Grinding Tutorial

Preface
Recently, Brian sold me a quantity of Quartz crystal blanks, along with the mounting plates. These were
mostly in the range of 5 to 6 MHz. Unfortunately, these are mostly useless for amateur radio operators, since
they lay outside of an amateur radio band. However, it is possible to grind these crystals in order to raise the
frequency so that it falls within the 40 meter amateur radio band (7.000 MHz to 7.300 MHz).
The basic procedure for accomplishing the frequency changing grinding operation is covered in the "Radio
Handbook, Twenty-Second Edition" by William I. Orr, W6SAI (1981, Howard W. Sams & Company, Inc,
Indianapolis, IN 46268), on page 11.7:
Crystal Grinding Techniques

Crystals may be raised in frequency by grinding them to smaller dimensions. Hand grinding can be used to
raise the frequency of an already finished crystal and the can be accomplished without the use of special
tools or instruments. In the case of the surplus FT-243 style of crystal, the blank may be raised in frequency
up to several hundred kilohertz, if it is a fundamental-frequency cut.
A micrometer is required to measure the crystal thickness and grinding is done on a small shett of optically
flat glass. A piece of plate glass will suffice for the home work-shop. A grinding compound composed of
carborundum powder and water is required. A few ounces of #220 and #300 grits are suggested.
Before grinding is started, the crystal should be checked in an oscillator to make sure it is active. Activity of
the crystal can be rechecked during the grinding process to make sure that the faces of the crystal remain
parallel.
One face of the crystal is marked with a pencil as a reference face. All grinding is done on the opposite face
in order to maintain a reference flat surface. A small amouint of #400 grinding grit is placed on the glass disc
and enough water added to make a paste. The unmarked side of the crystal is placed face cown on the disk
and the blank is rubbed in a figure-8 motion over the disc, using just enough pressure from the index finger
to move the crystal.
After about a dozen figure-8 patterns have been traced (depending on the amount of frequency change
desired), the crystal is washed with water and wiped dry. The crystal is then placed in the holder for a
frequency check. The process is repeated a number of times until the crystal is gradually moved to the new
frequency.
For larger movement of the crystal frequency, the #220 grit may be used. Additionally grit should be added to
the glass plate as the compound gradually loses it's cutting power with use.
If crystal activity drops with grinding, the blank should be measured with a micrometer to determine the
degree of flatness. Normally, the corners are one to three ten-thousandths of an inch thinner than the center
of the blank. A thick corner will tend to reduce activity. Grinding the edge of the crystal will restore activity in
some cases.
When reassembling the FT-243 holder make sure that the raised corners of the top electrode press against
the blank; these are the only points of the electrode that make contact with the crystal.
Additional information on Quartz crystals may be obtained from http://www.bliley.net/XTAL/docs/eng_bulls/

