Page 130 - MY STORY

3. Coat those portions with acetone-softened cellulose

acetate and press into the fracture surface so the softened
coating takes on the exact features of the surface.

4. Carefully peel the dried acetate coating from the
fracture, and coat the fracture side with a thin layer of
metal (like Chromium) deposited at about a 45-degree

angle in a vacuum chamber to provide a 3-D effect
called shadowing.

5. Coat the metalized layer uniformly with a very thin
layer of pure carbon.

6. Place the metal-carbon coated replica in acetone to
dissolve the plastic coating leaving only the very thin
metal coated carbon replica as the sample to be viewed in

the microscope.

7. Carefully remove the metal-coated carbon replica
(which is probably curled and very, very fragile) to flatten
and dry before placing it on the specimen holder and

under the microscope for examination.