These small (25 mm x 25 mm x 0.65 mm) cutting stones are used to make clean cuts of glass and quartz capillaries. Use the edge of the stone to etch the capillary then gently snap the capillary in two. This is useful for cutting the tips off closed capillaries used for mounting single crystals for x-ray diffraction analysis or for cutting capillaries to the desired length.
Capillary Cutting Procedure
1. Gently place the capillary on a clean, flat surface. 2. Gently holding the stone at approximately 30° angle to the capillary tube, starting near one edge of the stone, proceeding in a single, smooth motion, draw the length of the non-serrated edge of the stone across the capillary one time . Apply just enough pressure to score the capillary, do not attempt to cut through the capillary. 3. Pull the capillary axially until it breaks. If it won’t break, the score was not deep enough. Repeat the above steps, pressing down with slightly more force while drawing the cleaving stone the capillary. 4. Once cut, inspect the end finish to ensure the cut quality meets the application requirements.
