Member postings for choochoo_baloo

Believe it or not, I've struggled to find the correct nuts to fit the stud on the yellow anti vibration feet from Myford for the ML7. Please can anyone tell me what the thread is?

They are *not* 3/8 BSW as I was led to believe... Just tried phoning Myford, but no answer. Presumably they've now closed for Xmas.

Thanks in advance.

Ok thanks chaps. You've confirmed my initial thought - abrasive would be a mistake. I shall let sleeping dogs lie.

On the up side, I assume the minuscule amount of etching that's occurred will hold slideway oil better than being really shiny?

Forgot to ask. For rectifying - ideally restoring to the original finish - what method & abrasives should I use (I'm a novice)?

I was told: I suspect you will have to resort to using 1200 grit carborundum paper with WD40 to remove the etched layer. Wrap it around a parallel.

Many thanks for your reply Kiwi.

Sorry I wasn't clear, photo below is the "front bearing plate" I referred to. I assume this is made of steel? This *was* immersed in a bucket of molasses ie no oxygen contact. As you mentioned with your successes, this piece clearly worked very well in under 24 hrs of immersion. Or were your referring to your gravers?

Anyway, the bottom left shows the dulling/patchiness I described in my original post. Yes of course it's not a big deal, I'm just a perfectionist who wants to learn a much as I can along the way.

Aye, chelation is like magic pixie chemistry if you ask me...

For the benefit of others, I asked an academic engineer friend. Although he's avoided the molasses method at home himself, he responded with:

Grey cast iron is far more easy to etch than steel - a fact exploited during the production of metallography specimens in a foundry. I assume this is due to the rough/open surface compared with steel - all those open grain boundaries to attack. Molasses (I think) contains phosphoric acid which makes me think your casting has been etched. Perhaps more is going on with the high level of silicon and phosphorous likely to be in the cast iron??

Edited By choochoo_baloo on 28/11/2019 15:42:11

The below is bugging me and I really want to understand why this (albeit not a big deal) happened.

I wanted to clean up my Tom Senior main vertical slideway. They famously hand a hand frosted finish. I wanted to maintain it as best I could.

A very experienced engineer relative said that a molasses solution soaked roll, draped over the area, will eventually let me wipe off the inert iron oxide.

I uncovered it 24 hours later for a look, and was disappointed to see that the whole surface was dulled.
After trying water, kerosene, WD40 to no avail, I deduced the iron’s been etched slightly, thus impeding the light reflection.
Despite a good polish, with Autosol, it’s not much better.
...I’m annoyed the surface has lost its shine.


Interesting the spots I missed with the tissue, seem unaffected. This supports my etching theory.
Please see the before and after photos.

I also submerged the front bearing plate in molasses for the same amount of time.By contrast the steel bearing plate came out very well....steel isn’t susceptible to molasses etching?


furthermore, I just read on a forum that molasses can attack grey cast iron?
Since I understand molasses works by chelation (A level chemistry to the rescue!!),’this doesn’t explain the acidic behaviour and I originally avoided acids for this reason.

many thanks for reading this far 😉

Thanks both. Will use allen keys or round bar Peter.

Brian; to check I understand what you mean.

I plan to mark their current alignment to each other, and count how many rev's to undo the outer nut. Is this all?

Me again

Does any know with reasonable confidence what the colour is of this rough casting paint? It inevitably became flaky during electrolysis, so I want to repaint these bits anyway.

I'm thinking: BS2660-4046 Off-white

Thank you.

Continuing my Tom Senior disassembly, I heeded the previous advice to leave the taper pin-ed end, and remove from the handle side of the X axis table screw.

Now I'm flummoxed by these double nut things. No grub screws or pins to remove. That's a ball bearing race immediately to the left.

• Do they need a pin spanner type thing?
• Are they double nuts?

Thanks in advance.

Still 'due diligence' Hopper. I agree professionals in theory, but if they're '"too busy" for the small domestic jobs, then I may not have that choice.

