Cabs go flying

[amyk]

I have a new 6 inch flat lap. I am trying to learn to use it. I am trying to Polish the backs of my cabs with it. The problem is that my cabs go flying across the yard. I put a box to catch them like a soccer goal. So.... I am wondering if anyone has a way to hold on to the cabs? The fronts of the cabs are already polished. Is there a special rubberized tool for this purpose?

Thank you
Amy

[Sabre52]

Ummm. When I polished the backs, I did the backs first, then used double faced tape on my plastic dop heads and did the curved tops. Why would you do the flat part last? Don't make sense to me. Finally, even that was too much trouble so I did the final polish in the vibe...Mel

[zarguy]

Sometimes I glue the finished top of the cab to a dop stick with superglue.
I then flatten the back on the lap or wheel.
Put it in a sealed jar of acetone for a few hours to a full day will dissolve the glue
Lynn

[amyk]

Thanks. I like the acetone idea.

[QuailRiver]

Just dop the domed front side with dop wax and a wooden dop stick to give you something to hang on to when polishing the back. Dop wax won't hurt the polished dome.

Larry C.

[pauls]

Paint the polished dome with a bit of Shellac disolved in alcohol before dopping, it will stick and stay stuck.

Shellac is available from hardware type places, Shellac and alcohol is French Polish when applied to very expensive antique furniture.

[rockjunquie]

I would do the back last, too. Honestly, I think you just need more practice. My son and I flat lap backs with no issues. You just need to be careful how you lay it down and pick it up. You could even just turn off the flat lap to pick it up when you are done.

[Deleted]

Oct 6, 2017 2:18:33 GMT -5 pauls said:

Paint the polished dome with a bit of Shellac disolved in alcohol before dopping, it will stick and stay stuck.

Shellac is available from hardware type places, Shellac and alcohol is French Polish when applied to very expensive antique furniture.

Good advise!

One can also buy lac flakes and make their own. A pound would last forever and cost $20.

Bonus tip, add lac flakes to the dop pot and the wax will be stickier.

[Bluesky78987]

Oct 6, 2017 8:07:10 GMT -5 rockjunquie said:

I would do the back last, too. Honestly, I think you just need more practice. My son and I flat lap backs with no issues. You just need to be careful how you lay it down and pick it up. You could even just turn off the flat lap to pick it up when you are done.

Yeah. The reason you do the back last is you never know which ones will "make the grade" to have their backs done!
Agreed with Tela that the method of placing down and picking up, so you don't catch the edge, has a lot to do with it.
Beveling the corners of the back a tiny tad probably helps too.
I dop mine with dop wax. Pops off in the freezer, and any bits left can be cleaned up with denatured alcohol.

[amyk]

Thanks everyone. I'll try your ideas.

[NDK]

I've done the backs on the lap without a dop as mentioned above, just shut it off before picking up. Another thing I've done which works well is use a hot glue stick. Heat the end to soften it then stick on the cab dome like a dop stick. Holds well enough to polish the back and removes easily.

[Tommy]

Backsides are the next thing I do on a cab after finishing the shape and dome. At the very least I knock the backsides down and make sure there are no saw marks left before I start doing front and back at the same time on the wheels. This is the freedom that free-handing (no dop) has given me since around the beginning of the year.

I think the real question is - what kind of flat are you using?

I built a vertical unit with a foot pedal (spins while pedal depressed) spinning at 1700 rpm's using 8" sticky-back disks. At first it was hard to hang on to them but after a little time it got a lot better - I start the spin with a lot of water spraying on the disk then introduce the cab with both hands. When it's time to stop I simply let go of the cab and let it drop into the pan of water then take my foot off the pedal and stop the spin.

[Pat]

I do the back last, and just use my fingers to hold it down. Place cab on disk, place fingers on cab, THEN turn on motor, otherwise it will fly. Good luck!

[amyk]

Oct 7, 2017 13:38:20 GMT -5 NDK said:

I've done the backs on the lap without a dop as mentioned above, just shut it off before picking up. Another thing I've done which works well is use a hot glue stick. Heat the end to soften it then stick on the cab dome like a dop stick. Holds well enough to polish the back and removes easily.

I'm liking this hot glue stick idea. I'm gonna try that. Thanks.