Abstract:
A vibrating lap polishing system for flat items, comprising a polish pan with flexible bottom mounted on a base having three or more round-head bolts of equal height extending vertically above the base surface and positioned at one hundred twenty degree spacing on a circle about the base center; a center bolt attached to and extending below the pan center into a nut rotated by horizontally positioned gears, a center gear which rotates the nut and an outer meshed gear available from the outside work area to raise and lower the workpiece during operation. Means, which put no holes in the polish pan, are provided to pull the polish pan down onto the round-head bolts which create raised areas in the flexible pan-bottom. A flat-bottomed multi-item workpiece is circulated and rotated in an unsynchronized manner over the raised areas which creates a complete polish of the workpiece after sufficient cycles.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not applicable. 
     SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
     Not applicable. 
     COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the polishing of gemstones by lapidary means, and more particularly, to a vibratory polishing system that polishes flat surfaces by vibratory means. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     No patented prior art has been found relating to this process. However, there have been a number of descriptions of basic flat polishing using the vibrating pan (“vibralaps”) in the lapidary literature. These processes all use flat-bottomed pans that have no local elevated areas. The flat-bottomed pans have flat or slightly concave bottoms. Even if the pan-bottom starts out flat, continued grinding may cause the bottom to become concave. These pans suffer from the deficiency that, due to the shapes and sizes of the some of the specimens being polished, pressure is never put on some of the areas being polished. It is well known that pressure on all areas of the specimens is required to completely polish a surface.  FIGS. 13 and 13A  demonstrate this. For small specimens in  FIG. 13 , it can be seen that the specimen bottoms make full, or almost full, contact with the pan-bottom.  FIG. 13A  shows that, for a larger specimen, the pan only contacts the outer edges of the specimen. Thus, only the outer edges of the larger specimen are polished. It is desirable that the diameter of the larger specimen being polished be as large as possible so that many more small specimens, which are cast into the larger specimen, can be polished simultaneously. Even if the pan bottom is perfectly flat as in  FIG. 13B , the large specimen contacts a large distributed area so that no incremental area of the specimen presses very hard against the pan-bottom. This results in the surface being polished very slowly or not completely. The equipment and processes described herein correct this deficiency. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The vibratory polisher system circulates the casting around a specially designed polish pan mounted on a specially designed base assembly. The polish pan is constructed using a flexible pan for its bottom that can be deformed by moderate pressure. The base that the polish pan sits on has raised areas (bumps) which cause the polish pan, which sits on the base, to have a locally convex bottom at three or more locations around the polish pan bottom. This occurs when the pan is pulled down against the bumps by a pan-bracket assembly. A special casting consisting of flat-bottomed objects all cemented together is created. The flat bottoms are aligned in a horizontal plane. Earlier grinding operations prepare the casting to be polished. The convex areas of the polish pan bottom put pressure on small areas of the casting, and as the casting circulates and rotates, the entire outer area of the casting surface is eventually polished. This is due to the fact that the circulator and rotator motors are not synchronized in their rotations, resulting in random progression of the casting around the pan. There is an adjustable center bump that can be raised to polish the inner areas of the casting. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Figures 
       In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different suffixes. 
         FIG. 1  is a simplified perspective drawing of the gemstone flat polisher mechanized. 
         FIG. 1A  is a simplified front view of the complete gemstone flat polisher mechanized. 
         FIG. 1B  shows an isolated view of the casting connected to the circulator system. 
         FIG. 2  shows a front view of the casting with its associated casting rotation fixture. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a circulation pattern of the center-axis of the casting. 
         FIG. 3  is a cutaway side-view of the polishing pan with its attached center-bump bolt. 
         FIG. 3A  is a top-view of the polish-pan assembly. 
         FIG. 4  shows a top-view of the base assembly. 
         FIG. 4A  shows a top-view of the base assembly driven gear. 
         FIG. 4B  is a side-view of the base assembly with an attached pan-bracket assembly. 
         FIG. 4C  is the same as  FIG. 4B  but with the polish-pan included. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the pan-bracket assembly. 
         FIG. 5A  is a side-view of the pan-bracket assembly. 
         FIG. 6  shows the circulator-drive assembly in perspective view. 
         FIG. 6A  shows the circulator arm and attachments in side-view. 
         FIG. 6B  shows the basic circulator arm in top-view. 
         FIG. 6C  shows the casting-screw sleeve in side-view. 
         FIG. 6D-1  shows the circulator motor simplified bottom view with its square-shaft hole. 
         FIG. 6D-2  shows the casting rotation motor simplified bottom view with its square hole. 
         FIG. 6E  shows the circulator-drive assembly in perspective view. 
         FIG. 6F  shows the circulator-drive assembly in side-view. 
         FIG. 6G  shows the circulator-drive assembly in magnified form. 
         FIG. 6H  shows the drive-link in top-view. 
         FIG. 6I  shows the circulator-arm support in perspective view. 
         FIG. 6J  shows the circulator-arm support in side-view. 
         FIG. 6K  shows a simplified front-view of the circulator-arm support. 
         FIG. 7  shows the horizontal-slide assembly in perspective view. 
         FIG. 7A  shows the support-structure from the back. 
         FIG. 7B  shows the gemstone flat polisher mechanized from the side in abbreviated form. 
         FIG. 8  shows the plastic-bucket from the side. 
         FIG. 8A  shows the casting-tray from the top. 
         FIG. 8B  shows the casting-mold and casting-tray from the side. 
         FIGS. 8C-8F  show various stages in the construction of a casting. 
         FIG. 8G  shows a schematic side-view of the completed casting. 
         FIG. 8H  shows the stud-insertion fixture from three directions simplified. 
         FIG. 9  shows a side-view of the polish-pan being attached to the base-assembly. 
         FIG. 10  shows an outline diagram top-view of the casting circulating in the polish-pan. 
         FIG. 11  shows a more detailed outline view of the casting in the polish-pan with its circulating apparatus and base bolts. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram of the pattern produced by a point on the casting as it circulates. 
         FIG. 12A  shows the pattern produced by a single bump on the underside of the casting with both circulator and rotator motors operating. 
         FIG. 12B  shows the patterns generated by all three bumps simultaneously with circulator motor  632  operating and rotator motor  630  shut off. 
         FIGS. 13-13B  show diagrams of prior-art vibrating-laps. 
     
