Ground Glass Replacement Idea at DVinfo.net

Luke Brown · December 3rd, 2005, 02:36 PM

Has anyone looked into or tested using corundum instead of glass? Corundum is more commonly know as sapphire and it is formed synthetically for a number of industrial applications from watch crystals to glasses and more.

Here is one supplier of it: http://www.maintechsapphires.com/ Also: http://www.guildoptics.com/applications.html

I used to work in the jewelry industry and can tell you that faceters can get a very uniform frosted look on corundum as compared to other materials. One of the best things about corundum is its strong resistance to chipping and breaking meaning that during the grinding process there is a lower possibility of pitting in the material resulting in grain.

Corundum can be ground extremely flat and also has much greater strength compared to glass. It can also be "grown" in the exact size and shape needed. I'm not sure what its affects would be on chromatic abberation.

DJ Lewis · December 8th, 2005, 04:59 PM

Sounds intresting... have you tried either of these companies? Do you know if these are expensive?

I'm thinking about trying this...

Wayne Kinney · December 8th, 2005, 05:43 PM

this was one material i reseached for SG35. After a few phone calls to some suppliers, i soon found out it was MAJOR expensive.

DJ Lewis · December 8th, 2005, 06:14 PM

oh?! Thanks for the heads up.... did you ever try opal or a holographic diffuser, Wayne?

Wayne Kinney · December 8th, 2005, 06:27 PM

Nope, never went there. Maybe they are a good static solution? Maybe worth a try?

Luke Brown · December 8th, 2005, 08:45 PM

What sort of price were you given? I would imagine that a totally custom solution would be expensive, yes.

However, sapphire crystals on watches were years ago only featured on the higher end models like Rolex's etc. Now you can find them even on watches costing around $150. When I worked as a jeweler the cost for a new synthetic sapphire watch crystal for a generic mens watch was around $55. This was for the big sport watches too that probably had a 30-40mm crystal.

I think part of the problem is that these companies are used to dealing with big corporations and buyers who have massive expense accounts and don't care if one piece costs $1000 because it is for R&D so they price accordingly.

December 3rd, 2005, 02:36 PM	#1
Luke Brown Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 31	Ground Glass Replacement Idea Has anyone looked into or tested using corundum instead of glass? Corundum is more commonly know as sapphire and it is formed synthetically for a number of industrial applications from watch crystals to glasses and more. Here is one supplier of it: http://www.maintechsapphires.com/ Also: http://www.guildoptics.com/applications.html I used to work in the jewelry industry and can tell you that faceters can get a very uniform frosted look on corundum as compared to other materials. One of the best things about corundum is its strong resistance to chipping and breaking meaning that during the grinding process there is a lower possibility of pitting in the material resulting in grain. Corundum can be ground extremely flat and also has much greater strength compared to glass. It can also be "grown" in the exact size and shape needed. I'm not sure what its affects would be on chromatic abberation.

December 8th, 2005, 05:43 PM	#3
Wayne Kinney Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK Posts: 938	this was one material i reseached for SG35. After a few phone calls to some suppliers, i soon found out it was MAJOR expensive. __________________ Thanks, Wayne.

December 8th, 2005, 06:27 PM	#5
Wayne Kinney Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK Posts: 938	Nope, never went there. Maybe they are a good static solution? Maybe worth a try? __________________ Thanks, Wayne.

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December 8th, 2005, 04:59 PM	#2
DJ Lewis Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 97	Sounds intresting... have you tried either of these companies? Do you know if these are expensive? I'm thinking about trying this...

December 8th, 2005, 06:14 PM	#4
DJ Lewis Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 97	oh?! Thanks for the heads up.... did you ever try opal or a holographic diffuser, Wayne?

December 8th, 2005, 08:45 PM	#6
Luke Brown Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 31	What sort of price were you given? I would imagine that a totally custom solution would be expensive, yes. However, sapphire crystals on watches were years ago only featured on the higher end models like Rolex's etc. Now you can find them even on watches costing around $150. When I worked as a jeweler the cost for a new synthetic sapphire watch crystal for a generic mens watch was around $55. This was for the big sport watches too that probably had a 30-40mm crystal. I think part of the problem is that these companies are used to dealing with big corporations and buyers who have massive expense accounts and don't care if one piece costs $1000 because it is for R&D so they price accordingly.