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Diamond Polishing Compound What It Is and What It’s Used For?

Diamond Polishing Compound What It Is and What It’s Used For?

Diamond Polishing Compound What It Is and What It’s Used For?

As you join the world of lapidary, you may find yourself wondering about diamond polishing compounds—what is it, and what is it used for? This polishing material comes in various colors and mediums—each one serving a different purpose—and is easy to use. Furthermore, it has many uses ranging from buffing out scratches to polishing gemstones, metals, ceramics, and more.

What Is Diamond Polishing Compound?

The first question to ask is what is a diamond polishing compound? In lapping, many use a diamond polishing compound to polish various gemstone materials, as well as metals; it's also referred to as diamond grit compound. Interestingly, this compound is the only material that's used to form the facets on diamonds for jewelry.

How Is It Applied?

Application of these compounds is simple and typically done through a plastic syringe, though when spread on from a jar, cleanup is just as simple. Cutting Edge Supply Co sells both forms of this polishing compound in various grits to ensure you purchase the appropriate one for your needs.

When used as a polishing agent, it comes in oil-soluble and water-soluble forms, both of which have different properties. While an oil-soluble form is best when using less heat and a smaller grinding force, a water-soluble form works best for polishing diamond, ceramic, and other durable materials. Before using either, ensure you're using the accurate compound for your task.

Water-soluble is the easiest to clean up and will not stain anything. Water soluble solutions tend to also come off easier in the ultrasonic than oil based compounds do.

What Is Diamond Polishing Compound Used For?

Understanding the purpose of diamond polishing compound is just as important as knowing its uses. During the lapping process, most experts apply this gemstone compound with a plastic syringe; however, some use a mold, dye, or polishing tool for application. The diamond compound will come in different grits, with each grit having a different cutting ability. The lower the number, the courser it will be. Just like sand paper. So #600 grit diamond compound will be more rough than #8000 grit diamond compound. It is extremely important to know which grits to use during the stages of cutting a gemstone.

Understand Compound Color

This compound comes in various colors depending on the grit. For instance, red is usually #600g and blue is usually #1200. Compounds with a higher mesh diamond grit will polish more efficiently because the grains are finer. Furthermore, the color you should use depends on the task at hand. Some gemstones only need to be polished with a #3000g, while others need #100,000g.

If you’re looking to give your gemstones a beautiful finish, purchase the right gemstone compound and proper grit from Cutting Edge Supply Co; our assortment is sure to fulfill your needs.

 

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