Mirror lapper

These models of machines have all been created on the basis of a sheet drawn in the last period of Leonardo's stay in Rome. It is entirely dedicated to the manufacturing of concave and plane mirrors. During the Renaissance, mirrors are obtained by smoothing carefully bronze, copper or silver surfaces until they reflect perfectly. The machines designed by Leonardo use a combination of gears which move both the abrasive stone and the surface to be smoothed. This makes the operation extremely uniform.
Codex Atlanticus, sheet 1103 v. -