    
    
     DRAWINGS 
     Reference Numerals 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 ITEM # 
                 ITEM NAME 
                 FIGURE # 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 110 
                 casting 
                 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 10, 11, 12A 
               
               
                 120 
                 polish pan 
                 1, 1A, 3, 3A, 4C, 7B, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 8C, 9, 10, 11 
               
               
                 130 
                 base assembly 
                 1, 1A, 4, 4B, 4C, 7B, 9, 11 
               
               
                 135 
                 vibrating table assembly. 
                 1A, 1 
               
               
                 140 
                 pan bracket assembly 
                 1, 4B, 4C, 5, 5A 
               
               
                 150 
                 circulator system 
                 1, 1A, 1B, 6, 11 
               
               
                 160 
                 horizontal slide assembly 
                 1, 1A, 7, 7B 
               
               
                 170 
                 support structure 
                 1A, 6K, 7A, 7B, 
               
               
                 212 
                 flat-bottomed rocks 
                 2 
               
               
                 214 
                 disc 
                 2 
               
               
                 216 
                 casting rotation fixture 
                 1B, 2 
               
               
                 217 
                 height adjustment nuts 
                 2 
               
               
                 218 
                 casting center axis 
                 2 
               
               
                 220 
                 casting plane surface 
                 2 
               
               
                 222 
                 lifting stud 
                 2, 8G, 8H, 8F 
               
               
                 224 
                 leveling nuts 
                 1B, 2 
               
               
                 226 
                 casting axis pattern 
                 2A, 10 
               
               
                 228 
                 casting rotation screw 
                 1B, 2, 2A, 10 
               
               
                 230 
                 top section 
                 2 
               
               
                 316 
                 polish pad 
                 3, 9 
               
               
                 318 
                 polish pad underlayer 
                 3, 9 
               
               
                 320 
                 polish-pan-bottom 
                 3, 9 
               
               
                 322 
                 pan-sides 
                 3, 3A 
               
               
                 323 
                 nut-washer 
                 3, 4B, 9 
               
               
                 324 
                 o-ring 
                 3, 4B, 9 
               
               
                 325 
                 splash rim 
                 1, 3A, 3 
               
               
                 326 
                 retainer band 
                 1A, 3, 3A 
               
               
                 327 
                 retainer band lock 
                 3A 
               
               
                 328 
                 retainer ring 
                 3A, 3 
               
               
                 330 
                 center-bump bolt 
                 3, 3A, 4B, 9 
               
               
                 332 
                 center bump bolt head 
                 3, 4B, 4C 
               
               
                 410 
                 base-board 
                 4, 4B 
               
               
                 412 
                 outer bump bolts 
                 4, 4B, 4C, 9, 11 
               
               
                 416 
                 limit bolt 
                 4, 4B, 4C, 9 
               
               
                 418 
                 driving gear 
                 4, 11 
               
               
                 420 
                 driven gear 
                 4, 4A, 4B 
               
               
                 422 
                 gear hold-down bar 
                 4, 4B 
               
               
                 423 
                 hole 
                 4 
               
               
                 424 
                 pan bracket attachment points 
                 4, 4B 
               
               
                 425 
                 pulldown-bolt circle 
                 4 
               
               
                 426 
                 square nut 
                 4, 4A, 4B, 9 
               
               
                 427 
                 counterbore washer 
                 4B 
               
               
                 428 
                 gear teeth 
                 4, 4A 
               
               
                 429 
                 washer 
                 4B 
               
               
                 430 
                 square hole 
                 4A 
               
               
                 516 
                 pulldown bolt 
                 4B, 5, 5A 
               
               
                 518 
                 guide bolt 
                 4B, 5, 5A 
               
               
                 520 
                 stop nut 
                 5, 5A 
               
               
                 522 
                 threaded hole 
                 5, 5A 
               
               
                 524 
                 unthreaded guide hole 
                 5, 5A 
               
               
                 526 
                 tapped attachment holes 
                 5, 5A 
               
               
                 528 
                 inner brace 
                 4B, 5, 5A 
               
               
                 530 
                 outer brace 
                 4B, 5, 5A 
               
               
                 532 
                 attachment screws 
                 4B, 5A 
               
               
                 534 
                 space 
                 4B, 5 
               
               
                 610 
                 circulator-drive assembly 
                 6, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, 10 
               
               
                 612 
                 circulator-arm support 
                 1, 1A, 1B, 6, 6I, 6J, 6K 
               
