Crystals

[parfaitelumiere]

Hello,

As a Mineral collector I like crystals.
I collect especially matrix specimens,rare species,ge crystals,and colored small samples.
And now,as a lightsaber enthusiast I have a new interest in small loose crystals I didn't even watch before.
I think it's easy to find good focusing crystals,using waterclear dt quartz.
I Was thinking about what could be a perfect primary crystal,instead of a colored led...
I have taken a look at mineral species,and made a compromise between color,transparency,availability,price,and physical and chemical poperties(no home made or salt crystal here,just true gems)
For blue crystal,just a deep colored aquamarine.
For green crystals,just a very well formed forsterite,or a quite big chrome-diopside from Tanzania.
Red crystals are really harder to find:
Elongated shape,red color,tranparency and availability,it's really hard.
I think nobody wants to put a 200$ rhodochrosite scalenohedron in a saber:wrong color,rarity,and weakness.
I thougt about red garnets,but shape is not the best for a crystal chamber,however I will try.
I thought about orange kyanite from Tanzania,but it's hard to find a short and thick crystal,most are long an narrow.
About synthetic materials,it could be possible with spinel,corundum and cz zirconia,but it's necessary to cut them,so it increases the price.
However I think for red crystals the best choice would be synthetic,to be more accurate to the sith spirit.
I think the best choice would be hydrothermal synthetic corundum,because of a crystalline shape,good color and transparency,and....synthetic work.

Here are some natural crystals:


top: rough rhodochrosite and spinel
left: polished(top) and rough(bottom) dt quartz
center: polished colorless,blue and green primary crystals.
right:two rough forsterite crystals.

The biggest crystal is the 25mm rhodochrosite from Quebec.

[parfaitelumiere]

About the polishing I use a flat glass,and diamond paste.
I keep the original crystal faces,and polish to 0,5 micron grit.


Here are 3 crystals:



left: rough
Middle: 2 micron finish
right: 0,5 micron finished

The biggest crystal is 3/4"-19mm long

[Azmaria Dei]

double posting is bad, but from the looks of it, you found the upload per post cap, so there's no real helping it...

so you seriously polished those in the last picture? can we talk you into doing a tutorial on that in the Miscellaneous area? that'a just amazing how you got that effect on that center one and especially the right one. that center one should light up incredibly well in a saber. i really have to take some pictures of the crystals i have now. yes, i think you have quite a bit you're bringing to this hobby. ^_^

EDIT:: here they are. ^_^ all 10 pictures are in my Picasa Album, but here's a couple of the best ones i think. ^_^

[Skottsaber]

Wow! Very informative!
I love it when people who can bring knowledge to the hobby make posts like this.

I've heard that for red crystals some people use industrial Rubies?

[parfaitelumiere]

I didn't exactly understand your first purpose,maybe you mean I would edit the first post and add what is in the second into the first?
I'm french...

The center is really light diffusing.It helps especially if you have some cracks inside.
And it takes really less time to polish than the one of the right.

Here is the rough:



5 micron finish:



and 2 micron finish:



Here is the retro led effect:





I think it would be more diffusing by grinding the led head,and gluing on crystal with cyanoacrylate.

It's easy to see the diffusing effect on surface,when correctly polished it give a pinkish orang surface effect,maybe something to see with "raleight diffusion"?!
However,what I'm looking for is a perfect polished surface,no diffusing crystal,but a waterclear crystal.

edit:

For Azmaria Dei,I think the rough crystals here can't do the job,but it's easy to find good stuff,especially if you live in USA.
Just type"herkimer" on ebay,it is perfect for primary colorless crystals,no need to polish,it's the better quartz crystal in the world.
However it won't match if you want a elongated crystal,elongated crystals are quite harder to find,especially small,clear,and perfectly dt.

For everyone,I will try to make a tutorial,I don't know what to say,it's easy and difficult:
-what is easy is to polish,use 5,2.5,1 and 0.5 micron diamond paste,and a glass.
-what is difficult is to maintain the crystal in the correct position,especially on very small facets,I do it by the hand only.

[Azmaria Dei]

ok, i REALLY want a full tutorial now... please? ^_^

[parfaitelumiere]

For the tutorial:
You have to find a good clear crystal,as veat as possible,and with minor scratches as possible,because scratches(especially on terminations)are really hard to remove.

Tools:
-some diamond paste from 10 to 0,5 micron
-some cooking oil to make the diamond paste more liquid.
-a glass sheet,thickness doesn't matter,but not to thin if you want it not to break.
-a paper roll
-liquid soap
-toothbrush
-some skill and patience,it's the most important.

First step,you have to polish with the coarst grit.
-you put some diamond paste on the glass,you put drop of oil,and place the crystal.
You can prepare you crystalposition on the dry glass,you put it on the glass,and try to feel how it "sticks" the best,when you find it,you know how to place the crystal to keep the original face position,and geometry.

Wrong:



Correct:



You polish the crystal,in the first time a really soft pressure,to remove reliefs,then you can apply a stonger pressure.
You have to find your own may about crystal moving(circles,straight up-down,or only straight in one direction(the best way to maintain crystal position for really small face)
You clean the crystal often to verify the position,you can see how the paste grinds the crystal.
When the face is entirely grinded,you go to the next face,from the smallest to the largest,so from the most difficult to the easiest.
When you have finished with a grit,you clean the crystal and glass,you must be carefull with cleaning,it's the most important.
Then you work with thiner grit:10,5,2,1 and 0,5 micron.
You can cross the grinding lines,to see if the previous grinding is totally removed with the new one(for example,begin with 10 in the axis,and use the 5 at 90° axis)




To obtain glossy luster you can use a thin paper,you put it on the glass,put some 0,5 paste on paper,and polish the crustal on the paper,it will give the luster.
here is the stuff:glass,diamond paste and the paper for the glossy result.

[Azmaria Dei]

that all makes sense for the most part. you have a few misspellings, but it's all 'crystal' clear to me. ^_^ thanks love! your English is actually rather good, and your american is superb too!

it really does amaze me how many french people i've met that speak good english. but then again it seems only americans aren't multi-lingual...

[parfaitelumiere]

Most of my interests are in american language,other in japanese,but for japanses I use google translater...
English or american are quite easy to read,but really hard to hear,so I listen movies with subtitles when it's possible!
It's difficult for SW fanfilms...
Here in France,fan films are so poor,I would make a small movie about saber genesis,with crystal quest,polishing,and saber construction,failures and success,to the first ignitition and saber use.
I would something between SF and the spirit of ancient japanese sword makers
But I think for a good movie,american guys are better.
Even cheesy actors are better than french actors,who are like statues...

About synthetic ruby,the main problem is that most of them are made with "procédé verneuil",it's not a crystal,but a kind of glass,so there are no crystal faces.
When there are hydrothermal process,most of the times,the crystals are big,so it's necessary to cut them...
I'm looking for zincite,I think it's quite easier to find,but what about the colors,I hope zincite can have good red color.

[Sunrider]

Thanks for the information. I have been looking for a way to get a good finish on quartz. I have found it pretty easy to cut and polish down to a 5 micron finish with a diamond coated disk on my dremel. But I was stuck at that point. I will have to try your method.