BY BOB RUSH

Polishing Flat Surfaces Without a Flat Lap

1

2

3

1. Use a dop stick to hold the cab for better control. 2. A belt so worn the surface is shiny. 3. All of the steps can be illustrated on this piece - rough surface from the saw cuts, very fine lines from the sanding step and the polished surface.

The final step to finishing a cabochon is to get a good polish on the back of the cab.

When polishing flat surfaces most people conclude that they need a flat lap to do the job. Flat laps have been used for a very long time for lapidary work, even for the shaping of cabochons before the advent of the horizontal shat lapidary machines.