               
                 613 
                 spacer nuts 
                 6I, 6J 
               
               
                 614 
                 drive shaft 
                 6E, 6F, 10, 11 
               
               
                 615 
                 slide screw 
                 6I, 6J 
               
               
                 616 
                 drive link 
                 6E, 6F, 6G, 6H 
               
               
                 617 
                 circulator-arm spacer 
                 6J 
               
               
                 618 
                 drive pin 
                 6B, 6E, 6F, 6G, 6A, 
               
               
                 619 
                 wing nut 
                 6I, 6J 
               
               
                 620 
                 drive shaft locking screw assembly 
                 6E, 6F, 6G, 6H 
               
               
                 621 
                 lock nut 
                 6G 
               
               
                 622 
                 drive shaft guide 
                 6E, 6F, 7 
               
               
                 623 
                 holding nut 
                 6G 
               
               
                 624 
                 circulator arm 
                 6E, 6F, 6G, 6, 6A, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 6B, 10, 11 
               
               
                 625 
                 square opening 
                 6E, 6H 
               
               
                 626 
                 fulcrum screw 
                 6I, 6J, 6A, 10 
               
               
                 627 
                 drive-pin hole 
                 6H 
               
               
                 628 
                 x-adjuster 
                 6I, 6J 
               
               
                 629 
                 x-adjuster slide bar 
                 6I, 6J 
               
               
                 630 
                 casting rotation motor 
                 1B, 6, 6D-2 
               
               
                 631 
                 support block 
                 6J, 9 
               
               
                 632 
                 circulation motor 
                 1B, 6, 6D-1, 7 
               
               
                 633 
                 clearance cutout 
                 6B 
               
               
                 634 
                 fulcrum slot 
                 6B 
               
               
                 635 
                 stiffening bar 
                 6E, 6G 
               
               
                 636 
                 circulator motor square shaft hole 
                 6D-1, 6D-2 
               
               
                 637 
                 drive-shaft upper end 
                 6F 
               
               
                 638 
                 square socket 
                 6D-2 
               
               
                 640 
                 rotator motor support 
                 6, 6A, 6B, 10 
               
               
                 641 
                 pipe union 
                 6C 
               
               
                 642 
                 casting screw sleeve 
                 6, 6A, 6B, 6C 
               
               
                 643 
                 pipe nipple 
                 6C 
               
               
                 644 
                 x-direction 
                 10 
               
               
                 645 
                 washer 
                 6C 
               
               
                 710 
                 support box 
                 7 
               
               
                 712 
                 horizontal position screw 
                 7 
               
               
                 714 
                 handle 
                 7, 7B 
               
               
                 716 
                 brace 
                 7 
               
               
                 718 
                 left travel nut 
                 7 
               
               
                 720 
                 right travel nut 
                 7 
               
               
                 722 
                 travel brace 
                 7 
               
               
                 724 
                 travel brace 
                 7 
               
               
                 726 
                 travel guide 
                 7 
               
               
                 728 
                 travel guide 
                 7 
               
               
                 730 
                 slide slot 
                 7A 
               
               
                 732 
                 slide washer 
                 7A 
               
               
                 734 
                 slide bolt 
                 7A 
               
               
                 736 
                 support structure 
                 7A, 7B 
               
               
                 810 
                 casting tray 
                 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, 8F 
               
               
                 812 
                 casting tray rim 
                 8A 
               
               
                 814 
                 putty tape sealer 
                 8A 
               
               
                 816 
                 plastic bucket 
                 8 
               
               
                 818 
                 mold ring 
                 8, 8B, 8C 
               
               
                 820 
                 water layer 
                 8D, 8G 
               
               
                 822 
                 wax layer 
                 8E, 8F, 8G 
               
               
                 824 
                 tie studs 
                 8F, 8G 
               
               
                 826 
                 weight 
                 8G 
               
               
                 828 
                 casting cement 
                 8G 
               
               
                 830 
                 stud-insertion fixture 
                 8F, 8G, 8H 
               
               
                 832 
                 fixture guide 
                 8H, 8G 
               
               
                 834 
                 stud-insertion disc 
                 8H 
               
               
                 836 
                 lifting-stud holes 
                 8H 
               
               
                 1202 
                 outer bump pattern 
                 12A 
               
               
                 1204 
                 circulator pattern 
                 12A 
               
               
                 1206 
                 pattern band 
                 12A 
               
               
                 1208 
                 pattern band for support box 710 
                 12B 
               
               
                   
                 full left 
               
               
                 1210 
                 pattern band for support box 710 
                 12B 
               
               
                   
                 full right 
               
               
                 1212 
                 circulator pattern for support box 
                 12B 
               
               
                   
                 full right. 
               
