And this guy http://gotgrit.com/
Buy the smallest amounts, as we need very little
And this guy http://gotgrit.com/
Buy the smallest amounts, as we need very little
Tin Can
I bought a pound of 600 grit silicon carbide for US$8 from a local lapidary and rock shop (as HMG is suggesting). That's enough grit to last a lifetime. Tried it for the first time recently, and it's pretty easy and the glass looks very nice. You have to keep replenishing the water so the two pieces can slide over each other. They will tend to stick together by surface tension, so be prepared to slide them apart rather than trying to lift them apart (could easily break the glass by prying). Easy to make custom sizes, nip the corners, etc using a glass scoring wheel available at any hardware store. Use a bit of sandpaper to smooth the edges and corners.
Thanks. I ordered me some 320 Grit.
Free advice is expensive
Tin Can
"I don't have the tools / space to make my own." That sounds like he doesn't know how easy it is to acquire what's needed and make one's own. If you don't have the space to make a ground glass, how can you have enough space for a LF camera or film holder? Giving good advice doesn't entail answering a question exactly how it's asked.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
How easy and how inexpensive.Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt
If you don’t count the value of time.
I researched several articles describing glass grinding and settled on the process described by Dick Dokas. I got a couple bags of Aluminum Oxide from willbell in 3 and 5 microns. That's been enough to do several 8x10, 11x14 and 14x17 ground glass plates and there's plenty left to do many more. I absolutely love the resulting ground glass. I got a 5"x6" grinding blank in 1/4" glass. The guy at the glass shop polished knocked down the edges and corners for me. I usually grind a glass while watching a movie or a baseball game. That's about the right time to get it done for 8x10. 14x17 takes much longer (figure three sessions) and a quite a bit of more elbow grease. It will bring great satisfaction every time you see the image your camera makes and you will quickly forget how sore you arm was. You'll want to get something to protect your ground glass in transport.
One of the guys that used to do ground glass made it from Borosilicate glass. Anyone know where you can get that stuff? Seems like it would be better since it is clearer than float glass and stronger too.
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