− | In order to properly fuse the light guides to the scintillating fibers a mirror finish was needed on each fusing face. To minimize polishing time, fibers were bundled with an adjustable collar so that many of them were polished at the same time. The fibers were aligned so that their faces were flush with each other and the collar was position about a millimeter below the faces so they were protruding. The faces were then rubbed in a circular motion on two thousand grit sandpaper | + | In order to properly fuse the light guides to the scintillating fibers a mirror finish was needed on each fusing face. To minimize polishing time, fibers were bundled with an adjustable collar so that many of them were polished at the same time. The fibers were aligned so that their faces were flush with each other and the collar was position about a millimeter below the faces so they were protruding. The faces were then rubbed in a circular motion on two thousand grit sandpaper until all of the fibers had smoothed out. To remove residue the faces were rubbed on clean printer paper until they were completely clear. This residue removal was the most time consuming part of the process. After thirty seconds of rubbing the faces on the paper most of the residue is gone, but due to slight variations in protrusions from the face of the collar, not all of the residue would come off easily. To get every fiber the collar had to be loosened and the fibers realigned many times. |