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Refining intarsia fits with slurry

Dorry

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Joined
Jun 17, 2025
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6
I've pre-cut some pieces for an intarsia-style fit and want to use vertical motion to grind them together precisely. I'm rigging up an old engraver to hold one on a dop stick and plan to use a few drops of silicon carbide slurry, would any additives help the slurry stick better than plain water? Or is that overthinking it?
 
I've pre-cut some pieces for an intarsia-style fit and want to use vertical motion to grind them together precisely. I'm rigging up an old engraver to hold one on a dop stick and plan to use a few drops of silicon carbide slurry, would any additives help the slurry stick better than plain water? Or is that overthinking it?
Just a drop of dish soap can help the slurry stay put a little better without messing with the grit. Honestly though, plain water works fine if you're not rushing it. :) Depends on the time you have on your plate I guess.
 
Just a drop of dish soap can help the slurry stay put a little better without messing with the grit. Honestly though, plain water works fine if you're not rushing it. :) Depends on the time you have on your plate I guess.
I'll try the dish soap trick just to see if it helps a bit, I am not in a huge rush, so I'm happy to take it slow and steady
 
@Dorry Honestly, for most lapidary grinding, plain water is usually sufficient for silicon carbide slurry. The goal is to keep the abrasive suspended and lubricate the cutting action. Water does a great job of that without introducing complications
 

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