Member postings for Ajohnw

There are 2 plates that hold the apron down on the bed strips. If there is a lot of wear, usually is, one can be turned over, the other has to be reground. The back one is probably more important. The problem then is that these have to be shimmed up to suit the bed. Not an easy job but it can be done however bed wear might show it's nasty head again.

It is possible to lap out bed wear but it can be difficult to tell where it is. If a sensitive dti and a suitable stand can be used the best reference is probably the inside edge of the rear rail. Some scribing blocks have pins that can be pushed down to use against an edges that can be used for this sort of thing.

If there are any shims left under the bearing caps on the head stock these can be adjusted and scraped back in.l.

It's been a while but my recollection is that Myford saddles run along the front bed strip, their idea of a narrow guide so over all bed width measurements don't have much influence. Fractions of a thou wear will cause jamming. The inside of the saddle that runs on the inside edge of the front rail can wear into an odd shape as can the gib strip that is adjusted to maintain that contact.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 18/06/2015 10:57:08

The mention of boric acid prompted a vague memory.

I gave a substance that has been used in some rust removers. Oxalic acid. 15min. A tarnished item with slight rust patches near the end that was immersed. It converts rust to a water soluble oxide - especially when the water is hot. Sadly I didn't take a photo first.

The immersion line can be seen up towards the slot for knocking out a morse taper. It's a 1 to 2 jump up sleeve, came in the drawer with my miller. No idea why some one would want one.

I then swilled in hot water and used a kitchen type scotch pad on all of it including the morse taper with hot soapy water.. I suspect the taper shows why some people use wet and dry plus paraffin. Parts are oiled and some always stays there even under rust. There is still some pitting which can't be seen in the shot.

The results look much better than the usual rust remover that can be bought which leaves a very grey surface which is fine if it's to be painted but not much good for machine dials. The usual stuff sold is cement cleaner - dilute hydrochloric acid.

If any one wants to try it I used a saturated solution and it would be best to read the wiki on it. It's odd stuff often in things we eat and is poisonous to a degree and can be absorbed through the skin. I use it as part of a process for oxidising diatoms for viewing under a microscope. With a couple of other chemicals it's a lot safer than literally using boiling sulphuric and nitric acid.

Might be good in an ultrasonic bath but I vaguely remember causing some upset by poring it down the sink - it may stain stainless so would have to be used in glass in a bath.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 17/06/2015 23:26:43

Edited By John W1 on 17/06/2015 23:27:31

Edited By John W1 on 17/06/2015 23:28:16

People who sell things add value Neil or so they say but I have never figured out the reason why. Maybe add value means push up the price and make a profit doing little worth while in many cases.

John

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No but the outer ring is usually thicker on the side that takes thrust.

John

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I don't think that molasses is easily available in the UK. The bulk of our sugar comes from sugar beet. It's not as sweet as cane sugar and the chemistry is probably different.

There is a rather down to earth video on youtube - I suspect from Oz. Soaking in a variety of liquids including Coke which will clean up some coins to an amazing degree. The winner was apple vinegar followed by white and molasses. Not a huge amount of difference. Another shows white vinegar on rusty sheet steel and reckons it should be diluted - say around 60%. It seemed to fetch it off very quickly.

John

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Not too much I hope Andy. As I said there are good Myfords out there. Milling ? That sort of machine is seldom mentioned. It does have it's advantages particularly related to block work. I know of some one for instance who finally found a horizontal head for his machine, bought some cheap used cutters off ebay and then made as many quick change tool holders as he wanted. These machines do get very very heavy as the size goes up. On the other hand a lot can be done with a Bridgeport. It's flexible in a different sort of way at times. I have used one that was at work fitted with glass optical scales - capable of getting near jig borer performance on co ordinate hole type work. It was a nice machine to use. The floor there probably wasn't thick enough to support a real jig borer nor could they afford one. Much depends on what you want to do. Most model engineering type designs are aimed at vertical milling when it's needed even on a vertical slide on a Myford. Myfords generally figure in the designs some where. Sometimes that causes problems when things are made on other machines - centre height difference for instance. Most people one way or the other usually lust after T slotted cross slides. That limits the field some what although there is a company that will make them and a number of other parts.

**LINK**

I think my main message really was don't rush. Try for machines with a lot of bits and pieces eg on a lathe, 3 , 4 jaw, face plate and both steadies. The chucks are likely to be better quality than ones you are likely to buy new. And do try and get a demo of the machine working.

Mind you I do feel that the buying public should be more aware of the design aspects of lathes in particular and why they tend to be as they are.

