Burnham Petrographics

RARE AND UNUSUAL

We are the preferred lab for difficult, rare, and unusual samples (a sometimes dubious honor). We've sectioned everything from plastic to paint, meteorites to metal alloys, and all rock types in-between.

Call us with your woes. We love the odd challenge ... really.

A Sampling of Unusual, Interesting and Challenging Things We've Prepared:

Extraterrestrial Asphalt -- a piece of pavement fell from the sky into someone's lap and was misidentified as a meteorite until a thin section brought everyone back to earth.
Bovine Pumice -- dried cow manure mistaken for volcaniclastic material (pyrocoprolite?).
(Used) pieces of Space Shuttle Tile -- polished for microprobe analysis.
Fresh Bison and Turtle Bones -- sectioned for structural comparison to dinosaur bone (the smell while cutting was, well, memorable).
Latex Paint chips sectioned for thickness measurements.
Two polished slices of large quartz crystals, cut normal to c, to serve as lenses in a pair of eyeglasses which would enable the New Age wearer to "see auras". (No word on their effectiveness, oddly enough...not even in the tabloids.)
Recently deceased sea creatures secreting deceased sea creature scents. Ewww.

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GEMS

I came across this Victorian jewel some years ago (italics added for emphasis):

"The whole [thin sectioning] process seems perhaps a little tedious. But in reality much of it is so mechanical, that after the mode of manipulation has been learnt by a little experience, the rubbing-down may be done while the operator is reading. Thus in the evening, when enjoying a pleasant book after his day in the field, he may at the same time, after some practice, rub down his rock chips, and thus get over the drudgery of the operation almost unconsciously."
-- Sir Archibald Geike, Text-Book of Geology, Vol. I, 1903, p.124

Here’s a genuine pearl of wisdom that’s been around for a while, but it sure applies to what we do:

Price. Quality. Turnaround. You can have any two, but not all three. The lowest price and quickest turnaround lacks quality, the highest quality and quickest turnaround is expensive, and the lowest price and highest quality takes a long time.
(When you think about it, for most things in life what’s fast and cheap is rarely worth having.)

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GALLERY

Some images of our handiwork sent to us by our customers:

Verda Fletcher Borasilite Reflections & Comparisons EBSD Image Reefscans

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THANK YOU

Thank You...to all of our long-time customers for your loyalty and encouragement over the years - and special thanks to those who have sent notes and letters expressing appreciation for the quality of our efforts. All of you mean a great deal to us and it is a privilege to serve you.

And thanks, also, to new or potential customers - we appreciate any opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities. We consider ourselves craftsmen and take a great deal of pride in our workmanship. Our commitment to quality is reflected in every section we make.

If you have any questions about our services, or have special samples or preparation needs, please email us or give us a call. We're happy to help in any way we can.

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