OK, so I've talked these core mounts up, but there's not much to them. Basically, they are little cradles for our cores to rest in. These cores have been around for hundreds of years and they're tired.
Step 1: We write the core ID on the mount.
Step 2: Glue, baby!
We use kid-friendly Elmer's Glue. This stuff is great because it's water soluble, meaning we can fix our mistakes (and we have our fair share of mistakes).
So here's a little lesson in wood anatomy for tree-ring dating...
Cross-sectional surface: This is the good one. This allows us to view rings.
Radial Surface: This one is no good for viewing tree rings.
Tangential surface: This one helps us double check if we have the correct surface facing upwards. Here's the trick: The fibers of the tangential surface should always be vertical. If they're horizontal, the radial surface is facing upwards. Not good.
Tape is great. It holds the core down while the glue dries. Those stubborn cores like to bend. Tape keeps them in line.
Step 4: Cutting the mounts.
After the glued-and-taped cores dry we cut the mounts into core size pieces. This makes it easy to sand them.
Step 5: Sanding.
This is the most exciting part of prep work. Each core is like a little gift waiting to be unwrapped. As soon as we sand them, we can tell what species they are and we can see all the beautiful little rings. Ahh. Bliss!
We have a four stage sanding process. On the first pass we use 100 grit paper. Then 220, 320, and 400. The sand papers progress from coarse to very fine, leaving us a nice polished surface at the end.