Can I Achieve a Mirror Finish on Pure Iridium? Share Your Tips!

[MSparks6]

Looking to polish some pure elemental iridium... I think hot hydrochloric acid might work but have yet to try it. Anyone know for sure how to do this?

 

[jedishrfu]

You can find this easily via Google search. Here's one such reference:

http://jes.ecsdl.org/content/148/10/G552.abstract

 

[MSparks6]

I've scoured the internet for this information, and I've read the article you provided. I guess I should've added that I'm not a chemist nor do I have a lab. Just a hobbyist. I'm looking for a method that is fairy simple and can be done with items available to the average person.

 

[Tom.G]

Silicon Carbide is hard enough to grind Iridium. On the Mohs hardness scale Talc is 1, Diamond is 10, Iridium is 6.5, Silicon Carbide is 9
Hardware stores often sell sheets of Silicon Carbide "sand paper" in grits between 100 and 600 or finer. Bulk grit down to insanely fine stuff can be found from suppliers for amateur telescope making. Try a Google search for Mirror Grinding Supplies

 

[diogenesNY]

I do not know what the shape and size of your material is, however, you might like to , generally, look into the subject of rock tumblers.

Rock tumblers (particularly the vibratory types that don't technically 'tumble' the material) can be used for many purposes, depending on how and with what they are filled. One such application is polishing brass pistol and rifle cartridges. These are popular with people who reload their own ammunition. There is a ton of info on the net on this topic... (I have been away from it for a bit, so my references likely lead to a bunch of dead ends) .. just fire up your favorite search engine and search for _rock tumbler_ and maybe add things like metal polishing, abrasives, polishing agents, etc as additional search terms.

Also, there are some fairly pricey hobbyist and semi-pro rock tumblers for sale on the net, but I recall that Harbor Freight has several models and sizes that are very reasonably priced and are 'rough and ready' but you will have to supply your own abrasives/materials/shot/polishes. Check it out.

Good luck,

diogenesNY

 

[ras]

I thought I'd share a photo of pure iridium polished to a mirror finish. I don't know the process but clearly it's possible. If I had to guess, it was done with the aid of a flat lapping machine.