How to make a thin section

Dave's methods at WWU Geology

Note: this document is online at www.davehirsch.com (under "Miscellany")
What is a thin section?
A thin section is a 30 m (= 0.03 mm) thick slice of rock attached to a glass slide with epoxy.
Typical thin section slides are 26 mm x 46 mm, although larger ones can be produced. They are
generally covered by another glass slide, a cover slip also attached to the rock with epoxy. The
epoxy ideally has an index of refraction of 1.54, although our epoxy is slightly higher, perhaps
1.56.

The sections may be left uncovered for chemical analysis on the SEM or electron microprobe. If
so, temporary cover slips may be weakly attached with glycerin.
Thin section making equipment
There are five main tools you will use: The slab saw, the trim saw, the grinder, the cut-off saw,
and the lap wheels. You will want a Sharpie-type permanent marker, some liquid paper and a
fine-tipped permanent marker.
Warnings: Things you can damage in the lab

Be sure when you use either the cut-off saw, or the thin section grinder, that the bottle is
less than half full of water. If it gets too full, water can be sucked into the building's
vacuum system. This would be bad. Don't do this.

Be sure to clean and dry the grinding wheels promptly after you finish using each one, or
they will rust rapidly. Instructions for this are given below.

Be sure to use the correct grit for each grinding wheel. From left to right, they get finer
and the grit numbers get larger: 120, 240, 400, 600.

Making your thin section

(Note: you can click any image for a greatlyenlarged version)

This guide is described in steps, with

photos of a sample rock shown alongside
as it undergoes the various steps.

Step One*: Prepare the glass slide

*You don't actually have to do this first. In fact, I often do this for a
whole bunch of slides at once, then use them as needed.

The glass slide you will glue the rock to

must be flat in order for the rock section
to end up with a constant thickness. In
order to achieve this you need to "frost"
the slide, which accomplishes two goals:
1. Removes the thick spots on the
slide
2. Adjusts the slide face to be parallel
to the grinding wheel's face.
To do this successfully, you need to be
able to keep the slide in the same
orientation both which you are frosting it
and later when you are grinding it. I
accomplish this by grinding off a corner
of the slide using the 240 grit grinding
wheel.
Here are the steps:

Figure 1. Grinding
wheels. Wheels have
particular abrasives:
rightmost wheel is 120
grit, then 240 grit
Figure 2. Putting water
(open), then 400 grit, on spinning wheel.
then 600 grit . Glass
slide corners are
ground using the 240
grit wheel.

Figure 3. Putting 240- Figure 4. Grinding the

grit abrasive on
corner of a glass slide
spinning, wet wheel. on the wheel.

1. Turn on the second wheel from the

left.
2. Spray some water from one of the
bottles on the wheel until it's
completely wet.
3. Sprinkle some abrasive on the
wheel - you don't need very much
at all.
4. Carefully let a corner of a glass
slide drag on the left side of the

Figure 5. Glass slide

with a corner ground
off. Note reflection it's not yet frosted.

wheel (if you use the right side,

which is moving towards you, it
may kick out of your hand).
5. Once a small amount has ground
away, you're done. Clean all grit
off the slide in the sink.
6. You must clean the wheel
promptly, or it will rust. The next
section describes how.

Cleaning the grinding wheel

You must clean the grinding wheels
promptly, or they will rust. Here's how:
A. Fill a large half-cut jug with water.
Clean off a sponge.
B. Pour half of it on the spinning
wheel.

Figure 6. Pouring
Figure 7. Cleaning the
water on the grinding
wheel with the sponge
wheel for initial
until all dirt is gone.
cleaning.

C. Clean the spinning wheel with the

sponge. Pour some more water on
the wheel.
D. Repeat step C until the sponge
stops picking up dirt from the
wheel.
E. Pour the remaining water around
the outside of the plastic bucket to
make the grit wash away.
F. Dry the spinning wheel with a
paper towel or two.
G. Dry the spinning wheel with the
hair dryer until it's totaly dry.
H. Cover the wheel immediately.