E6/E-6_Bulletin.pdf .
A good discussion of Quartz crystal grinding techniques can be found at http://s88932719.onlinehome.us/
ham/rokgrind.htm and http://www.bliley.net/XTAL/docs/misc/XTAL_grinding/grinding.html .
A good history of Quartz crystals can be found at http://www.ieee-uffc.org/fc_history/bottom.html .
Crystal One
Preparation
For the first test, a Quartz crystal was selected at random, which proved to have a resonant frequency of
5.850 MHz [1].
[1] All frequency measurements were conducted with a Roadstar model FC250 frequency counter.
In order to test the resonant frequency of a Quartz slab, it is mounted between two plates. These plates have
raised corners such that the only positions that they touch the Quartz crystal at are the very corners. The
crystal and mounting plates are then mounted in a holder made from two small sections of printed circuit
board material. The two pieces of printed circuit board material are held together by two machines screws
and nuts, with a spacer between the screw farthest away from the crystal. This forms a triangular mount for
the crystal, where the crystal (between the plates) is held in place by the printed circuit board material. This
allows electrical contact to be made to the plates holding the crystal. Additionally, the natural springiness of
the printed circuit board material allows a firm yet moderate mounting pressure for the crystal.
The mounted crystal is then connected to a Pierce configured oscillator, built using a J-FET transistor. The
oscillating frequency is read from a frequency counter.
A sheet of thick (3/16 inch) glass was obtained, which was approximately 4 inches wide by 13 inches long.
Half of this sheet was roughened by etching it with a paste of Ammonium Bifluoride [2]. The thought was that
a rough substrate would hold the abrasive material better than a smooth glass surface.
[2] Ammonium Bifluoride paste is used for etching glass, and is commercially available as "Armor Etch" at
Michaels stores (as well as other outlets).
Grinding - Day 1
The crystal was first abraded on a carborundum sharpening stone. 10 figure eight laps were made on the
sharpening stone, while holding the crystal by it's corners. The first 10 laps produced a frequency change
of approximately 1 KHz (e.g., The resonant frequency was raised from 5.850 MHz to 5.851 Mhz.). A further 20
figure eight laps increased the frequency by an additional 2 KHz (5.851 MHz to 5.853 Mhz) [3].
[3] All grinding to the crystal was carried out by grinding the same surface, leaving one of the surfaces as the
original cut. While grinding, the crystal was held by two opposite corners, and periodically throughout the
grinding process, the crystal was rotated so that it was held by the different corners in order to equalize the
grinding.
At this point, the glass sheet was sequentially covered with a variety of abrasive materials, and the crystal
was rubbed in figure eight patterns. After each grinding session, the crystal was washed in tap water, dried,
mounted between a pair of plates, and tested.
The first material tried was Comet scouring powder, formed into a paste with water. Comet scouring powder
is reported to have been one of the favorite materials used by early amateur radio amateurs to grind crystals.
However, note that Comet is now advertised as being "scratchless", which may indicate that the abrasive
material has been reformulated. The first 25 laps produced an increase in frequency of 4 KHz (5.853 MHz to
5.857 MHz). An additional 100 laps produced a further increase of 2 KHz (5.857 Mhz to 5.859 MHz) [6].
[6] It will be noticed that the frequency change is not necessarily proportional to the number of laps. There
may be several explanations for this. It is possible that a different pressure was used throughout the
grinding operation. It is also possible that the abrasive was worn out after a limited number of laps. Finally,
it is also possible that the glass plate was polished such that its ability to hold the abrasive in place was
reduced. After the first day's grinding operations, it was noticed that the etched portion of the glass plate
was noticably smoother than it was immediately after being etched.
The glass plate was cleaned, and the next material was tried. This material was Barkeeper's Friend cleaning
powder. 100 figure eight laps were performed, which produced a frequency increase of 6 KHz (5.859 MHz to
5.865 MHz). An additional 100 laps were performed, which produced a frequency increase of 9 KHz (5.865
MHz to 5.874 Mhz).
The glass plate was then cleaned again, and the next abrasive material was tried. This material was Wright's
Copper Cream . The first 100 figure eight laps resulted in a frequency change of 20 KHz (5.874 MHz to 5.894
MHz). A further 100 laps resulted in a frequency change of 15 Khz (5.894 Mhz to 5.909 MHz).
The glass plate was again cleaned, and the next abrasive was tried. This material was Crest toothpaste.
Toothpaste was another favorite of early crystal grinders. However, the first 100 figure eight laps produced a
frequency change of -1 KHz (5.909 MHz to 5.908 MHz, or a 1 KHz lowering of the frequency) [4].
[4] It is possible that the crystal wasn't cleaned adequately since the addition of a small amount of debris on
the surface of a Quartz crystal is known to cause the lowering of the resonant frequency. See the work done
by Hans Summers on the subject of crystal penning , and several reports concerning "Crystal Penning" in
1930s editions of the magazine QST.
The glass plate was again cleaned.
The crystal was then abraded on the carborundum sharpening stone again. 100 laps on the stone resulted in
a frequency change of 4 Khz (5.908 MHz to 5.912 MHz).
