Member postings for Mike E.

Hi Michael,

The paint is called "One Shot ", its a sign painters paint. You brush it on, "and let it self level". Don't go back over it with the brush once you've applied it to an area. Attempting to brush after the paint has started to skin over will result in a poor finish. Two coats are rarely needed. I have used this brand of paint for all my small tool restorations, and it is quite durable.

I put the 3" Abwood vice back together today, and am very pleased with it. Here's a photo showing it in its new forest green attire.

It's nice both you and your Dad can enjoy can enjoy tinkering and a new adventure together. A mill & lathe can provide you many hours of enjoyment, and a great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction in the bespoke things you make.

So Hello, and Welcome from another new member.

Hello Jacky,

Welcome from a recent member here.

Check out the site called....... lathes.co.uk There is a wealth of information about lathes, mills, and other equipment that you might come across, or be interested in.

I disassembled a nice little 3" Abwood machine vice I recently purchased, degreased it, brightened up the bare metal, and repainted parts of it to match my milling machine. Will post a photo after the paint has dried and its put back together.

Happy day.

Considering the size of components on a bicycle which would require precision, I would suggest researching the section on Watch Makers Lathes at www.lathes .co.uk . Information can be found on small machines of various sizes and capability. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to click on the section. This may help guide you to type in specific searches for lathes on line which don't appear for sale in the general listings.

Might be a good idea to tram the length of the slot in your milling table "first" to insure its running true.

Interesting reading about the refrigerator. I've always thought, even back when I was a little kid, that refrigerators should be made as chest types (like some freezers) instead of cabinet types where the door opens and all the cold air dumps out "every" time. But then it also occurred to me that if that were the case, then the power companies would loose revenue because the refrigerators would not be constantly cycling every time the "lid" was opened.

What was the name of that company again, General Electric ?

I spent a little time today looking through the box of tooling I got with a small Lorch lathe a couple of days ago. With the accessories was a rather interesting tool holder, which has a radius cut into it for wedges similar to those found in lantern type holders, and for the same purpose; adjusting centre height of cutter's. Seems a better design than using shims. Here are a couple of photos.......

I use 3M brand scotch-brite pads. The "red" ones are for metal. They cleaned up and helped to bring back to life a small Atlas lathe. It can be seen in my album titled 1980's workshop.

Hello Simon, Welcome from another recent member.

Hmmm, ?

Will try to post a photo again. Ahh, worked this time.

I started to clean a few accessories which came with the Lorch Lathe I purchased today.

Thank You, I got it.

Couldn't find books in their menu, and when I typed in "books" or "engineering books" nothing came up either ?

I've had a "General" brand drill bit sharpening attachment which has worked a treat for over forty years without issues. "Draper" makes the same attachment, which can be used with your bench grinder for about £15.oo

This type of sharpening jig allows you to set the geometry of cutting angles to suit drilling in both metal and other materials. I may be old school in my thinking, but I know what works; and in todays economy, the price is right.