By pure chance when a tree surgeon was round last week, it turned out his helper had worked for a local machinery hauliers for 20 years (that I didn't know existed). He talked thorugh the move in theory.

Contacted the hauliers for a quote, giving his name, and they buggered me about a few times by not returning calls when they say they will. Bad manners hack me off. So they can whistle!

Thanks chaps.

I was thinking ‘this probs is meant to stay together’, hence I stopped and sought advice.

Please confirm - will these few drift blows, with a pein hammer, have likely distorted/gouged the internals? Being a novice, I’ve no idea how delicate this sort of assembly is.

————

Below is the top down view of saddle for John Haine. Yes; the power feed engages that dog clutch bronze thingy.

A Newby question please:

I’m stripping and cleaning up my Senior M1 mill. But I cannot seem to disassemble the pictured lead screw bush/bracket assembly.

I identified what I think is a taper pin through the steel collar - see close up.

obviously being very careful to hit the narrower end, nothing is budging and even managed to bend the brass drift...!!

To save any possible damage I’ve stopped to ask one of your chaps fir suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Edited By choochoo_baloo on 13/11/2019 17:05:17

Many thanks for the direct Qs Pete. Here goes:

a) Yes I will have 2 others who are fit and mobile

b) Almost certainly yes - will double check in day light tomorrow

c) No. Just gravity. I do have a few decent webbing + ratchets in a box though. I don't know the correct way to ratchet it down to the pallet. Below photo is the lathe just before being covered up.

d) Approx 200mm

e) No the sill can't be removed. The sill's approx 30mm above concrete floor.

f) Yes there's a reasonable patio off the right edge of the 3rd photo. (The gravelled area beyond bottom edge leads onto lawn bordered by sleepers, so not feasible.)

Edited By choochoo_baloo on 01/11/2019 21:32:00

The route photo's are below. I realise it was hard for you chaps to advise without knowing the 'lie of the land".

Just had another idea: wouldn't a pallet truck with a lifting facility do everything?

I would lay substantial OSB across the patio as well to cushion the ride. At the step up into the workshop, I could have the engine crane + eye bolt to do the final positioning.

After realising I'm gunna need a load of degreasant for the next project I hoped there was a cheaper way than 2.5L Gunk cans from Halfords (thought Gunk is excellent stuff!).

...I just bought a 20L can of kerosene from a local heating oil company, for a fraction of the cost, unsurprisingly.

Is there something(s) I can add to the kerosene to improve its cleaning/degreasing performance? (I'm yet to try it neat).

Thanks in advance chaps.

Edited By choochoo_baloo on 30/10/2019 16:27:58

Thanks all for the helpful input. I know the time it takes to sit down a write a comprehensive post (I’ma slow typist by modern standards!) This is an excellent forum for noobs like myself.

I’m away from home atm - will post pics of the route tomorrow.

Thanks chaps. I'm away from home so can't readily uncover the Master to check, but RE lifting eye bolt some places mention a steel plate that sits over the ways that seems to support the eye bolt.

Do I also need this plate, since this manual photo suggests just the eye bolt is needed - can't see a plate too?

Dear all,

I'm finally able to move my under-cover Colchester Master Mk1 into it's proper home. It's still sat under tarpaulin from delivery.

The plan is:

• Lift off the pallet onto scaffold poles
• move about 50 yards on flat-ish ground,
• lift up a step into the workshop

I've never moved a lathe of this size before. First step suggests an eye bolt + engine crane? What is the thread of the tapping in the lathe bed for the eye bolt?

Any advice will be gratefully received.

I inherited a well used two sided oilstone 6 x 2 x 1 inches.

It is noticeably cratered and has pretty grey sludgy coating all over. In other words it's well used! [I'm sorted with the flattening.]

However I'd like suggestions on how to de-oil it/flush out the old stuff in the pores. Then I can re oil with fresh Nuto H32.

Thanks in advance.