The crystal was then coated on one surface with the Ammonium Bifluoride solution, and allowed to sit for 10
minutes. After 10 minutes, the Ammonium Bifluoride solution was washed off of the crystal. This caused a
frequency shift of 9 KHz (5.912 MHz to 5.921 Mhz).
As this point, additional abrasive laps were performed. However, instead of the firgure 8 patterns, a linear
motion was used, coupled with frequent rotation of the crystal to equalize the abrasion. After each series of
abrasions, the crystal was examined under a magnifying glass to check for any abnormal wear patterns. 500
linear strokes, using Barkeeper's Friend scouring powder, produced a frequency shift of 18 KHz (5.921 MHz
to 5.939 MHz). A further 400 strokes produced a frequency shift of 9 KHz (5.939 MHz to 5.948 Mhz).
At this point, the figure eight pattern was resumed, due to the observation of longitudinal abrasion patterns
on the abraded surface. An additional 200 figure eight laps, using the Barkeeper's Friend scouring powder,
produced a change of 7 KHz (5.948 MHz to 5.955 Mhz). An additional 400 laps produced a change of 11 KHz
(5.955 MHz to 5.966 Mhz). An additional 400 laps produced a frequency change of 40 KHz (5.966 to 6.004
MHz). At this point, grinding operations ceased for the night.
At the end of one night's worth of grinding, the frequency of the 5.850 MHz crystal has been shifted 154 KHz,
to a new frequency of 6.004 MHz.
Grinding - Day 2
The crystal was again ground on the glass plate using Wright's Copper Cream as an abrasive. 400 laps were
ground, which changed the frequency by 20 Khz (6.004 to 6.024 MHz).
An additional 200 figure-8 laps were ground, using Wright's Copper Cream, producing a frequency change of
37 Khz (6.024 to 6.061 MHz).
In order to determine if the abrasive material was necessary, the crystal was lapped 100 times in a figure-8
pattern with no abrasive. This was accomplished by performing the figure-8 pattern on the moistened glass
plate. This produced no observable change in frequency (6.061 to 6.061 MHz), although did put an optical
polish on the ground surface of the crystal. The crystal wanted to adhere to the glass plate, and it required
considerable force to move it at times. No futher bare grinding was attempted due to the lack of a frequency
change, and due to fear of cracking the crystal or welding it to the glass plate.
An addition 200 figure-8 laps were ground, using Wright's Copper Cream, producing a frequency change of
28 KHz (6.061 to 6.089 MHz). The optical polish on the ground surface of the crystal was seen to disappear
after this round of grinding.
34 KHz (6.089 to 6.123 MHz).
25 KHz (6.123 to 6.148 MHz). At this point, grinding operations ceased for the night.
Grinding - Day 3
The crystal was again ground on the glass plate using Ajax cleaner as an abrasive, which was another
favorite of grinders from ages ago. 200 laps were ground, which changed the frequency by 2 Khz (6.148 to
6.150 MHz).
At this point, grinding resumed using Wright's Copper Cream, and an additional 400 figure-8 laps were
ground, which changed the frequency by 74 KHz (6.150 to 6.224 MHz).
An additional 200 laps were ground, using Wright's Copper Cream, which resulted in a frequency increase of
30 KHz (6.224 to 6.254 MHz). At this point, grinding operations ceased for the night.
Grinding - Day 4
The crystal was again ground on the glass plate using Dremel Polishing Compound as an abrasive. This stuff
is great!
200 figure-8 laps were ground, using the polishing compound, which changed the frequency by 253 Khz
(6.254 to 6.507 MHz).
Another 200 figure-8 laps were ground, still using the polishing compound, which changed the frequency by
142 KHz (6.507 to 6.649 MHz).
Another 200 figure-8 laps were ground, using the polishing compound, which changed the frequency by 208
KHz (6.649 to 6.857 MHz).
At this point only 150 figure-8 laps were ground, since the desired frequency was being approached.
Unfortunately, at the end of these 150 figure-8 laps, the crystal experienced its first loss of activity. The
corners were lightly beveled, using 20 linear strokes on each corner, but this produced no increase in
activity. The edges were lightly ground, using 20 linear strokes, but this also produced no change in
activity. At this point, 60 figure-8 laps were ground, and the activity returned, although the oscillations were
not as strong as before. These activities produced a frequency change of 248 KHz (6.857 to 7.105 MHz).
Unfortunately, the desired target of 7.030 MHz was overshot, although the crystal is still usable since the
7.105 MHz frequency falls into the novice portion of the 40 meter band.
No further grinding activities are planned for this crystal. Unfortunately, since the target frequency was
overshot, no chemical etching is planned for this crystal either, since this would shift the frequency higher,
and possibly out of the 40 meter CW bands, which would make the crystal unusable. This should be a good
testcase to determine how much frequency shift occurs to to debris shedding over a period of time.
Post Grinding Analysis
The crystal was sent to a friend to measure (due to the current lack of a micrometer, which will soon be
rectified). The measurements prove that a crystal need not have both faces parallel in order to oscillate. Two
corners are .015 inches thick. The middle is .014 inches thick. The other two corners are .009 inches thick, for
an error of .006 inches! Amazingly, the crystal was still able to oscillate.
Results
Count Type Material Starting Ending Frequency
Frequency Frequency Shift
10 Figure-8 Carborundum Stone 5.850 5.851 .001
25 Figure-8 Comet Scouring Powder 5.853 5.857 .004
100 Figure-8 Comet Scouring Powder 5.857 5.859 .002
100 Figure-8 Barkeeper's Friend 5.859 5.865 .006

