Below are the pictures I took of the fibers after using each of the polishing tools. Note that the labels I used are as the appear on the buffs. For a reference I included a picture of all the buffs that were used. The fiber pictures were taken using a digital camera mounted on a microscope.
- Emery Board.
- In this picture note that the end of the fiber has many deep scratches on it but the surface is flat and perpendicular to the sides (which is the main point of this step). It is important on this step not to break off too much of the cladding.
- #1 Clean
- Here we see a that the deep scratches that were present after the Emery board are now shallow. The end of the fiber Should Not be rounded as it appears in the picture and to do this used the buffs mounted on the metal plate.
- #2 Condition
- Here we see that the scratches are practically gone and its starting to look clean and clear. Again the end of the fiber Should Not be rounded as it appears in the picture and to do this used the buffs mounted on the metal plate.
- #3 Shine
- This is the final finished product. Note the high glossy sheen and water clear appearance. After this step it is important that you do not touch the end of the fiber with anything as it may leave scratches or unwanted particles. Also if you leave the freshly polished fiber exposed to the open air for more then 10 to 15 minutes, you should just use the "Shine" board again before using.
- In this picture we see a fiber that is bent past its minimum bending radius. The tell-tail signs of this are the "tiger stripe" marks seen in the photo.
