In order to obtain a diffraction pattern of a mineral you must grind and sieve your sample to <270 mesh and then mount it in the sample holder.

1. Coarse grinding. Use the "Little Smasher" to reduce the size of larger chips to approximately sand-size (less than 1 or 2 mm).
2. Transfer no more than about 2 grams of the coarse grind to the steel container for grinding in the Spex Mixer. The container should be no more than 20% full.
3. Add a steel ball to the container and put on the lid.
4. Mount the grinding container into the mixer, fasten snugly, close the lid and turn on the mixer for at least 5 minutes. Hard samples may require a longer grinding time.
5. After grinding is complete, transfer the powder to a piece of weighing paper and sieve it through the 270 mesh sieve.
6. Be sure to clean the grinding ves
7. If insufficient sample was reduced to <270 mesh, return the oversize fraction to the grinder for another run.
8. Mount the powder in the sample holder according to the procedure in the manual in the drawer beneath the sample preparation materials.
9. Clean the mounting materials and put them away.
10. Please clean the tables, take your samples and your stuff.