery, with the grit washed out, i.e. allowed to
stand for 2" (sec.) before being poured off.
2nd grade: Stand 5" (secs.), settle in 1' (min.)
3rd grade: Stand 1', settle in 10'.
4th grade: Stand 10', settle in 60'.
It is generally advisable to repeat the washing process with each
grade. Thus, selecting grade 2 for illustration, the liquor for grade
3 must be poured off without allowing any of the sediment to pass over
with it. If any sediment at all passes, one has no security against
its containing perhaps the largest particle in the jug. As soon as
the liquor for No. 3 has been decanted, jug No. 2 is filled up again
with clean water (filtered if necessary), and after standing 5" is
decanted into jug No. 2b, the sediment is returned to jug No. 1, and
the liquor, after standing 1', is transferred to jug No. 3.
The greatest care is necessary at each step of the operation to
prevent "sediment" passing over with liquor. There is a little danger
from the tendency which even comparatively large particles of emery
have to float, in consequence of their refusing to get wet, and the
emery worked up on the side of the jug is also a source of danger,
therefore wipe the jug round inside before decanting.
In order to get a uniform grade stop the currents of water in the jug,
which may work up coarse particles, by holding a thin bit of wood in
the rotating liquid for a moment, and then gently withdrawing it in
its own plane. These precautions are particularly necessary in the
case of grades Nos. 2, 3, and 4, especially No. 4, for if a single
coarse particle gets on the tool when the work has progressed up to
this point it will probably necessitate a return to grinding by means
of No. 2, and involve many hours' work.
The surface of the lens will require to be ground continuously with
each grade till it has the uniform state of roughness corresponding to
the grade in question. Two hours for each grade is about the usual
time required in working such a lens as is here contemplated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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