Figure 8. Inital drying Figure 9. Final drying

of wheel with paper of wheel with hair
towel.
dryer.

I. Clean the bench top that holds the

wheels.

Step Two: Frost the glass slide

You will now "frost" or grind the glass
slide to flatten it out and roughen the
surface so the epoxy can bind well. To
accomplish this, you must always place
the slide on the grinder in the same
orientation. (I always put the slide on so
that the cut-off corner points up and
towards me).
1. Turn on the water to the grinder.
2. Find a fairly clean slide (not
frosted) and place it on the slide
holder of the cut-off saw (wet it if
it doesn't stick). This is because
the two devices share a vacuum
system, and the one not in use
must have a slide to create a seal.
3. Wipe clean the slide holder of the
grinder. Any grit will produce
scratches on the finished section.
4. Place the section on the holder of
the grinder.

Figure 10. Cut-off saw

(left) and thin section
grinder (right). Note Figure 11. Slide on
that water controls are grinder showing
between sink and cut- position including
off saw, and vacuum ground corner.
controls are between
the two.

Figure 12. Placing

slide on grinder for
frosting. Be sure slide Figure 13. Grinder
rests against the pins, control with numerical
and place it on the
gauge.
holder with the
vacuum turned off.

5. Turn on the vacuum (the valve is

between the two instruments; it's
on when it points away from the
wall). Check to see that the slide is
firmly held.
6. Turn the control towards you until
it reads about 70. (This is counterclockwise; you should see the left
part of the grinder move away
from the right part which holds the

Figure 14. Slide

mostly frosted, but
Figure 15. Slide
with unfrosted portion completely frosted.
at top.

grinding wheel).
7. Turn on the motor.
8. While moving the slide back and
forth, slowly turn the control
clockwise until the slide begins to
contact the grinding wheel.
9. Note the number (on the control)
at which contact is made.
10. While still moving the slide back
and forth, advance the control
wheel gradually about three ticks
from the contact value. At this
point, grind for a while without
advancing the wheel while moving
the slide back and forth, to ensure
complete and even grinding.
11. Turn off the vacuum and press the
vacuum release valve (the black
tube from the slide holder
connacts to it; it is pressed towards
you). When the hissing stops,
remove your slide from the holder.
(Try not to drag it, or it may get
scratched).
12. Dry it off and see if it's all frosted
evenly. If not, repeat the above
steps until it is. You should not
need more than four ticks or so.
13. Once it's all frosted, make a note
of the position at which you
stopped; you'll need it later. This
value is the zero-thickness
position, the position at which the
grinding wheel contacts the glass
slide.

Step Three: Mark your rock

You need to decide where you will cut
your rock. This matters, especially with
rocks that have a fabric. You generally
will want to cut a thin section on a plane
perpendicular to any planar fabric, but for
particular purposes you may want thin
sections in other orientations. Mark a line
on the rock with the Sharpie.

Figure 16. Rock prior

to cutting. Pencil for
scale. Note that this
rock was not marked
before cutting, but
normally it would be.

Step Four: Cut the slab

Using the slab saw in the back of the
room, you will cut a slab from your rock
along the line you marked.
1. First clamp the sample in the
holder so that the line is parallel to
the saw blade, sticking out of the
holder. You do not make your first
cut along this line!
2. Find crank handle and attach to
square protrusion on tray. Wind
the tray about 11 turns away from
the saw blade. There is some
hysteresis, or "slop", so don't
count crank turns where the tray
isn't moving. Remove the crank
handle.
3. Close the cover, making sure the
sides and bottom are tucked inside
the lip.
4. Make the cut. First turn the switch
on to get the blade moving, then
turn the knob until the weight
begins to fall.
5. Once the cut is done (you can hear
it), turn the blade off and stop the

Figure 18. Slab saw

controls. Turn knob to
move rock
Figure 17. Slab saw.
into/through blade, and
Note location for crank
switch start blade
in bottom center.
turning (only turn on
with cover completely
closed!).

