In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat "carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

de W9STB

In article ,
Smokey wrote:
In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat "carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

de W9STB





People that make their own telescope mirrors use all the grades of
abrasives.

Google is your friend.


--
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m
Don't blame me. I voted for Gore. A Proud signature since 2001

Go back to the automotive parts store and pick up some 1500 grit carborundum
paper. I use it all the time on the FT-243. Use it with water, works great
and works well.

--

"Smokey" wrote in message
...
In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I
used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to
try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat
"carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was
the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU
find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the
people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

de W9STB

"Smokey" wrote in message
...
In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I
used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to
try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat
"carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was
the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU
find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the
people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

de W9STB



Technique is important, there were many articles that stressed the proper
techniques to grind the crystals to keep the quartz plate surfaces perfectly
parallel. A lot of hams would grind down the edges, which caused a loss
of activity or a dead crystal.

Pete

"Smokey" ) writes:
In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available.

I'm with Pete, I don't think the abrasive matters while how you do it
does.

If you grind too much, that will kill them. And as Pete says, if what
grinding you do is not nice and even over the surface, that will cause
problems.

If you don't clean things properly after the actual grinding, that may
stop oscillation.

Michael VE2BVW

McMaster-Carr carries silicon carbide grit in various sizes (along with
a million other things).

http://www.mcmaster.com

Bob Weiss N2IXK

Smokey wrote:
In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat "carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

de W9STB

I have ground 6 MHz crystals up 1 MHz - just to see if I could do it. I
grind in a figure 8 pattern using fine sanding paper. I often use 600 grit
to speed things along.

I use a small square piece of glass I got from the garbage can of the glass
cutter at the local hardware store.

Clean well after grinding.

It took me one NBA basketball game and two cold beers to go up one MHz. If
you secure the glass plate, you can grind with one hand and drink with the
other.

I now have a large box of ham crystals - even made a nice label for it.

73, Colin K7FM

On Sun, 10 Jun 2007 18:14:13 -0500, "Smokey"
wrote:

In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat "carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

Permatex #34A valve grinding compound works well for ballparking large
frequency changes.
http://www.subdevo.com/n4jvp/crystal...alGrinding.htm

In article ,
Smokey wrote:
In the 1960s I ruined many a crystal following the guidelines found in ham
publications then for raising the frequency of my FT-243s. Of course I used
Comet or Ajax since that was all that was available. Now, lo these many
years later I am ready to give it a go again only this time I'd like to try
it with carborundum grinding powder. I have checked the local hardware
stores and the response is typical for the Jasons and Jareds who have no
business working in such a place. When they ask you to repeat "carborundum"
its a sign they'll be of little help. I've tried automotive parts stores
and, while carborundum is used in cylinder compound it is mixed with some
other chemicals I am not sure would be good for my quartz. One idea was the
guys that polish rocks and collect them. Hobby stores? So where do YOU find
your carborundum? I'd like to know because I can't find it. Even the people
at the glass etching place in town thought I was gargling when I said the
word "carborundum." Thanks for your suggestions.

Moyco Precision Abrasives sells it. You should be able to get a small
amount from Barton's And Company, 215-659-6184. They sell to jewelers
and can probably suggest other abrasive compounds for quartz as well.

Cylinder compound WILL work on crystals, as will Ajax Cleanser if you are
very, very patient.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Thanks to all of you for some excellent suggestions and help. Colin, I fell
of my chair reading yours !
I realize now that "carborundum powder" is one of those things that ham
project books describe but, in reality, was never invented.
Somewhere in a cavernous basement is an evil person laughing about the goose
chase he sent legions of novices on only to end in hopeless frustration. His
eyes are probably sinister and he has a fang-like overbite. Memories of my
first Boy Scout campout come to mind as I recall spending hours in the
middle of the night going camp to camp for my scoutmaster trying to find a
"caffeine eliminator" for his coffee. Others, I have heard, looked for
"snipe." "Caffeine eliminators," "snipe" and now we can add "carborundum
powder" to the list of common things that no one will ever be able to find.

ANYWAY...the suggestion of using "anything abrasive will work" was a good
one. I had on hand some 1500 grit waterproof sheets of something or other (I
don't know if it was aluminum oxide, emery, sandpaper or what). I decided to
try grinding again after my 40 year hiatus since my novice days. I dropped a
few drops on water on the stuff to give the crystal a little cushioning. 3
sets of "figure 8s" later I had moved the crystal the 2 kc I wanted to move
it. It was simple. Light pressure on the corners of the crystal...only
enough to guide it in its figure-8 pattern, not even bearing down with any
discernable pressure. After each set of 8 figure-8s I'd rinse the crystal
off and remeasure its frequency. There was no magic in the event and it was
actually somewhat anticlimactic. Apparently technique is the key thing,
keeping the crystal parallel and trying not to grind down the corners.

Had I been this successful as a WN9 I may have been launched into a whole
different career. Why, I could have been "C-W Crystals" or "Peterson" or
"James Knight" !!!

And from my executive office I could have ordered around my
employees..."Anderson, bring me the Jenkins report!, " "Wilson, get in here
I want to see you" but my favorite would be, "Miss Davis...bring me a cup of
coffee, cream and sugar and the caffeine eliminator." Heh-heh.

Vern W9STB