Thin Section Preparation:

 This technique involves taking a chip from the specimen under examination, and grinding
one side perfectly flat with carborundum powder on a glass plate.
 Different grades of carborundum powder are used, starting with coarse and continuing with
finer powders, remembering to wash the specimen between each application to remove
coarse powder.
 A glass slide (75 mm x 25 mm) is taken and heated while a spot of cement (RI = 1.540,
such as Lakeside, Canada balsam, etc.) is placed on it.
 The correct moment to stop heating balsam is judged by taking up a small quantity on
forceps and, by opening them, causing a bridge of balsam to form.
 If the balsam has been heated sufficiently this bridge will be hard and brittle when cool.
 The flat side of the rock chip is pressed against the cement on the glass slide, to remove
any air bubbles that form.
 When cool, the chip will be firmly attached to the glass slide.
 The next part of the operation is the same as the first part; that is, further grinding down of
the rock chip, again using carborundum powders, beginning with coarse and ending with
the finest powder.
 The correct thickness (0.03 mm) is judged by examining the section under a microscope
with crossed polars, to see if the polarization colours attributable to some known mineral,
such as quartz (grey or white of the first order) are the usual ones.
 If the thickness is correct the thin section is thoroughly washed, and all remaining cement
scraped away from around the chip.
 The section is then covered with a cover slip, which is attached to the section by the same
cement as was used at the beginning, again pressing down to remove any air bubbles.
 Excess cement is removed using methylated spirits. The result is a rock or mineral thin
section.