ATM "Cathy James" <Cathy.James@MCI.Com>: FW: Making the first tool

[cajames1@juno.com (Cathy A James)]

--------- Begin forwarded message ----------
From: "Cathy James" <Cathy.James@MCI.Com>
To: "'cajames1@juno.com'" <cajames1@juno.com>
Subject: FW: Making the first tool
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 14:23:04 -0400
Message-ID: <01BCA1AB.16E83ED0@wsppark126>



-----Original Message-----
From:   Cathy James [SMTP:cathy.james@mci.com]
Sent:   Monday, August 04, 1997 8:01 AM
To:     'atm-digest@shore.net'
Subject:        Making the first tool


        I've finished casting the tool for my 6" f/8, first mirror.
The upper surface is not quite as flat as I would like, because I
allowed some of the extra layers of plastic wrap to fold back over
the top.  I don't expect this to be an issue.
        I haven't been able to find 1" tiles at Home Depot, and
haven't tried Color Tile yet, especially since there have been comments
about the softness of the tiles there.  Is it safe to use the 1.5"
tiles I've bought?  I intended to hacksaw them down to 1", but
without a vise it is extremely difficult to hold them still well enough
to cut.  Even if I use the 1.5" tiles uncut, I will have to cut some
tiles
down to fill out the corners/edges of the 6" disk.
        Per Mel Bartels, I won't attempt to shellac the plaster
tool unless I see signs that the lack of sealant is adversely affecting
it.
        Finally, I am struggling with a method to hold the
tool/mirror in place for grinding.  My original plan was to nail two
pieces of 2"x4" into my workbench (which also will double as
grinding stand).  Each would be sawed off about 1/2" high, with
the grain vertical.  The third piece would be identical, but would be
put in place with a screw.  Any simpler ways to do this?

        --Cathy James
        <cajames1@juno.com>    <-- home
        <cathy.james@mci.com> <-- work

(Note that I've had a lot of trouble with people thinking that my
email address is <cajames@juno.com>.  Sorry, that's somebody
named Carl James.  Note the "1" (that's ONE, not lower case L) after
cajames.  --CAJ)

--------- End forwarded message ----------