Figure 20. After first

Figure 19. Rock ready
cut. Next, close knob,
for first cut. Note that
pull tray back from
it sticks out extra far to
saw, then move tray
allow for second cut
towards blade about 11
without removing from
turns of the crank
clamp.
handle.

weight moving by turning the

knob away from you.
6. Pull the tray back to the beginning,
and use the crank to wind the
blade back to your line, 11 real
turns (where the tray is moving).
7. Remove the crank handle, and
close the cover.
8. Make the next cut as you did the
first. These two cuts should be
parallel planes about 8-10 mm
apart. The slab should fall onto the
catch tray behind the blade.

Figure 21. Ready for

second cut.

Figure 22. After

second cut: slab
complete (piece lying
on catch tray at left).

Clean up the slab

1. First wash the slab, the leftover
rock, and the first cut piece (if
there's enough to save) to remove
any oil and grit from the slab saw
process.
2. Next (while the rocks are drying)
set the leftover rock and the first
cut piece on a paper towel to dry,
but mark the sample number on
the towel. It's very easy to mix up
specimens at this point, because
you may have needed to cut
through the number previously
marked on the rock. Also, the first
cut piece likely has no number.
Once these are dry, re-mark them
with the sample number. I use
liquid paper and an india ink pen,
followed by nail polish once it's
dry.

Step Five: Cut the chip

Figure 24. Drying

Figure 23. Washing oil
speicmens with sample
and dirt off the rocks
number written on the
after slab cutting.
paper towel .

You need to reduce the size of the slab to

slightly smaller than a thin section. For
this you will use the trim saw against the
back wall of the room. You need to
carefully decide from what part of the slab
you want to cut the section.
1. You will use a special rock-cutting
blade which is made of metal with
diamonds embedded in it.
Essentially, such blades are narrow
grinding tools. You can even
safely put your finger on it as it
moves (if it is lubricated with
water), however you should not
put your fingernail on it.

Figure 25. These

blades are safe to
touch as long as they
are lubricated, but
don't put your
fingernail on it.

Figure 26. The

platform moves, so
you just push the slab
through the blade.

2. You should wear eye- and earprotection gear when using this
saw.
3. Start the water using the valve
above and to the right of the saw,
and start the blade using the switch
to the right.

Figure 28. Grinding

Figure 27. Final cut for the chip will remove
the chip.
any saw marks from
the cutting.

4. You just put the slab on the

platform and move it into the
blade. You can use a glass slide to
get the size correct (the chip
should be slightly smaller than the
slide).
5. After cutting the chip, the side
from which the thin section will be
cut must be polished to remove
marks from the saw blade. For
best results you can grind on each
of the four wheels, but a useable
section will result from just
grinding on the seccond (240 grit)
wheel.
6. As above, clean the grinding

Figure 29. Washing the

chip.

wheel when you are done with it.

Step Six: Glue the slide to the chip

Next, you attach the frosted side of the
slide to the side of the chip you just
ground down. You need to ensure a
constant thickness of epoxy across the
section, or when you grind the section
down, one end will be thicker than the
other.

Figure 31. Sample

Figure 30. Cut and
number marked in
polished chip warming
pencil on frosted side
up on the hot plate..
of slide.

1. Heat up the chip by placing it on

one of the hot plates with the
polished side up (so it doesn't get
dirty). This allows the exopxy to
flow more easily and cure faster.
2. Write the sample number in pencil
on the frosted side of the slide.
This number will get covered by
epoxy shortly.
3. You now need to mix a batch of
epoxy.
o For a single thin section,
this will be too much, but it
is difficult to accurately
mix a small amount.
o You need to use two parts
epoxy (the large bottle)
with one part hardener (the
small bottle). It's best to
use the balance to measure
by weight.
o A small batch would have
about 4 grams epoxy and 2
grams of hardener. (Be
sure to take into account
the weight of the tray!)

Figure 33. Pattern for

Figure 32. Epoxy and mixing. Should be
hardener prior to
rotated 90 degrees after
mixing.
each time through
pattern.

