BONDING BILLETS TO FROSTED SLIDES: USER GUIDE

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This user guide will help thin section technicians bond the flattened billets to frosted slides. For more information refer to the Logitech Thin Rock Section Production manual, available in the Thin Section Lab both on a Logitech thumb drive in the bookcase and computer under the "Manual" folder on the desktop.

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PREPARING FOR RESIN

1. Set the billets flattened side up on heat pad and spray them with isopropyl alcohol.  This will help them dry.
2. Clean frosted slides off with isopropyl alcohol, blow them dry, and measure them again.

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      3. Place the slides on the heat pad as well.

MIXING RESIN

1. Mix one full pump of EpoTek 301 part A and part B into a weighing dish.
   1. The ratio is 3 to 1. The pumps are preset to this.
   2. Make sure pump is primed first or there will not be the right ratio.
2. Stir the resin slowly with wooden stick until there are no trails of the two mixing (Fig. 1) and go slow to avoid bubbles.

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The resin should stay good for about 45 minutes. If it starts to get too thick, place on the hot plate for a few seconds and it will become thin again for a very short time.

PUTTING RESIN ON THE BILLETS

1. Once the samples are completely dry clean the surface off with a kim-wipe and isopropyl alcohol.
2. Place the billet on a Teflon puck.
3. With the wooden stick slowly draw an X with the resin on the sample (Fig. 2).

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 5. Let it sit for a minute or two and watch if any bubbles form.  If there are bubbles get them out with the metal point tool (Fig. 3).

Figure 3

SURFACE IMPREGNATION

1. If the billet is soaking up resin, it is a good idea to surface impregnate it.
2. Hook up the vacuum hose to the impregnation stand (Fig. 4).
3. Place the billet under the bell jar (Fig. 4).
4. Check the vacuum oil level. Refill if it starts to run low.
5. Turn on vacuum pump by turning on the power strip connected to the wall (Fig. 4).

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13. After the billet is surface impregnated it can be immediately bonded to a frosted slide.
 

BONDING FROSTED SLIDES TO THE BILLETS

1. Make sure the frosted slides are clean.
2. Hold the frosted side up to the sample to measure how large it is. Draw two horizontal lines with resin to outline the size of the sample (Fig. 6).

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9. When cured remove sample and replace Teflon pucks.

GRAIN MOUNTS

1. Dry the grains on the hot plate for an hour or more in a weighing dish.
2. Mix up EpoTek resin.
3. Place dry grains into a clean plastic mold and cover them with resin.
   1. It is best to use a small mold and to fill it at least half way.
4. Label the mold with the sample number.
5. Place the mold on the hot plate on top of a Teflon puck.
6. Let it cure until it is hard all the way through-it may take the whole day.
7. Peel away the mold and make sure to label the sample.
8. Once the resin is dry the grain mount can be treated as a hard rock billet.
9. When flattening the grain mount it is best to do it by hand. Make sure enough material is taken off so the grains are cut in half.
10. When bonding the grain mount to a slide treat it as a hard rock.

IMPREGNATING A BILLET

1. Impregnation should be done on samples that are soft, water soluble or vesicular billets (ex. pumas, sandstone, mudstone, and clay stone).
   1. These samples should all be dried first. Refer to the Freeze Drier user guide.
2. Once the samples are dry mix up 3 pumps of both part A and B of EpoTek resin.
3. Place the billet into a clean plastic mold that is best fit it.
4. Label the mold with the sample number.
5. Cover the billet with resin (Fig. 10).

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