               
                 1214 
                 circulator pattern for support box 
                 12B 
               
               
                   
                 full left 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The vibratory polisher system shown in perspective view in  FIG. 1  comprises six sub-systems:
         casting  110     polish pan assembly  120     base assembly  130     vibrating table assy.  135  (not a part of this invention).   pan bracket assembly (simplified)  140     circulator system  150     horizontal slide assembly  160         

       FIG. 1A  shows the system of  FIG. 1  in isometric front view. The front of the polish pan  120  has been cutaway to allow direct viewing of the casting  110  in the polish pan.  FIG. 1B  shows an isolated view of casting  110  and circulator system  150 . 
     Casting 
     A casting  110  shown in  FIG. 2  comprised of flat-bottomed rocks  212  cemented into a disc  214  is constructed. See method in Operation section. The flat surfaces of the flat-bottomed rocks form the casting plane surface  220  shown dash-dotted on the bottom of the disc  214 . When the casting  110  is installed in the polish-pan  120 , the casting plane surface  220  is in contact with polish pad  316  on the pan bottom. See  FIG. 3 . The lower surface of the bottom of pan  120  rests on the outer bump bolts  412  as may be seen in  FIG. 4C . The casting has a center-axis  218  which is in the center of the circle that forms the outer edge of the casting. See  FIG. 2 . Casting rotation fixture  216  is connected to the casting by two lifting studs  222  and four height-adjustment nuts  217 . Lifting studs  222  are embedded in cementing material and are equidistant from the center axis  218 . The top-section  230  of casting rotation screw  228  has a square cross-sectional area. The square cross-section of top section  230  of the casting-rotation screw  228  slides into square socket  638  of the casting rotation motor  630 . This may be seen in  FIG. 6D-2 . FIG.  2 A shows the elliptical pattern described by center-axis  218  as the casting circulates propelled by circulator motor  632 . 
     Polish Pan 
     Polish Pan Bottom and Lining,  FIG. 3   
     A special pan  120  in  FIG. 3  has a pan-bottom  320  constructed of a rust-resistant flexible metal or stiff plastic. The pan-bottom  320  has an upperside and an underside. The first embodiment for the pan-bottom  320  uses a flexible copper pan. A polish pad underlayer of plastic  318  is cemented to the upperside of the pan-bottom  320 . The first embodiment for underlayer  318  is comprised of plastic table setting pads cut to fit the polish pan and cemented to the upperside of the pan bottom. Polish pad  316  comprising a layer of rough textured cloth-like material is cemented to the top of the polish-pad underlayer  318 . The first embodiment for the polish-pad  316  is indoor-outdoor carpeting. 
     Polish Pan Sides,  FIGS. 3 and 3A . 
     The polish pan  120  is surrounded by thin vertical aluminum or galvanized sheet metal pan sides  322 . Aluminum is the first embodiment for the pan sides  322 . The polish pan has a splash rim  325  around the inner top of the sides to restrict splash. This can be best seen in the cutaway view  FIG. 3  and in top-view  FIG. 3A . A stretched retainer band  326  surrounds a wooden circle retainer ring  328  to provide a seal around the pan edges. Retainer-band lock  327  connects the two ends of retainer band  326 . The retainer band  326  may be seen in  FIG. 3A  and also in  FIG. 1A . Retainer-band lock  327  is not shown in  FIG. 1A . 
     Center-Bump Bolt,  FIG. 3   
     A center-bump bolt  330  passes through a hole in the polish pan bottom and is sealed using a nut-washer  323  and o-ring  324  which are shown in the loosened condition in  FIG. 3 . The center-bump bolt head  332  inside the pan is ground down to a lens shape so that the center bump is very smooth and low. The center-bump bolt  330  is made of corrosion-resistant material. The first embodiment material for the center-bump bolt  330  is brass. The center-bump bolt-head  332  is under polish-pad  316  and polish-pad underlayer  318  as seen in  FIG. 3 . 
     Base Assembly  130 , See  FIGS. 4 ,  4 A, &amp;  4 B. 
     Base Board,  FIG. 4   
     A base assembly  130  is shown in top-view in  FIG. 4 . Base board  410  is constructed of flat, sturdy, light-weight material, equipped with three or more outer bump bolts  412  that protrude vertically upward through the base material. Outer bump bolts  412  may also be seen in side-view in  FIG. 4B . Only one bolt is shown. The preferred embodiment of the base board  410  uses ¾″ plywood for the base material. The outer bump bolts  412  comprise rounded-head carriage or step-bolts and are arranged approximately equally spaced in a pulldown-bolt circle  425  about the center of the base board. The first embodiment of the number of bolt-heads is three. Three heads provide a more certain pressure from the casting on each head than  4  or more heads. The heads of the outer bump bolts  412  press against the flexible polish-pan bottom  320  and provide elevated portions in the bottom. 
     Gears,  FIGS. 4 and 4A . 
     Gears  418  and  420  attach to the baseboard  410  with rotatable attachment means. Gear  418  is the driving gear and gear  420  is the driven gear. Gear  418  is positioned by hand. Driving-gear  418  has approximately 72 teeth and a diameter of 7.75 inches in the first embodiment. A gear hold-down bar  422  is provided to hold the driven gear  420  down. 
     Hole,  423 . 
     Gear hold-down bar  422  in  FIGS. 4 &amp; 4B  has a hole  423  in its center and is installed above square nut  426  and driven-gear  420  which are shown in  FIG. 4A . A counterbore washer  427  is counterbored flush into gear hold-down bar  422  to support nut-washer  323 . The threaded portion of center-bump bolt  330  of  FIG. 3  screws into square nut  426  when polish pan  120  is installed on the base-assembly  130 . See also  FIG. 9 . 
