Polishing Ammolite

[Lorney]

I stubbled on a few small pieces of ammolite while out fishing. I have searched the internet and this forum for information and have come up with several different ways to clean and polish ammolite. However I have not been able to find a detailed process from start to finish to get ammolite looking it’s best. I know there are different qualities of ammolite and some require little to no work but mine needs some work to get it to look good without getting it wet. I have tried sanding for quite a while up to 600 grit paper. That’s the finest I could find but now have found up to 3000. Should I just keep going with the sanding? Is there polishing or buffing to do after the sanding? Is there an epoxy to put on after to keep the wet look? 
Any information would help and I thank you in advance. I just want to do it right the first time so that I don’t wreck it or have to go back and try to strip off something I put on. 

[Bobby Rico]

I have sanded coral I use Wet and dry paper  200, 250, 400, 600, 800, 1000 , 1500 and finally 2000 . Then I Buff them after with a dremel very lightly 

[Lorney]

Thank you for the information. I started with 400 and then did 600. That was all I could find locally until now. I have 800,1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000. I will just keep sanding.  

[Bobby Rico]

1 minute ago, Lorney said:

Thank you for the information. I started with 400 and then did 600. That was all I could find locally until now. I have 800,1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000. I will just keep sanding.  

Yes it takes me a couple of hours to polish a coral . I enjoyed it .

[Ludwigia]

@Lorney The final touch is the polish. I would suggest dipping it in water after each step. This will give you an idea of how it would look like when polished. Once you're satisfied, stop sanding and start polishing. Would you like to post photos of what it looks like at this point? One dry and one wet.

[Lorney]

I have never polished fossils before. Can you give me a little info on doing it. What type of polish do you use? 
Here is a picture dry and one wet. 

 

[Lorney]

Here is another small piece. It is one color When you look at it but changes with the angle from green to yellow to orange to red. 

[Ludwigia]

50 minutes ago, Lorney said:

I have never polished fossils before. Can you give me a little info on doing it. What type of polish do you use? 
Here is a picture dry and one wet.

Looks good already. Nice colors. I'd suggest using 800 and then 1000 sandpaper and then do the polish. You can find polishing powder, which needs to be mixed with a few drops of water, or polishing paste by companies who offer supplies for the purpose of sanding and polishing minerals. You can repeat the polishing process a few times and each time it gets better.

[Everhardus]

Killer, this looks superb !

[Lorney]

Thank you for the info Ludwigia. I will try track down some paste and work on it. I think a bit more sanding while I wait for polish. 

[Norki]

Hey there, I've worked with ammolite before.

 

I find that the best way to preserve the "wet" look is by coating with a two-part epoxy resin. However keep in mind that this isn't reversible, and that the gloss can look a little cheap if it's laid on too thick (just be sure to have a thin, even, and flat coat and you'll be good). Another method that works fairly well is to sand up to a very fine grit sandpaper (2400+), then to a polishing compound, and finally something like carnauba wax to coat it.

 

You have to be careful with sanding too much though as the nacreous layer (which gives the colour) is usually very thin, and can very easily be ruined with aggressive prepping. Use your own discretion but when in doubt, less is always more with this stuff.

 

[Lorney]

Thanks Norki for the information. I have sanded for a bit with 3000 grit but need to do more. Do you know the name of a good polishing compound for ammolite. I have looked in the internet for gem polish compound and it seems there is different stuff for different gem types. Maybe I am over thinking this and I should just get any gem polish. 
I have noticed how thin the nacreous layer is on some pieces. I also have a few pieces where multiple layers make it quite thick but you can tell each individual layer is very thin. Most of the top layers are red with multiple layers underneath. Do you know if layers underneath are different colors. I could remove some layers off the top to check but I don’t want to damage it if they are all red below. Just curious if you have ever picked layers apart to find out. 
Thanks again for your help.

[Norki]

I was given the polishing compound from a friend so I'll have to ask what brand it is. Anyway I don't think the particular type really matters, but I'd maybe start with a rubbing compound first. Recently that same friend told me that they've had some success with using only a polishing compound, and skipping sanding altogether. Your mileage may vary per piece.

 

As for the colour, you're correct that it's determined by the thickness of the nacre. The thickest layers are red, and they descend in sequence through the spectrum of colours with the thinnest being blue or violet. There could still be red under red though, because the colour seems to be determined by the thickness of each layer individually, and not by how many layers are stacked on top of each other. Taking a red flake off could potentially reveal another red flake underneath.

 

Each piece of ammolite is totally different though, so I can only speak in general terms. You'll have to experiment a bit to see what works for the ones you have. If you have multiple pieces to work with, I'd experiment with sanding/polishing on one and maybe try a more simple treatment of epoxy resin with another to see how that looks. Lots of pieces don't need sanding or anything and will look great with just a coat of epoxy resin, looking essentially the same as they do when wet.

[Ruger9a]

Wonderful colors....