Member postings for Dell

Thanks for replying both, my Pultra 17/70 crosslide is imperial, I have measured the screw and it’s 0.246” and 40 tpi

and the grub screw threads are 6 BA

and yes I could make one if I could use the crosslide .

Dell

Does anyone by any chance have or know where I might get a lead screw for a Pultra lathe crosslide, it’s a very fine thread so probably 40 tpi because according to Chris at Smart&Brown they were either 20 or 40 tpi

Thanks for all the replies because the clock is 1904 I think it’s probably the progress thread , I had heard of that thread before but forgot about it ( comes with age ) I first thought it was Thury thread ( again Swiss ) anyway my 1.2X0.25mm tap screws into the frontplate albeit very slightly loose so that’s what I have used , there is no real force needed they just hold the crown on top of the frontplate.

Thanks Dell

Hi all

i have to make some small screws , a friend has measured one of his screws for me but the thread is odd , he said the thread I 1.2X0.3 but I can’t find that , a 13BA is

1.2X 0.25 and a metric M1.2 is 0.25 exactly the same so it’s possible that he has the pitch wrong ( possible with such a small screw ) or I haven’t been able to find it, so I thought I would ask the learned people on here, my BA set only goes to 12 BA but my small metric set goes from 1mm to 2.5mm so I tried a M1.2X0.25 in the threaded clock plate and the tap screws in although it’s very slightly loose.

Dell

Hi. Colin

i did first think about turning the part that way but as it has a dished side I decided to do the part with the recess out because it would have been difficult to do it from the back.

Dell

My first skeleton clock it came to me after falling off the shelf lots of damage had to make lots of new parts it had bent plates damaged chapter ring cheap aluminium hands no dome or base broken mountings, had to make parts to silver solder onto bottom of plates with 3BA threads and new rods to be able to mount onto base straighten chapter ring and send for re enamelling found someone that made hands drilled polished and blued them made brass bushings for them , made a hand tension washer, and a thinner hand washer because replacement hands are thinner than the originals, this is the most I have ever had to do to a clock but pleased with the outcome, it’s working fine just waiting for chapter ring to come back to finish,I have even found an original oval glass dome and base.

Edited By Dell on 11/07/2022 21:07:22

If you are on Facebook and interested in repairing clocks Matthew read is admin on the group how to repair pendulum clocks, he is a conservator and very knowledgeable.

Thanks for replies

I start the die using the tailstock to get a straight thread but once started I remove it and do it by hand in the vice, I always do one turn then back half a turn and so on, I must admit I hadn’t thought of using oil instead of the proper thread cutting grease, I have some cutting oil I use on the mill so will give that a try, my BA tap and die set are good quality and the dies are split dies and they are from London tap & die, I purchase all my steel and brass from Rapid metal so I would hope it’s not of poor quality.

All the 8BA’s came out fine it’s just the 3 BA’s I have had problems with I even checked the die with a loope to see if it had got damaged.

I am hoping for some help and advice, I make a lot of small BA screws and never had this problem before, I have a Victorian skeleton clock that had fallen off a shelf some years ago and was packed away due to bent plates, dial , and broken mounting rods, anyway it’s my clock now I have straightened front and backplate, straightened dial and sent off to be re enamelled, upon making four new rods to mount clock on replacement base I have come upon something I haven’t encountered before, one end of the rod has 8BA thread went fine and the other end has 3BA , the first was fine but the second one is terrible see picture has anyone got any ideas as to the cause.

the chart said major diameter 4.1mm but I always turn slightly smaller 4.05mm use thread cutting grease and the material is silver steel the same I use for all my screw making.

Thanks Dell

Thanks for that Bill

i have some Glanze holders coming, expensive but hopefully only have to buy them once , I can just about hold my gravers to grind them because they have a handle but small HSS tool bits I really struggle because of the gout but I don’t think I will have a problem sharpening the Warner bits as they only need laying flat on a oiled stone and rubbed fig 8.

Dell

I just wanted to give a big shout out to the wonderful people on this forum especially Roderick Jenkins who has made me a couple of drawbars so I can use my many Schaublin 10mm collets in my Pultra 17/70 and won’t take a penny in payment so I am going to make a donation to charity, but not just Rod but also Clive steer who made a spindle shroud for me, Noel and many others, this is a wonderful forum and it has some very knowledgeable and helpful people long may it continue.

Dell

If you lay Acetylene cylinders down in the car let them stand for a few hours because if you don’t you could get a blowback.

Yes they are A R Warner so if I get glanze they should out last me .

Like this for instance

https://www.glanze.co.uk/product/pair-of-lh-rh-indexable-facing-tools-with-4-inserts-10-mm/

Hi Thor & DC31k

thanks for prompt replies so just to get it sorted in my old thick head , I will need to look for SCLR1010H06 for a 10mm right hand & for SCLCL1010H06 for a 10mm left hand but what about a chamfer tool holder ?.

my QCTP will take 1/2” 12mm but I thought 10mm would give me a bit of up or down adjustment.

Hi all

A friend in USA has sent me some HSS inserts to try because I happen to mention that I have trouble holding the HSS Tool bits when I need to sharpen them or make a new one due to my gout in both hands but there is a plethora of holders and inserts for that matter, can someone please help me out by suggesting what holders to buy , I want good quality ones somthing like glance I suppose unless there are any cheaper good quality ones , the inserts are here.

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3696&category=

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4975&category=
I didn’t know it was possible to get HSS inserts but if they work and it means I don’t have to sharpen bits, although he tells me that if they need to be sharpened you just lay them flat on an oiled stone then rub.

is there a set standard foe inserts because all the different letters and numbers seen to be a bit different depending upon where you look.

Many thanks Dell

If the op is near moreton in marsh he is welcome to bring it to me and I will weld it for him , although I mostly gas weld aluminium now I do still use mig a lot , as I have just finished fabricating parts and mig welded them in a R/R Shadow so I am used to mig welding thin steel.

PM me if interested Dell

Will have to go to my local engineering company to see if they can do it because my Pultra doesn’t have screw cutting.

Dell

Thanks JasonB

that’s what I have got but I have since found out that the thread is M10 X .8 buttress and I can’t find a tap of that size, I don’t know if it’s possible for it to be done on a screw cutting lathe.

Dell

Roderick

both my Pultra drawbars measure 11.45mm OD and the ID of the spindle is 12.4mm so a length of steel tube

12mm OD and 8 or 9mm ID should do without the need to turn OD down.

Dell