Figure 35. Chip coated

Figure 34. Spreading with epoxy after
epoxy on chip.
allowing it to
penetrate.

o These materials now must

be well-mixed, but while
creating as few bubbles as
possible. In order to
achieve this, I drag the
coffee stirrer in a sinuous
pattern first in one
direction, then in the same
pattern rotated 90 degrees.
4. Once the epoxy is well-mixed,
spread a few drops across the top
(polished side) of the warmed
chip.
5. Many rocks are porous (even some
that you might not expect) and you
must let the epoxy penetrate fully,
or the thin section will not survive.
So, spread epoxy, then wait for it
to soak in (5 minutes) then spread
more epoxy. Repeat until no more
epoxy soaks into the chip.
6. Place the slide, frosted side down
on the epoxy. It's best to put one
side down, then let the other side
fall to avoid trapping bubbles.
7. Move the slide around with your
finger or a pencil eraser. This will
squeeze out extra epoxy to achieve
a constant thickness, and if you
work at it, you can remove most
bubbles this way as well. While
doing this, be sure that the sample
number gets coated with epoxy.
8. Let this sit to cure. Check it
periodically for the first 5-10
minutes to be sure the slide has not
slid off the chip.
9. The epoxy will cure in about 2030 minutes. Do not take the next

Figure 37. Moving

Figure 36. Placing
slide around to expel
slide on chip, frosted bubbles and extra
side down.
epoxy, and coat sample
number.

step before that.

Step Seven: Cut off the chip from the

slide
Now you have a rock chip epoxied to a
glass slide. You will next cut most of the
chip off, leaving a thin slice attached.
1. Place a blank glass slide on the
grinder to block the vacuum.

Figure 38 . Slide with Figure 39 . Slowly

chip mounted in cut- cutting off the chip
off saw.
from the slide.

2. Turn on the water to the cut-off

saw.
3. Place the slide on the cut-off saw
(note direction of ground corner)
and turn on vacuum to hold it. Be
sure edges of slide are lodged
against pins in holder.
4. Turn on saw motor.
5. Use the handle to move the chip
into the blade. Go very slowly, or
you can break your slide and have
to start over.
6. Once the chip is cut off the slide,
retrieve the chip from the water
tray and set it aside (it will likely
need to be labeled with the sample
number).
7. Turn off the vacuum, and saw
motor.
8. Using the button (as with the
grinder - see above), break the
vacuum. Once the hissing stops,
remove your slide from the saw.

Figure 40 . Chip nearly Figure 41 . Chip and

cut from slide.
slide separated.

9. Rinse your slide to remove any

particles.

Step Eight: Grind your slide to the correct

thickness
You must now grind away much of the
rock that remains on your slide, but not all
of it. This is the step in which most thin
sections go bad. The key is: go slow,
especially near the end.
1. Place a blank glass slide on the
cut-off saw to block the vacuum.

Figure 43 . Moving
Figure 42 . Unground slide across grinding
slide mounted in
wheel while advancing
grinder holder.
control (with right
hand).

2. Turn on the water to the grinder.

3. Turn the control towards you
(counter-clockwise) a full rotation
to zero.
4. Be sure the slide holder and the
slide are clean and free of any grit
or particles.

Figure 44 . Checking Figure 45 . Quartz in a

the slide thickness
thin section, way too
using the microscope. thick.

5. Place the slide on the grinder

(maintaining the same orientation
using the corner you notched).
6. Turn on the vacuum and grinder
motor.
7. Moving the slide back and forth
with the handle, gradually advance
the control until the slide contacts
the grinding wheel.
8. While moving slide back and forth
across the grinding wheel with the
black handle, gradually advance
the control until you reach a point
about 15 ticks below your "zero
value" (see step 2).

Figure 46 . Quartz in a Figure 47 . Quartz in a

thin section, still fairly thin section, still a bit
thick.
thick.