John

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Some people in the UK were rather offended when these video's appeared as a few actually knew this one

**LINK**

Looking at various video's they don't really answer the question and some show a rather black result that the above polishes off. I suspect that the lower currents mentioned in the link I posted might as he suggests give better results. More isn't always better and I'd expect it's a bit like anodising al.

On thing I would add to that video is that if light oil is used on the wet and dry it will last a lot longer and give a better finish.

Pity some one wont mention the ultrasonic solution but plain ordinary tepol might work, a laboratory cleaner. It's surprising what it will shift. However

**LINK**

Some use that at around a 50% mix and just soak.

Interesting twist after electrolysis on this one. UK plug and washing soda from Savers?. Also called sugar soap (I think) used to degrease paintwork before repainting. Probably a safer degreaser in an ultra sonic bath too.

**LINK**

John

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Edited By John W1 on 17/06/2015 16:07:02

I wonder if anyone has any examples or experiences of what this can achieve?

I found one web site which seems to give a decent description of how to go about it.but it's always worth checking elsewhere.

**LINK**

In my case it's a mix of rather light surface rusting and a patina. I'm not sure what it will do to the patina. If nothing I might finish up with dead clean areas where the rust was and patches of patina. There are also graduations on some of the parts. Normally I leave patina alone and just clean up with paraffin and a scotch cloth to remove any crud.

Machine tool dealers generally use paraffin and grade 400 for rust. I've seen some doing it and as they say it doesn't really remove any cast iron. It's not that good on patina which is why I leave it alone. It's a messy job so electrolysis sounds attractive.

John

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I just bought something under GSP that I really need so not much choice. I can only find them in the US. According to the price I would expect to have to pay tax - none was charged. If I do get charged I will be after a hefty ebay voucher. Total cost for a £17 item about £28 so this seller charges fairly fair shipping costs. Some don't.

Last time I looked I gave up trying to understand HMRC's guides, they referred to bits and pieces all over the place. Also 2 confusing items. One around £150, tax less than expected and charges lower than usual, another around £250 the same. Both were when the limit was £18. One item also had import duty the other didn't. Telescope in one case and a microscope in the other. The telescope was interesting - very special price in the US and some other countries - no signs of any price changes here and less bits and pieces to go with it. I asked a US small normal retailer I just found on the web to order it for me and ship it on. He also checked it over and was prepared to send it back if not as expected. There are all sorts of options if some one really needs something.

John

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I found a pdf by the Nickel institute mentioned earlier. It's comments on 316 are odd. It's machined a lot and they mention excellent machining and finish properties and also list it in the free machining list but point out it isn't classed as a free machining stainless. They also list 304 in the same sort of way but suggest that 316 is better for machining in places. Maybe semi free cutting.

Was that pump shaft polished in any way or is it straight turning?

John

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I noticed rather a long time ago that plastic moulding tools for battery cases were not dowelled any more and used roll pins and asked about it as given the size of the chunks of steel and the location needed it surprised me. It seems that roll pins are sized so that smaller ones can be knocked into larger ones. That's what they were doing. This must be at least 15 years ago.

Tapered pins have the advantage that precise diameters are not needed only a fairly precise taper. Roll pins are designed to be driven into drilled holes.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 17/06/2015 09:51:57

I've not noticed any delay with GSP. The cheaper USPS service delivery time is variable, the faster one less so.

The UK's rather low tax free limit is purely down to certain types of retailers winging - in fact when £15 was announced the words we think this will do it were used. Seems £18 didn't. The Channel Island's privilege 's have also been messed with but one item I bought just sailed through for some reason.

Ebay seems to be helping gov's collect their taxes according to one US seller. Sellers can now print labels for export directly and it also prints the value on them. I sometimes explain the problem purely down to the collection charge. Many sellers will help or used to. Some people worry about insurance values - read what's covered and where.

John

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I;ve only had to use it twice and no problems. I'm not keen on the idea either largely because of the UK protectionist import duty policies. Lots of items come into the UK with the value set to zero because of these. The whole area needs sorting out especially in respect to just how much should be charged for collecting taxes. Personally I don't mind the 20% too much but might try to evade it but having paid £13 to collect a few quid in taxes all done over the internet automatically I think the whole thing is insane. It encourages people to ask for and often get false customs value to be marked on the documents.

Pitney Bowes must be sending the funds to the correct counties customs service otherwise it would be illegal. I have no idea what they charge for the service. Things re appear on ebay for a number of reasons - some one bidding things up and winning, it happens and also sellers feeling that they should have got more money for the item. Some probably decide they don't want to fill in the export forms or what ever.

