The cutting, grinding and polishing steps are common to all preparations to expose a fresh surface through cutting or grinding. Diamond blade slab or wafering saws, lubricated using propylene glycol, are suitable for exposing a fresh surface. This surface needs to be smoothed by grinding. Abrasive papers of 100, 220, 320, 400 and 600 (silicon carbide paper) used dry are also suitable for rapid removal of material by grinding. Using successively finer grades of abrasive paper removes damage produced by the earlier grit. After the 600 grit grind, the surface is smooth enough for polishing with the diamond pastes. Visual examination of the specimen
allows one to identify when the abrasive has cut the entire surface. Grinding striations on the specimen surface indicate that grit has completely removed a layer of material. By alternating grinding directions by 90 degrees one can insure that the entire surface has been ground. These operations damage the specimen surface necessitating a polishing step that is described next.