Scouring Powder

Scouring Powder
100 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cream 5.874 5.894 .020
100 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cream 5.894 5.909 .015
100 Figure-8 Crest Toothpaste 5.909 5.908 -.001
10 * Ammonium Bifluoride 5.912 5.921 .009

Minutes Paste
500 Linear Barkeeper's Friend 5.921 5.939 .018

Scouring Powder
400 Linear Barkeeper's Friend 5.939 5.948 .009

Scouring Powder

Scouring Powder

Scouring Powder

Scouring Powder
400 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.004 6.024 .020
100 Figure-8 Bare Glass Substrate 6.004 6.004 .000
200 Figure-8 Ajax 6.148 6.150 .002
200 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.254 6.507 .253

Compound

Compound

Compound

Compound
Crystal Two
Preparation
For the next test, a Quartz crystal was selected at random, which proved to have a resonant frequency of
6.949 MHz.
Grinding
The crystal was ground 100 figure-8 laps using the Bartender's Friend powder. This increased the frequency
by 3 KHz (6.949 MHz to 6.952 MHz).
The crystal was then ground 100 figure-8 laps using the Dremel Polishing Compound. This increased the
frequency by 173 KHz (6.952 MHz to 7.125 MHz).
Results
Count Type Material Starting Ending Frequency
Frequency Frequency Shift
100 Figure-8 Bartender's Friend 6.949 6.952 .003

Scouring Powder

Compound
Crystal Three
Preparation
6.925 MHz.
Grinding
The crystal was ground 75 figure-8 laps using the Dremel Polishing Compound. This increased the frequency
by 41 KHz (6.925 MHz to 6.966 MHz).
Results
Count Type Material Starting Frequency Ending Frequency Shift
Frequency

Compound

Compound

Compound
Crystal Four
Preparation
6.899 MHz.
Grinding
The crystal was ground 100 figure-8 laps using the Dremel Polishing Compound. This increased the
Results
Frequency

