By Nadia Zteel

This expedition produced possibly the best thin sections to ever grace the tearful eyes of man, in recorded human history. Using techniques of old, passed down through generations of a secret brotherhood, the rock has been turned into what some might call the holy grail. The secrets of this methodology are closely guarded and will only reveal itself to those who are deemed worthy. Countless souls have perished and been extinguished at the hands of the divine flame in reckless attempts to subdue and control the secrets of thinning. Others thought it was an art long forgotten, lost to the sands of time. We bring word to thee; it is... Find the ferryman, not young neither old. Pay him your tribute, but not one of gold. The ferryman will take you on a journey of discovery, when he deems you worthy of his selection. For it is only once you find yourself within yourself that you may learn the ancient art of creating perfection. 

Summary

Thin section lab was largely unaffected by any ship maintenance issues. A few thin sections were produced to ensure that the equipment is still operating to an acceptable standard.

Equipment:

PetroThin

The machine functioned well, no vacuum issues with the chuck face. The cutting blade was dressed with the various dressing stones to ensure a good cutting face. This should be done regularly throughout the expedition. The diamond grinding wheel will need replacing in the near future, however, in its current state it will function great for softer materials (better than a fresh wheel, as it is less aggressive). It is not ineffective for anything harder, it will simply just take slightly longer to grind those materials down.

VS2 System

Good working order.

PetroThin Vac Pump

It was taken apart, consumable parts were replaced with new ones from rebuild kits and oil was replaced. It does mist and has always produced mist, it is a natural process of the vacuum process. In its current state, the misting is not entirely excessive. If oil start shooting up the exhaust filter and any funny noises are heard that would warrant a bit of investigation. Also, the amount of misting observed might be due to a slightly incorrect exhaust filter.

PM5 Polisher

Fantastic as usual.

LP50 Lapping machine

Not used as usual, but still responds to commands and therefore presumed it is still working well.

Metaserv Polisher

Yes, the real workhorse of thin section. Still in good knick

                                                                        OOGA BOOGA WE MAKE ROCK PRETTY!