Changes

* Technique 2  

* Technique 2  

** If you want to ensure that the outer cladding will not be disturbed during the polishing process you will need to remove the outer cladding for a short (about 0.5 mm) length of the fiber.  This is a relatively easy process it just takes some time a lot of patients, and a microscope.  To begin with, set up a cutting guide such that you can make a small cut perpendicular to the length of the fiber.  If possible try and design your cutting guide such that it also lines up the cuts for all of the sides.  I used a simple piece of paper raped around the fiber.  

** If you want to ensure that the outer cladding will not be disturbed during the polishing process you will need to remove the outer cladding for a short (about 0.5 mm) length of the fiber.  This is a relatively easy process; it just takes some time, a lot of patience, and a microscope.  To begin with, set up a cutting guide such that you can make a small cut perpendicular to the length of the fiber.  If possible try and design your cutting guide such that it also lines up the cuts for all of the sides.  I used a simple piece of paper raped around the fiber.  

** Next, using your hobby knife make a shallow cut along your cutting guide.(Note: you don't have to cut all the way through the outer cladding, just most of the way.)  Try not to cut the inner fiber, to insure that you do not, it takes some practice.  Take a piece of scrap fiber and begin cutting the outer cladding.  The inner fiber feels much softer then the outer cladding, the only way to tell is it just cut through your test fiber. [[Image:Stripped Cladding.JPG|thumb|Fiber with Cladding Striped]]

** Next, using your hobby knife make a shallow cut along your cutting guide.(Note: you don't have to cut all the way through the outer cladding, just most of the way.)  Try not to cut the inner fiber, to insure that you do not, it takes some practice.  Take a piece of scrap fiber and begin cutting the outer cladding.  The inner fiber feels much softer then the outer cladding, the only way to tell is it just cut through your test fiber. [[Image:Stripped Cladding.JPG|thumb|Fiber with Cladding Striped]]

** Now that each side of the fiber is cut, start removing the cladding.  To do this, it is easiest to use a second hobby knife.  Place the second hobby knife along the cut in the fiber and place the initial hobby knife at the end of the fiber between the cladding and the fiber and use it to pry up the cladding. If you did it right the cladding should come up and break along the cut that you made.  The fiber after the cladding is removed, is see in the picture to the right. (Note: don't worry about scratching the inner fiber, it will all be polished away anyway.)   

** Now that each side of the fiber is cut, start removing the cladding.  To do this, it is easiest to use a second hobby knife.  Place the second hobby knife along the cut in the fiber and place the initial hobby knife at the end of the fiber between the cladding and the fiber and use it to pry up the cladding. If you did it right the cladding should come up and break along the cut that you made.  The fiber after the cladding is removed, is see in the picture to the right. (Note: don't worry about scratching the inner fiber, it will all be polished away anyway.)