Compound

Compound

Compound
Crystal Five
Preparation
6.800 MHz.
Grinding
Results
Frequency

Compound

Compound
Crystal Six
Preparation
6.950 MHz.
Grinding
Results
Frequency

Compound
Crystal Seven
Preparation
6.850 MHz.
Grinding
The crystal was ground 100 figure-8 laps using carborundum powder. This increased the frequency by 53
KHz (6.950 MHz to 6.903 MHz).
KHz (6.903 MHz to 7.010 MHz).
The crystal was ground 40 figure-8 laps using carborundum powder. This increased the frequency by 22 KHz
(7.010 MHz to 7.032 MHz).
Results
Count Type Material Starting Frequency Ending Frequency Frequency Shift
100 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.850 6.903 .053

powder

powder

powder
Crystal Eight
Preparation
6.815 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.815 MHz to 6.853 MHz).
KHz (6.853 MHz to 6.918 MHz).
KHz (6.918 MHz to 6.944 MHz).
KHz (6.944 MHz to 7.006 MHz).
KHz (7.006 MHz to 7.033 MHz).
Results

powder

powder

powder

powder

powder
Crystal Nine
Preparation
6.800 MHz.
Grinding
The crystal was ground 300 figure-8 laps using carborundum powder. This resulted in a loss of activity.
The crystal was ground 60 figure-8 laps using carborundum powder. This resulted in a frequency increase of
336 KHz (6.800 MHz to 7.136 MHz).
Results
300 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.800 ? Loss of activity

powder
60 Figure-8 Carborundum ? 7.136 .336

powder
Crystal Ten
Preparation
6.800 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.800 MHz to 6.929 MHz).
The crystal was ground 200 figure-8 laps using carborundum powder. This resulted in a loss of activity.
KHz (6.929 MHz to 7.327 MHz). Whoops!
Results

powder
200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.929 ? Loss of activity

powder
50 Figure-8 Carborundum ? 7.327 .398

powder
Crystal Eleven
Preparation
6.776 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.776 MHz to 7.078 MHz).
Results

powder
Crystal Twelve
Preparation
6.775 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.775 MHz to 6.962 MHz).
KHz (6.962 MHz to 7.011 MHz).
(7.011 MHz to 7.025 MHz).
(7.025 MHz to 7.052 MHz).
Results

powder
powder

powder

powder
Crystal Thirteen
Preparation
6.725 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.725 MHz to 6.904 MHz).
KHz (6.904 MHz to 6.990 MHz).
KHz (6.990 MHz to 7.027 MHz).
Results

powder

powder

powder
Crystal Fourteen
Preparation
6.500 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.500 MHz to 6.844 MHz).
KHz (6.844 MHz to 7.050 MHz).
Results

powder

powder
Crystal Fifteen
Preparation
6.500 MHz.
Grinding
KHz (6.500 MHz to 6.770 MHz).
KHz (6.770 MHz to 7.066 MHz).
Results

powder

powder
Future ideas
Some of the future work involves using alternative abrasives, such as sand (Silicon Dioxide), and Aluminum
Oxide/Emery [5][6].
[5] Quartz is a very hard material, exceeded in hardness by very few materials.
[6] Quite a few of the "abrasive" materials that have been used at this point appear to be based on Calcium
Carbonate as the abrasive element. This is somewhat surprising since Calcium Carbonate is a relatively soft
material.
A tip I received was that the Ammonium Bifluoride paste that I was using may have been too thick. This
may have allowed the part in immediate contact with the crystal to etch it, but once this layer had reacted,
no further etching occurred. It was suggested that I dilute the Ammonium Bifluoride paste to a thinner
consistency. This may allow more of it to be exposed to the surface of the crystal, especially if some type of
agitation is applied.
Some discussion has taken place regarding the construction of automated crystal lapping machines.
One idea involves the use of a round glass substrate as a rotating turntable to perform the abrasion with,
while holding the crystal against the turntable with a slowly rotating clock driven holder. In operation, the
rotation of the turntable would perform the etching, while the rotation of the holder would cause the grinding
to be even across the crystal, and prevent uneven etching.
This is somewhat similar to a historic approach based on a drill press. In the literature describing that
system, the substrate was an iron plate which was coated with an abrasive powder.
Another idea was to use a reciprocating mount for the crystal formed by attaching a rod eccentrically to a
rotating wheel. This linear motion would be turned into a figure-8 motion by attaching another eccentrically
mounted rod to the holder. By the proper adjustment of the speeds of the two motors driving the rotating
wheels, a figure-8 patern could be achieved.
An alternative to the previous idea that may be mechanically simpler involves using attaching the second
reciprocating arm to the glass substrate. Thus, the crystal mount would be pushed and pulled in one
dimension, while the glass substrate was pushed and pulled in the other dimension. Again, by the proper
synchronization of the drive motors, a figure-8 pattern could be made to occur.

