[ATM] Toole for my tool

["Francis J. O'Reilly" <foreilly@bestweb.net>]

Friends:

Yesterday I took my recently separated mirror and Gugolz 64 to the mirror
workshop given by Dick Pearce at his home in Tolland Connecticut (
mirrorworkshop@mtbparker.com make sure that you put mirrorworkshop in the
subject line.) As you may remember, my mirror and pitch lap were closer
than the two prehistoric skeletons locked in an eternal embrace that were
found in Italy and were the subject of the news last week. 

The lap was passed upon as pretty good, in spite of one edge pitch square
that had chipped. Dick showed me how to tell if a mirror required
additional polishing by looking at it with a light shining on it and seeing
whether the light passes through the surface or can be seen on the surface.
(My mirror requires additional polishing before figuring.) The mirror I am
working on at Dick's workshop has a long way to go. The mirror that I am
working at home also still needs additional work. That is the mirror and
lap that is the subject of this post, my home project (7 7/8" f/3.92)
ROC~51.?"

I decided to continue with the lap. I wanted to hot press and begin
polishing. It occurred to me that I needed a wedding veil to microfacet the
lap, and I did not have one available. Where to get one? 

I started at the dollar store in town, no luck. Joanne's fabrics in
Cortlandt Manor NY is closed, and I did not feel like traveling across the
Hudson to Newburgh, or returning to Connecticut to the Joanne's Fabrics
there. I had heard that Walmart carries the material, but I was too lazy to
go there as it is about 20 miles, and frankly, Walmart in the Northeast
U.S. is usually quite crowded and I just don't like crowds. I drove around
my town and finally decided to try Michael's. It is a craft store that is
usually full of women looking for things to do to occupy their Saturday
nights and ultimately decorate their homes. 

I went to Michael's in Brewster, NY. I looked all around the edges of the
store to no avail and was constrained to venture into the Lionesses den,
the center of the store. There, right in the middle, not too far from the
flowers was the Wedding Center.

I knew that I had hit gold when both ends of the aisle had arches covered
with just the material I was looking for, but could I convince the store to
sell me the display? 

I sincerely doubted it. 

I ventured into the aisle. Looking on the shelves there were "bolts" of
various materials, but not what I was looking for. Suddenly, I looked at a
middle shelf and found gold, or should I say, pink.

On the shelf was a package of twenty round sheets of toole, a fabric nine
inches in diameter that was just perfect for my application, which was
microfaceting a pitch lap for my 7 7/8" mirror. I couldn't believe it.
Without the slightest hesitation, I picked up the package of toole, paid
for it ($2.99 plus tax total damage $3.23) and took it home.

Last night, I was home alone as my wife is in New Mexico for the next few
days, making me a geographic bachelor. Cops was not on the TV so I turned
on XM radio on my television (Channel 813 The Village is particularly good
music for making mirrors) I heated up my pitch lap in very hot water while
I mixed up a particularly good batch of CeO and after a few minutes, I
LIBERALLY applied the CeO to the mirror, placed the Toole on the lap put
the mirror on top and pressed down on the entire package with all of my 239
lbs for a couple of minutes until I achieved good contact, which was shown
by the individual squares of pitch showing through the mirror form the
back. I removed the mirror and then the toole, washed off the lap in cold
water and put it away for the evening, secure in the knowledge that if I
could find a wedding veil, I should have no trouble whatsoever finding
Beeswax, but that's another story.

Francis J. O'Reilly


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