MGMS Lapidary Workshop

MGMS (Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society) has a lapidary workshop that is available to members and is located in Montgomery, Alabama. The MGMS workshop was built to help educate the club members in lapidary arts. The workshop is staffed by appointment only, with a knowledgeable member who will open the workshop for you to work on your lapidary project. Training is provided to anyone wishing to use the shop. The workshop has equipment for Cutting, Grinding and Polishing stones. Rock saws are available for trimming and slabbing, wheels for grinding and sanding, and disks for polishing as well as flat laps and other equipment for lapidary and jewelry making. The workshop is open for use by all club members only, provided the following conditions are met. Members must sign the attendance record and pay the shop fee each time before starting work. A parent or adult sponsor must accompany any minors, and the adult will be held responsible for the child's behavior and safety.

MGMS is always looking for instructors who can volunteer their time to share their knowledge and expertise with those of us who want to learn new skills and techniques.  If you would like to teach, please contact us.  MGMS will take care of publicising your class, assist in ordering supplies, help with setting and cleaning up, collecting fees, and being available during class to help as needed! All you will need to do is teach!

The Instructor in charge, in addition to promoting a safe and orderly environment, is a source of free instruction on the use of all equipment. Before using the shop you must be current with membership dues, and receive instruction. All visits to the shop start by signing in and end by signing out and paying a usage fee. The usage fees are low, thanks to the ability of volunteer members to make in-house repairs. All fees are on an hourly basis where any fraction of an hour is counted as a full hour. For example: 15 minutes is one hour; 55 minutes is one hour; 65 minutes is two hours. The basic rate is $2.00 per hour, that includes the use of sanding and polishing wheels, flex-shaft machine, dopping oven and wax, safety equipment and hand tools. Practice rough and slabs are included in the basic shop fee. Shop rules are posted at the shop. Please familiarize yourself with them before you start using the shop. Safety comes first when dealing with all the equipment - not just for yourself but also for your fellow club members.

Currently, our tools include:

• 18” Rock Saw
• 12” Rock Saw
• 8” Trim Saw
• 6” Trim Saw with thin blade for minimal stock removal
• 2 - Kabking 6" six-wheel cabbing machine
• NEW!  Diamond Pacific 6" six-wheel cabbing machine

Leslie provides guidance and mentoring and makes everyone feel comfortable using the equipment and getting great results with their projects. Use of the equipment is on a first-come/first-served basis, but members are expected to share time on the saws & machines with other members so that everyone gets their turn. The use of the equipment is a membership benefit, but members are asked to donate to the equipment repair fund jar to help with the upkeep of consumables and things like blade and wheel replacement when needed. We also ask that you sign the shop log and jot down a note regarding the projects you are working on. This helps us plan for future maintenance and equipment acquisitions, as well as let other members know about club resources. Paper towels, mineral oils, and kitty litter for saw lubricant removal are provided, but members are advised to bring safety glasses if needed.

The shop is located at 2433 Upper Wetumpka Road. in Montgomery, behind Iris"s house. The entrance to the workshop is her driveway. It is a horseshoe driveway. Turn into the south drive, then vear left onto the grass and continue to the back side of her house.

• Learn how to make cabochons from one of our experienced members!  

• You MUST set up an appointment prior to attending the shop. 

• Fees are $2.00 per person per hour or $10.00 maximum. Sorry, there are no more IOU's. 

• The shop can be opened at anytime by appointment with Leslie Amato at 334-324-7997. Please contact Leslie 2-3 days prior to your desired date to determine if convenient. David Grant may be able to open shop on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm. Please contact David at 334-462-7105 by Tuesday evening to set up an appointment. This will let them know you will be coming and when. 

• There must be 2 or more members present at all times to operate any of the machinery. No exceptions. 

• Clean up your mess. Leave the workshop cleaner than you found it. Make a notation of the last person to use the shop and report at the next meeting. No exceptions. 

• No walk-ins allowed

• For Members Only