Grinding Tutorial

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Preface

Crystal Grinding Techniques

Additional information on Quartz crystals may be obtained from http://www.bliley.net/XTAL/docs/eng_bulls/

10 Figure-8 Carborundum Stone 5.850 5.851 .001

20 Figure-8 Carborundum Stone 5.851 5.853 .002

25 Figure-8 Comet Scouring Powder 5.853 5.857 .004

100 Figure-8 Comet Scouring Powder 5.857 5.859 .002

100 Figure-8 Barkeeper's Friend 5.859 5.865 .006

100 Figure-8 Barkeeper's Friend 5.865 5.874 .009

100 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cream 5.874 5.894 .020

100 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cream 5.894 5.909 .015

100 Figure-8 Crest Toothpaste 5.909 5.908 -.001

100 Figure-8 Carborundum Stone 5.908 5.912 .004

10 * Ammonium Bifluoride 5.912 5.921 .009

500 Linear Barkeeper's Friend 5.921 5.939 .018

400 Linear Barkeeper's Friend 5.939 5.948 .009

200 Figure-8 Barkeeper's Friend 5.948 5.955 .007

400 Figure-8 Barkeeper's Friend 5.955 5.966 .011

400 Figure-8 Barkeeper's Friend 5.966 6.004 .038

400 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.004 6.024 .020

200 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.024 6.061 .037

100 Figure-8 Bare Glass Substrate 6.004 6.004 .000

200 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.061 6.089 .018

200 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.089 6.123 .034

250 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.123 6.148 .025

200 Figure-8 Ajax 6.148 6.150 .002

400 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.150 6.224 .074

200 Figure-8 Wright's Copper Cleaner 6.224 6.254 .030

200 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.254 6.507 .253

200 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.507 6.649 .142

200 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.649 6.857 .208

200 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.857 7.105 .248

100 Figure-8 Bartender's Friend 6.949 6.952 .003

100 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.952 7.125 .173

75 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.925 6.966 .041

40 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.966 6.995 .029

40 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.995 7.027 .032

100 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.899 6.980 .081

50 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.980 6.993 .013

20 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.993 7.006 .013

120 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.800 6.911 .111

100 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.911 7.047 .136

100 Figure-8 Dremel Polishing 6.950 7.070 .120

100 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.850 6.903 .053

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.903 7.010 .107

40 Figure-8 Carborundum 7.010 7.032 .022

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.815 6.853 .038

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.853 6.918 .065

100 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.918 6.944 .026

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.944 7.006 .062

100 Figure-8 Carborundum 7.006 7.033 .027

300 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.800 ? Loss of activity

60 Figure-8 Carborundum ? 7.136 .336

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.800 6.929 .053

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.929 ? Loss of activity

50 Figure-8 Carborundum ? 7.327 .398

320 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.776 7.078 .302

300 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.776 6.962 .187

40 Figure-8 Carborundum 7.011 7.025 .014

40 Figure-8 Carborundum 7.025 7.052 .027

340 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.725 6.904 .179

200 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.904 6.990 .086

100 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.990 7.027 .037

400 Figure-8 Carborundum 6.500 6.844 .344