Figure 48 . Quartz in a
thin section, now too
thin. At this point,
much of the remaining

9. Remove the slide (turn off the

vacuum, break the vacuum with
the button, then remove the slide)
and see if you can identify any
minerals in the section.
o If you can, then proceed
slowly until those minerals
achieve the correct
maximum interference
color (e.g., quartz should
show a maximum
interference color of a pale
straw yellow)
o If you cannot, then
advance one tick at a time
until you can identify a
mineral. If you are within 5
ticks of your zero value,
and you still can't identify
anything, stop and ask
someone who knows more
than you.
o Go slow, especially when
you are close to the correct
thickness! It's quite easy to
go from slightly too thick
to slightly too thin (or
ground completely away),
even without advancing
the position control at all!

Troubleshooting
o Warning: Most sections
fail at this stage because
you are grinding too fast!
Remember, any time the
grinder makes noise
against a slide, you are
removing rock. You often
don't have to advance the

section has been

ground away.

wheel at all to just grind a

small thickness away.
o If your section comes out
with the minerals all
cracked: you were
grinding too fast.
o If your section comes out
with the edges thin and the
center thick: you were
grinding too fast.
o If your section comes out
thick on one side and thin
on the other, you either
didn't frost the slide well,
or there was an uneven
epoxy layer.

Step Nine (version 1): Add a cover slip

If you do not expect to perform chemical
analysis on your minerals in this thin
section, you should add a cover slip to
protect the section from damage, and
increase the clarity observed in the
microscope. This process is a simple one:

Figure 49 . Putting a
drop of epoxy on the
ground slide.

Figure 50 . Container
for cover slips.

1. Make sure the section is clean and

free of grit or dirt.
2. Place it on the hot plate.
3. Mix up a small batch of epoxy and
hardener.
4. Place a small drop of epoxy on the
section.
5. Drop a cover slip on the drop.
6. Move it around to expel bubbles

Figure 51 . Dropping a
Figure 52 . Moving
cover slip on the slide.
cover slip to spread
Put one end down first
epoxy and expel
in order to prevent
bubbles.
bubbles.

and fully coat the section.

7. Let it cure.
8. After it has cured, there may be
extra epoxy on the top, sides, or
bottom. You can remove this, very
carefully, with a razor blade.

Step Nine (version 2): Polish for Electron

microprobe / SEM-EDS analysis
If you plan to perform chemical analysis
on your minerals, then you need to polish
the section much better than the grinder
polishes it. This is because these analysis
tools require a flat, smooth surface at the
micrometer scale. You perform this
polishing step using different tools in a
different room.
The key diffference for our purposes here
is that you should stop grinding when the
section is still a little bit thick, because
you will be removing material during the
polishing process.
The polishing apparatus is located on the
ground floor, at the other end of the
building (near the XRD).
(Full instructions for polishing may be
added to this document in the future. For
now, ask a knowledgeable user for help).

Step Ten: Clean up the place

You must clean the lab thoroughly when
you are done using it. You may store
samples in progress in one or more trays
clearly labeled with your name and the
date. These trays are placed in the lower

Figure 53. Drying off Figure 54. Oiling the

cabinets in the thin section lab room, or

(for grad students) in the cabinets in the
center of the adjacent room.

the section holder.

paper towel.

1. Make sure that the grading wheels

are clean and dry (see instructions
above).
2. Completely dry off the dark metal
section holders on both the cut-off
saw and the grinder.
3. For each of those two tools, spread
some oil on a paper towel, and
coat the dark metal portion
thoroughly with oil, then place the
oiled paper towel underneath the
section holder.
4. Empty out the water from the
vacuum bottle (covered with tape).

Figure 56. Tool dried,

Figure 55. Oiling the
oiled, and paper towel
section holder.
placed for storage.

Figure 57. Removing Figure 58. Emptying

tubing from vacuum the vacuum water
bottle.
bottle.

5. Place any epoxy stirrers crosswise

on the epoxy holder so that when
the epoxy dries, both can be
reused.
6. Mark your name in the log sheet.
7. Turn off the lights and close the
door when you leave.

Figure 59. Epoxy

Figure 60. Filling out
stirrer and tray stored
the log sheet.
for curing and reuse.