     Driven Gear  420 ,  FIG. 4A   
       FIG. 4A  shows a plan view of the driven gear  420 . The driven gear has a square hole  430  cut in the center to accomodate a square nut  426 . The driven gear  420  has teeth  428  cut around its periphery. In the first embodiment, driven-gear  420  has  50  teeth and a diameter of 6 inches. 
     Pan Bracket Attachments,  FIGS. 4 ,  4 B. 
     Pan bracket attachments  424  are provided at three or more locations around the periphery of the base  410 . See  FIG. 4 . The first embodiment uses three pan-bracket attachments  424 . Pan bracket assemblies  140  shown in  FIG. 5  attach to the pan bracket attachments  424 , one pan bracket assembly  140  to each pan bracket attachment  424 . This may also be seen in  FIG. 4A  only one of which is shown. 
     Base Assembly, Side View With Pan Bracket Assembly Attached.  FIG. 4B . 
       FIG. 4B  is a side view of the base assembly  130  with one of the three pan-bracket assemblies  140  attached. It shows a cutaway view of the center-bump bolt  332  passing into the square nut  426  in the center of driven gear  420 . 
     Pan Bracket Assembly  4 B,  4 C,  5 &amp; 5 A. 
     The polish pan is held down by three pan-bracket assemblies  140  one of which may be seen in  FIGS. 5 &amp; 5A . Two pan bracket assemblies are shown installed in  FIG. 4C . The pan bracket assemblies  140  are positioned at three approximately equally spaced locations around the center of base-board  410  at the pan-bracket attachment positions  424 . The three pan attachment positions may best be seen in  FIG. 4 . Outer brace  530  in  FIGS. 4B and 5  is attached to the pan-bracket attachment  424 . Inner brace  528  is attached to outer brace  530  by a pulldown bolt  516  as in  FIGS. 4B and 5 . Guide bolt  518  passes through unthreaded guide hole  524 . 
     Pan Bottom Curvature,  FIG. 4C . 
     When the pan bracket assemblies  140  are installed and tightened, the pan-bottom takes on the shape shown in  FIG. 4C . Center bump  332  holds down the pan-center while the pan bracket assemblies  140  hold down the outer pan edges against the limit bolts  416 . 
     Vibrating Table,  FIGS. 1A and 7B . 
     The base assembly  130  rests on a vibrating table  135  (broken lines) shown in  FIGS. 1A and 7B  which is part of a vibrating lap assembly. This assembly is available from lapidary equipment dealers. Only the vibrating table assembly  135  itself is used in this invention but is not a part of the invention. The vibrating table supplies vibration to the base-assembly  130 . The vibration is transmitted via the base-assembly to the polish-pan  120 . The lap-pan usually supplied by the manufacturer with the vibrating table is not used in this invention. The vibrating table is available from Covington Engineering, Redlands, Calif. 
     Circulator System  150 , FIGS.  6 , 6 A, 6 B. 
     Circulator system  150  in  FIG. 6  comprises a rotator motor  630 , a circulator motor  632 , a circulator arm  624 , a circulator-drive assembly  610 , a circulator-arm support  612 , and rotator motor support  640 . The circulator arm  624  provides a connection between the circulator drive assembly  610 , casting rotation screw sleeve  642 , the rotator motor support  640 , and circulator arm support  612 .  FIG. 6C  shows that casting-screw sleeve  642  is comprised of one pipe nipple  643  and two pipe unions  641 . One pipe union  641  is attached to each end of pipe-nipple  643 . Washers  645  are placed one on each side of circulator-arm  624 . The pipe-unions  641  are screwed onto pipe-nipple  643 .  FIG. 6A  is a side-view of circulator arm  624  with its attached hardware.  FIG. 6B  shows the basic design of circulator arm  624  in top view. 
     Circulator-Drive Assembly  610 , FIGS.  6 E, 6 F, 6 G and  6 H. 
       FIG. 6E  shows circulator-drive assembly  610  in perspective view. This is a magnified view of the section  610  shown in  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6F  shows circulator-drive assembly  610  in side view. Drive shaft  614  passes through drive-shaft guide  622  and is connected at its upper end  637  to square shaft hole in circulator motor  632 . The drive-shaft guide  622  is attached to support box  710 . This may best be seen in  FIG. 7 . In  FIG. 6E , drive shaft  614  enters square opening  625  in drive-link  616  and is held in place by drive-shaft locking screw assembly  620 . This is shown in top-view in  FIG. 6H . Drive-link  616  is attached to drive pin  618 . Drive-pin  618  is attached to circulator-arm  624 .  FIG. 6E  shows that a stiffening bar  635  is fastened to circulator-arm  624 . This is shown only in  FIGS. 6E and 6G  for simplicity.  FIG. 6G  shows that there is a stiffening bar  635  on each surface of circulator-arm  624 .  FIG. 6G  is an enlarged side-view of the circulator-drive assembly  610  showing the holding nuts  623  and the lock nuts  621 . Holding nuts  623  are clamped loosely to circulator arm  624  to allow free motion of drive link  616 .  FIG. 6H  is a top view of drive-link  616 . The drive-link  616  has a square opening  625  and a pointed locking screw assembly  620  which comprises a pointed machine screw and lock nut. 
     Circulator-Arm Support  612 ,  FIGS. 6I &amp; 6J . 
     Circulator-Arm Support  612  may be seen in its position in  FIGS. 1 ,  1 A,  1 B, &amp;  6 .  FIG. 1B  shows circulator system  150  isolated with the casting  110  attached. In  FIG. 6I , spacer nuts  613  connect fulcrum screw  626  to X-adjuster  628 . Circulator-arm spacer  617  in  FIG. 6J  and its washers are not shown in  FIG. 6I  for clarity. They are shown in side-view in  FIG. 6J . Slide screw  615  attaches X-adjuster  628  to support block  631 . X-adjuster  628  sits against X-adjuster Slide Bar  629 . Circulator-arm support  612  is attached to support structure  170 . This may be seen in  FIGS. 1A ,  6 K &amp;  7 B. 
