[meteorite-list] thin section waste?

[Tom Knudson]

Hi List, I know nothing about thin sections or how they are made. So, I went
to Google like a good boy and read about it.  All the sites I visited said
the same thing, but gave no explanation. They said you end up with a "chip"
it is the piece that is clued to the slide.  They say to, take a "chip"  27
x 46 mm rectangular and 10mm thick epoxy it to the glass then cut off the
chip as close to the glass as possible leaving just a thin slice attached to
the glass.
   Okay, I said in the beginning, I know nothing about thin sections, but
that seems like a waste of time and material to me!!!  You just wasted 3/4's
of the material! Why not take a piece 27 x 46mm and 4mm thick and epoxy it
to the glass and save your self the second cut and 6mm of your material?
You can call me what you will, but I can not see the reasoning behind the
waste!  If you are making a lunar thin section, that is an expensive
proposition!

http://almandine.geol.wwu.edu/other/thinsections/


Thanks, Tom
peregrineflier <><