I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned about this automatic lap, the Vibra Lap from Covington Engineering. I own their 16” vibrating lap. This was purchased for me by my husband. I’ve owned it for a couple months now and have run a few batches of rocks through. I do really like the machine! In this video I share some of the polished rock results and give my tips and tricks. Would you like a full walk through of each of the four stages? Let me know in the comments!
Watch the video:
Transcript
Oh hi It’s me Betty I’m glad you’re here I wanted to show you a few things about this Vibra Lap that I’ve learned
Number one it’s not a free-for-all You don’t just throw the rocks onto the pan You need to keep them separated Number two you need a pound of weight pressing down on the rock for every inch of width
This machine needs to be level and secured Looks good
This machine is messy You’re going to want to build a surround out of cardboard plexiglass whatever you can
You shouldn’t really leave this machine unattended I like to use a surveillance camera or a baby monitor to keep an eye on it from wherever I am in the house It’s like barbecuing
Okay so we’re ready to start a batch on our lap Here’s some of the supplies that I use salvaged PVC from construction sites This works great to keep them separated And I love this hot glue gun That’s what I use to secure rocks to their weight This works great for me Apparently you can get this off with acetone but I’ve always been able to peel it right off my rocks So so far so good
I add about a half a cup of water and about 5 tablespoons of stage 1 or 60/90 grit to get the machine started
I’m going to play the sound of the machine for a few seconds just what it sounds like empty It’s actually fairly quiet when it’s empty Um and then a little bit later in the video uh I will play the audio of what it sounds like when it’s full of rocks
Here I am just loading the machine up with rocks and getting the appropriate size of separators for each one And then um I’ll just let you watch this for a little bit to see how the rocks move and how everything sort of spins around each other for a few seconds and then I’ll let you hear the sound of the machine again fully loaded
Okay So I will unmute the machine here for a few seconds for you guys
I reach in and grab a chip off of the tray during this clip There is a sound that you will learn to recognize when a chip is in the tray And you’ll also learn to recognize the sound that it makes when there’s enough grit and everything is running well You’ll pick these things up really quickly
You also see me rearrange the pieces on the tray I’m just balancing the weight so that they move a little bit more efficiently Covington recommends that you have a half to 2/3 of the pan covered with pieces when you’re operating it So that’s something you you want to consider when you purchase a Vibra Lap
They also recommend coloring the bottom of the rocks with a Sharpie so that you can see how it’s progressing through the stages I think this helps a little bit It’s worth trying
When you need to glue weight on top of an already polished slab or an especially slippery rock I really like to use this double-sided tape It helps keep the weight on top of the rock
For me stage one takes 12 to 24 hours in this machine That’s the material that I tend to work with is typically really hard agate petrified wood some tough material So it’s going to vary Also I don’t leave this machine unattended So if I’m leaving the house or going to sleep I turn it off and I tuck it in with a really big garbage bag Do not let the grit dry out in the pan
Stage two typically takes me 4 to 8 hours Stage three about the same And then stage four 8 to 12 hours
When I take things off the lap I put them right into a bucket of water The weights the separators and the rocks It will help you a lot with cleanup I’ll show you some of the rocks that I’ve polished on this machine I’ve gotten some really good results and I’m excited to keep using it If you’d like a full walkthrough of all of the stages let me know
In the process of creating this video I generated many bloopers and I’ve placed them at the end of the video for your enjoyment
