If I might make a few suggestions for an "easy" (well) pitch lap --
1) Heat mirror and tool 30 minutes in water pretty warm to the touch. 2) Begin heating Willman-Bell medium pitch. It should smoke slightly. 3) Remove tool, dry thoroughly, build masking tape dam 1/4-inch high. 4) Pour on pitch, spiraling from edge to center, thickest in center. 5) As soon as pitch stops trying to run take off tape. 6) With finger put shallow crease in pitch, thru center, edge to edge. 7) Take out mirror, dry thoroughly, brush cerium oxide on IT and pitch. 8) Place mirror on pitch and begin to form it up, pushing and shoving. 9) Warmth in tool and mirror, plus crease, should allow good contact soon.
10) As soon as contact is pretty good, stop, allow an hour of cooling. 11) Mark pitch with pencil, cut 1-inch squares with saw wet with water. 12) Warm tool and mirror again in water, coat with cerium oxide, polish. 13) Begin slowly, watch for full contact, repair/improve lap as needed.
It will probably take an hour or so of pushing and shoving before the lap is really doing the job but this method allows us to get a lap up and running in a couple-three hours and polish out an 8-incher from say 1 pm through until late that evening.
Works for us, anyway.
Good Luck, All!
Val Germann Central Missouri Astronomical Association