     Circulator Motor Support Box  710 ,  FIG. 7   
     As shown in  FIG. 7B , which is a view from the side of the vibrating lap polisher system, horizontal-slide assembly  160  is attached to support structure  170  and to support structure back  736 . This attachment uses bolts  734  and slide-washers  732  as seen in  FIG. 7A , which is a view of support structure back  736  as viewed from the back. Only one callout for bolt  734  and slot  730  are given on  FIG. 7 . In  FIG. 7 , circulator motor  632  is attached to the front of circulator motor support box  710 . Brace  716  is connected between the circulator motor support box  710  and circulator motor  632 . In  FIG. 7 , horizontal position screw  712  passes through right-travel nut  718  and through left-travel nut  720  and passes through unthreaded travel braces  722  and  724 . Horizontal position screw  712  also passes through unthreaded travel guides  726  and  728 . Handle  714  is attached to horizontal-position screw  712 . 
     Operation of Vibrating Lap Polisher Comprises: 
     Attaching Polish Pan  120  to Base Assembly  130 ,  FIG. 9 . 
     Setting the polish pan  120  down onto the base assembly  130  as shown in  FIG. 9 , with the end of the center-bump bolt  330  in the center of square nut  426 . See also  FIG. 4A  for the square nut. Rotating the entire polish pan  120  clockwise in a horizontal plane so that pan  120  approaches the base assembly  130  as a result of the threaded contact between center-bump bolt  330  and square-nut  426 . The vertical black arrow in  FIG. 9  shows how the polish-pan bottom  320  approaches the base assembly  130 . The foregoing process may also be obtained by rotating driving gear  418  of  FIG. 4  clockwise. Driven gear  420  then rotates counter-clockwise which causes square-nut  426  to be screwed onto center-bump bolt  330 . The lowering pan will touch the tops of the outer bump bolts  412 . The first embodiment envisions three outer carriage bolts  412 , although more may be used. Step bolts may be used rather than carriage bolts. Three outer bump bolts provide a more certain contact of each bolt between portions of casting plane surface  220  and the three bolt-heads than a larger number of outer bump bolts when casting  110  is installed in polish pan  120 . 
     Operation of Pan-Bracket Assembly  140 . 
     Installing Pan Bracket Assemblies  140 . 
     Refer to  FIGS. 4B ,  4 C,  5 ,  5 A, and  9 . Installing pan-bracket assemblies  140  to pull the edges of polish pan  120  down under tension against the limit bolts  416  after the under-side of polish-pan-bottom  320  has made firm contact with the outer bump bolts  412 . This results in the pan-bottom curvature shown in  FIG. 4C . Pan-bracket assemblies  140  comprise two independent sections, outer brace  530 , and inner brace  528 . Installing pan-bracket assemblies  140  comprises fastening pan-bracket assembly  140  to the pan-bracket attachments  424  using attachment screws  532 . The attachment screws  532  screw into tapped attachment holes  526  and are tightened. Inner brace  528  fits inside polish-pan  120  as shown in  FIG. 4C . Three of the pan bracket assemblies  140  are used in the first embodiment, although more may be used. Tightening pulldown-bolt  516  to cause space  534  between inner brace  528  and outer-brace  530  to decrease. At the same time, guide-bolt  518  slides in unthreaded guide hole  524  to keep inner brace  528  and outer-brace  530  parallel. As pulldown-bolt  516  is tightened, the lower end of inner-brace  528  is lowered, causing a pressure on the inside bottom edge of polish-pan  120 . This pressure creates raised areas in the pan-bottom due to force over the outer bump bolts  412 . The tension created by the pan-bracket assemblies  140  continues to be increased as pulldown-bolt  516  is screwed until the underside of the polish-pan bottom touches the limit-bolts  416 . 
     Preparation of Casting For Polish. 
     Installing casting-rotation fixture  216  and height-adjustment nuts  217  on lifting studs  222 . See  FIG. 2 . Adjusting height-adjustment nuts  217  for proper mating between casting-rotation screw  228  and casting-screw sleeve  642  ( FIG. 6 ) to cause circulator-arm  624  to be approximately level. Leveling nuts  224  on casting-rotation screw  228  have been preset to the correct height level ( FIG. 1B ). Checking casting plane surface  220  for flaking, holes, etc. Removing the flaking areas. Filling any holes with slightly heated paraffin wax, which is moldable. Being sure there are no areas in which grit has lodged from previous processing, and removing the grit. Wire-brushing any areas where grit may have lodged using a brass-bristle brush and a pressure nozzle. Doing this outdoors. 
     Preparation of Polish Pan Prior to Installation of Casting Into Polish-Pan. 
     Checking the polish pad  316  for excessive wear over the outer bump bolts. The polish-pan is used only for polish. Grit is never put into the polish pan. The pan can be rotated to a new position for the outer bumps. If there is excessive wear of the polish pad center over the center bump bolt head, the pad must be changed. If the center-bump is never raised more than necessary to isolate its effect, the pad will last a long period of time. Cleaning the pan of any contamination by vacuuming the pad. If there is water in the pan, the pan can be tipped forward to allow the water to collect in one area while the pad is vacuumed in another area. 
     Putting Water and Polish Into the Pan 
