Lortone Stage 3 Aluminum Oxide Pre-polish - 5 Microns
Take your stones from smooth to beautifully pre-polished.
You've made it through the grinding stages. Your stones are shaped, rounded and smooth—but they're not ready for the final polish just yet.
Lortone Step 3 Aluminum Oxide Pre-Polish is the critical step to fully prepare your stones for a brilliant final polish. This high-quality aluminum oxide abrasive is milled to a fine 5-micron particle size, allowing it to remove the microscopic scratches left behind by the Stage 2 grinding process.
Lortone specifically formulates this abrasive as a pre-polish for tumbling gemstones and rocks. It creates the smooth, refined surface needed for the final 1-micron Stage 4 polish.
Why Stage 3 Matters
One of the most common tumbling mistakes is thinking that Stage 2 is smooth enough to go directly to the final polish.
Even when your rocks feel incredibly smooth to the touch, they can still contain microscopic scratches that will prevent them from developing that deep, glossy finish you're looking for.
Stage 3 bridges that gap.
The 5-micron aluminum oxide gently refines the surface, removing the fine scratches left by the grinding stages and creating a smooth foundation for the final polish.
Think of it as the difference between sanding a piece of wood smooth and then preparing it for a high-gloss finish. The better the surface preparation, the better the final result.
Product Benefits
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5-micron aluminum oxide abrasive
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Designed specifically as a Stage 3 pre-polish
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Removes microscopic scratches left by the grinding stages
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Creates a smoother surface for the final polish
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Helps stones develop a more uniform, glossy finish
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Excellent for most hard rocks and gemstones suitable for rotary tumbling
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Use after Stage 2 and before Stage 4
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A key step for achieving professional-looking results
Where It Fits in the Lortone 4-Step Process
Stage 1: 60/90 Silicon Carbide – coarse grinding
Stage 2: 120/220 Silicon Carbide – medium/fine grinding
Stage 3: 5 Micron Aluminum Oxide Pre-Polish – surface refinement
Stage 4: 1 Micron Aluminum Oxide Polish – final polish
5 Micron – What Does That Mean?
A micron (µm) is one-millionth of a meter. At 5 microns, the aluminum oxide particles are extremely fine—approximately equivalent to a 3,000-grit abrasive as a general comparison.
Micron and grit ratings are not directly interchangeable, so the micron specification is the more precise way to describe this product.
How to Use
Use Lortone Step 3 only after your stones have successfully completed the previous grinding stages. Thoroughly clean your rocks, barrel and lid before beginning the pre-polish stage to prevent coarse abrasive from contaminating the finer compound.
For best results, make sure your barrel is properly filled and your stones have a good balance of rock, water and tumbling media.
After Stage 3, thoroughly clean the stones and barrel before moving to Stage 4.
Important: Do not allow Stage 3 abrasive to contaminate your final polishing stage. Even a small amount of coarser abrasive can interfere with the final shine.
Continue to Stage 4
Once your stones have completed the 5-micron pre-polish, they're ready for Lortone Step 4 Aluminum Oxide Polish (1 micron)—the final step that brings out the deep, glossy finish you're after.
Lortone Step 3 Aluminum Oxide Pre-Polish is the step that turns a merely smooth stone into a properly prepared stone ready for the final polish.
