Resurrecting My Antique Flat Lap

by Jim Brace-Thompson

No longer a boat anchor, my vintage vibratory flat-lap sets to work!

One of my flat-lapping results: a large Brazilian agate. (Dog provided for scale.)

Years and years ago, old-time VGMS member Ray Mesienheimer sold me a boat anchor. Well, it wasn’t really a boat anchor, but it may as well have been! It was a “vintage” vibratory flat lap. Supposedly, you set your rocks with some grit and water in the 20-inch pan, then forget about it while the vibratory action produces a beautiful, smooth polish. Well. The first time I flicked the “on” switch, I heard a little “pop” accompanied by a puff of blue smoke. So, a boat anchor sat in my garage for years. Eventually, John Cook helped me get the motor fixed, but still it sat. Since home quarantine, I’ve decided: Enough sitting! Big rocks that have been decorating the edges of my backyard are now getting polished to go on the Touch Table at next year’s Show Kids’ Booth, and some may well end up on Silent Auction tables. That is, until the day when I again hear a little “pop” with another puff of blue smoke…