     The polish pan bottom  320  should be completely covered with water. There may still be polish in the pan from a previous polish cycle. This polish can be used, but also adding about ½ cup of polish to the pan. In the first embodiment, cerium oxide polish will be used. Turning the vibrating table assembly  135  on and brushing the polish around with a clean paintbrush. 
     Installing Casting Into Polish-Pan: 
     Setting the casting  110  into the polish-pan  120 . Rocking the casting  110  to see if the pan-center height is correct. If there is no rocking or too much rocking, adjusting the center-bump bolt  330  using the driving gear  418  so that the casting  110  can be rocked slightly but not a great amount. 
     Operation of Base Assembly Comprises: 
     Operation of Gears 
     Gears  418  and  420  are provided to raise the center of polish pan  120  up or down as needed. Gear hold-down bar  422  is provided to hold the driven gear  420  down against the upward pressure created by the center-bump bolt  330  as the gears are turned, causing tension in the polish-pan-bottom  320 . The gears  418  and  420  are needed because the center-bump bolt  330  cannot be reached for adjustment by hand during polishing. The reason for this is due to the polish-pan  120  being installed on the base, covering access to the center-bump bolt  330 . 
     Center-Bump Bolt  330 , and Pan-Bracket Assemblies  140 . 
     The center-bump bolt  330  of the polish pan  120  pulls on the pan-center so that the polish-pan becomes snug against the outer bump bolts. Polish-pan bracket assemblies  140  assist in pulling polish-pan  120  down against outer bump bolts  412 .  FIG. 4C . The gears  418  and  420  move center-bump bolt  330  down or up as required to maintain the polish-pan convex or flat at the outer bump bolts, and concave or convex as needed at the center bump  330 . The casting when put into the polish-pan  120  will ride primarily either on the outer bump bolts  412  or on the center bump bolt head  332  as needed to provide the proper polish over the outer and inner casting areas in separate phases. 
     Limit Bolts 
     Limit bolts  416  are provided on the base-board  410  to limit the amount that the polish-pan bottom  320  can be pulled down by the pan bracket assemblies  140  as they are tightened.  FIG. 4C . The square shape of square hole  430  ( FIG. 4A ) in driven-gear  420  turns square nut  426  when driven gear  420  is turned by means of driving gear  418 . This action provides a tension on center-bump bolt  330  to lower polish-pan bottom  320 . When driving gear  418  is turned in the opposite direction, tension on the polish pan-bottom  320  is released or reduced so that the pan-bottom rises. 
     Gear Hold-Down Bar  422   
     Gear hold-down bar  422  holds square nut  426  down during tension on center-bump bolt  330 . The natural tension in the polish-pan bottom  320  when it is being pulled down, is released when the polish-pan bottom is allowed to move back to its original position by rotating the square nut  426  in the opposite direction by means of driven gear  420 . 
     Operation of Circulator System  150  Comprises: 
     Circulator system  150  drives the casting  110  via the casting rotation fixture  216  shown in  FIGS. 1B &amp; 2 . 
     Casting Rotation Motor and Circulation Motor. 
     Casting rotation motor  630  rotates casting  110  around its own center axis  218 .  FIG. 1B . Casting center axis  218  is shown in  FIG. 2 . Casting rotation motor  630  rides on circulator arm  624  as circulator arm  624  moves. Circulation motor  632  rotates casting rotation screw  228  independently in casting axis pattern  226  as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 10 . Circulator arm  624  moves back and forth in response to the action of circulation motor  632 , with the motion of the end opposite rotation motor support  640  fixed about the fulcrum-screw  626 . Circulation motor  632  and circulator arm  624  cannot move casting  110  by themselves without the help of the steady vibration provided by vibrating table  135  (not a part of this patent). This vibration effectively makes casting  110  very light so that it can be circulated easily by circulator arm  624  under the influence of circulation motor  632  and casting rotation motor  630 . 
     Circulation Assembly, Top View 
       FIG. 11  shows a top view of circulator system  150 . Casting  110  and polish-pan  120  are shown in transparent form in  FIG. 11  so that the relationship between the circulator system  150  and the base assembly  130  can be seen. 
     Circulation Patterns 
     Circulation Pattern of a Point on the Casting. 
       FIG. 12  shows the pattern generated by the a point near the outer edge of casting  110   t  circulates under the combined influence of circulation motor  632  and casting rotation motor  630 . This shows that the referenced point on the casting covers essentially the total outer area of polish pan  120 , thus guaranteeing that all points on the casting surface with the exception of the center area move over any particular outer bump bolt of base  130  numerous times during the polish cycle. Center area is polished by center bump  330 . 
     Circulation Pattern Produced By Bumps On the Underside of the Casting. 
     Another way of viewing the pattern of  FIG. 12  produced by circulation of the casting is shown in  FIG. 12A . A particular outer bump bolt  412  writes a pattern on the underside of casting  110  as the casting circulates. Each time casting  110  makes a full revolution about its own center, the next pattern is offset. This can be seen in  FIG. 12A , which shows three cycles as a result of three revolutions of casting rotation motor  630 . These revolutions form a band  1206  whose width is determined by the amplitude of the circulator pattern  1204  in  FIG. 12A . Eventually, the entire band is filled in causing the band on casting  110  to be completely polished. Isolated circulator motor revolution pattern  1204  is taken with casting rotation motor  630  turned off. This pattern may be compared to  FIG. 2A . 
