Ronny,
I found an even better method to cut and polish the silicified specimens that I have. I made contact with a member of the local lapidary club who happens to do this as a small side business. He does excellent work and has the right equipment. In addition, he was able to explain some of the intricacies of this work that I would never have thought of. One important thing with my specimens is that some have internal cracks so the specimen could break during the work. He explained how he could use consolidant in the crack to stabilize the specimen. It makes sense but I would not have known what to use. With any luck, he will have my specimens done before the Cincinnati conference so I can show them to you.
Jack