     Test Setup For Generating  FIGS. 12A &amp; 12B   
     A test setup was constructed consisting of a plastic disc to simulate the casting. The plastic disc was covered with drawing paper and a ballpoint pen pressing down under pressure at the exact position of each outer bump bolt. This created a circulation pattern on the drawing paper. A typical pattern  1202  for one outer bump bolt is shown in  FIG. 12A . Note that the pattern  1202  forms a band  1206 . Pattern  1204  is the pattern created by only circulation motor  632  with casting rotation motor  630  turned off. The pattern  1204  determines the pattern band shown as  1206 . Such bands are created by each outer bump bolt  412 . The position of each pattern band  1206  is determined by the position of the outer bump bolt and the horizontal position of support structure  736 . The combination of these three bands effectively covers the entire portion of casting  110 . 
     Explanation of Patterns of  FIG. 12B . 
     The patterns of  FIG. 12B  were generated by all three outer bump bolts simultaneously with circulator motor  632  operating and rotator motor  630  shut off. This isolates the pattern created solely by circulation motor  632  on the three outer bump bolts  412 . It takes the general form of pairs of ellipses. The ellipses on the righthand side of each pair are generated with support box  710  fully left. The ellipses on the lefthand side of each pair are generated with support box  710  in the fully right position. The pairs of ellipses form two overlapping bands indicated by double-ended arrows  1208  and  1210 . When rotator motor  630  is operating, the pattern in each band is expanded similar to that shown in  FIG. 12A . These overlapping, expanded bands cause casting  110  to be fully polished all around each band. Only one set of the three bands in  FIG. 12A  is diagrammed for clarity. 
     Fulcrum Screw  626 . See  FIGS. 6I ,  6 J,  9  &amp;  10 . 
     Fulcrum screw  626  can be moved forward and back by means of x-adjuster  628  to finely position the casting in the pan. This is shown by horizontal arrows  644  in  FIG. 10 . This forward and back movement is called the X-direction  644 . 
     Operation of Support Box  710 ,  FIG. 7 , Comprises: 
     A support box  710  in  FIG. 7  supports circulator motor  632 . Brace  716  braces circulator motor  632  against movement caused by motion of circulator arm  624  as in  FIG. 6 . Horizontal position screw  712  causes support box  710  to slide either right or left depending on the direction of turn of handle  714 . This action moves casting  110  right or left to assist in covering the entire casting surface to be polished. Slide-bolts  734  and slide washers  732  supporting support box  710  slide in 3 slots  730  shown in  FIG. 7A . 
     Support Structure  170 , Side View. 
       FIG. 7B  shows gemstone flat polisher, mechanized in side view, in abbreviated form. 
     Casting Preparation Method  FIGS. 8-8H   
     A method of preparing a casting  110  of flat-sided items, and having a maximally-flat bottom casting plane surface  220 , comprising:
         a. Providing a plastic bucket  816  and constructing a mold ring  818 .  FIGS. 8 &amp; 8B .   b. Providing a casting tray  810  in  FIG. 8A  with rim  812  with a ribbon of putty tape sealer  814  and pressing mold-ring  818  into it to seal edges.  FIG. 8B . The first embodiment of sealant is putty tape.   c. Inserting and arranging the flat-bottomed rocks  212  down onto the casting tray  810 .  FIG. 8C .   d. Inserting a layer of water  820  into the casting to cover the bottom edges of the flat-bottomed rocks.  FIG. 8D .   e. Heating the casting water layer  820  by setting casting tray  810  on a hot plate.   f. Heating and melting paraffin wax in a double-boiler on a separate hot plate.   g. Pouring a layer of melted paraffin wax  822  into the casting mold onto the top of the heated water layer such that the top of wax layer  822  reaches approximately half way up the flat-bottomed rocks. The wax floats on the water layer.  FIG. 8E .   f. Removing assembly  FIG. 8E  from heat and setting the assembly on a level, flat surface. Allowing wax to harden.   g. Selecting holes  836  shown if  FIG. 8H  for lifting-studs  222  in stud-insertion fixture  830 .  FIG. 8F . Selected holes are equidistant from the casting center and must prevent studs from touching tops of flat-bottomed rocks   h. Mixing up a batch of casting cement  828  and pouring mold ring  818  one-half full into casting. Adding weight  826  near the casting center.  FIG. 8G . Then pouring other half of casting cement  828  to fill mold ring  818 . The first embodiment material for the casting cement is pure Portland cement and the first embodiment material for the weight  826  is lead to provide sufficient weight. The lead weight can be easily made by melting old tire balancing weights.   i. Installing stud-insertion fixture  830  by setting it on top of casting and sinking lifting studs  222  into the cement.  FIG. 8G .   j. Removing mold-ring  818  when cement has become firm by lightly tapping mold-ring with a hammer.   k. Installing casting rotation fixture  216  as shown in  FIGS. 1B and 2 . Its height is adjusted to mate properly with casting rotation motor  630  and so that circulator-arm  624  sits approximately level when installed. Height adjustment nuts  217  and leveling nuts  224  are adjusted for this purpose.   l. Preparing casting plane surface  220  for polishing using other equipment not included in this patent application. Note that plane surface  220  is caused to be maximally-flat due to its construction and preliminary processing methods. These methods comprise coarse and fine flat grinding by other equipment.