John

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Curiously I have this problem on a Pultra but one of them comes with oil hole covers as they seem to be called. I've just ordered some of thenippleshop.co.uk. RDG on ebay also do some rather large ones. I needed 1/4in BSF so those are a bit big. I went for 90 degree ones with a spring loaded lid. Like most they are so embarrassed by postage costs they don't show them until it comes to actually paying - £3.50. I suppose they think this makes us feel better about it. I'm fed up with it being hidden away.

John

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IPA is IsoPropyl Alcohol by the way. It can be bought with fairly high purity of ebay. It's not bad for degreasing things in general especially when rubbing with things like cotton buds and has survived the health and safety people so far but isn't as good as what used to be about.

I think I have seen mention of people using acetone on here for degreasing. Not substance I am keen on due to fumes.

Curiously window cleaner is water, ipa and a slight amount of some detergent. That might help.

Lighter fuel is very effective but do take a bit of care with it.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 16/06/2015 22:55:24

Try wiping as much of the stem as you can over with a cotton bud and some sort of degreaser on it. I would use IPA. I have been known to use cigarette lighter fuel but take care as the fumes are surprisingly explosive and the best way of getting rid of it is to set it on fire or I suppose tip it out some where and let it evaporate.

Sometimes they have been oiled or some has got on it and gone sticky so this often works. Best to try this before messing with the mesh of the rack and pinion etc inside it. If it improves you can get at more to clean by taking the back off but don't leave any fluff behind.

I literally swilled one with lighter fuel once. Didn't work out because there was slight scoring on the plunger so threw it away. Clock oil might help with that sort of thing used very sparingly.

John

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It's pretty easy to work out in the UK. There may be an import duty. Nightmare to sort out what on but if applied reckon on 4%. VAT as we all know is 20% on top of this. Royal Mail handle deliveries for overseas outfits like USPS - the US's equivalent of the RM. I believe that this is for free. There is some sort of global agreement on this sort of thing. They charge over £10 for collecting the VAT and any tax. I'm being vague as it has varied, When shipped via companies like UPS they also handle tax collection and don't charge for the service but their shipping costs are a lot higher. I had something a few months ago and thought great no tax as it does happen and then a letter arrived well after delivery asking me to pay the tax. Some times they wont deliver until the tax is paid just like RM.

Not sure about the ebay global shipping thingy costs but the numbers are there to see. I'm inclined to think that the $ rates shown are optimistic but not madly so.

Often when looking for something I go to say ebay.com for the US and search there as many sellers will ship items to us but don't list globally. Many of the ones that do offer very expensive shipping costs. I then paste the ebay number into ebay uk search. Some sellers don't mention overseas but will when asked. Some state no way.

Ebay have tried to stop people browsing their sites globally like this for obvious reasons but I have always managed to circumvent their attempts. I can be cheaper shopping this way.

Buying from Canada can be expensive due to postage costs. Sad as I have seen several things over the years where that aspect has put me off. USPS is a pretty unique service as far as costs go and I have found extremely reliable probably because RM handle it at this end.

One thing I have found, no idea why. If I have spent some number say £100 plus the tax charges seem to be lower. I have only done that a few times.

I'm tempted to rant about years if £18 tax free import allowance that aught to be 3 maybe even 4 times that now - reduced to £15. Stick the tax collect charge on this and many things just aren't worth buying around this cost. Argggggggg I've just seen something I want at £17. That could turn into £30++ when I get it.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 16/06/2015 17:40:02

Edited By John W1 on 16/06/2015 17:47:53

Edited By John W1 on 16/06/2015 17:48:15

Looking at ebay prices on Noga by the time a small amount of import duty is added and vat and the dreaded tax collection fee if USPS shipping is used it looks to me like may as well buy from the UK. UPS etc don't charge for collecting the tax but the shipping costs are a lot higher.

Noga also do one with fine adjustment. It's at the bottom of the main stem.

**LINK**

Looks like I have a different attitude to stands. My idea of a good stand is one where the friction in the joints can be adjusted nicely to allow the finger or plunger to be positioned and then fine adjustment used without having to touch anything else.

Cromwell have a vast array of magnetic stands of all types but looking out of curiosity the old finger sets with various bits and pieces and a small magnetic stand have gone. The small finger stand I showed seems to be available from Chronos but no tool post holder nor clamp to allow use on another type of stand.

John

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Looks like the only thing that has changed on the Draper one is the colour of the magnet.

**LINK**

If those are Mit quality dti's that isn't a bad price. The finger dti kit they did most definitely was.

I'd say that means that they have been making them for not sure 20 years or so. But if people can't get on with them fine. Personally I feel that one place to lock the lot would be good but I would still want the fine adjustment. All I do with mine is set the handles at a tension where I can still move it around and then use the fine adjustment. It might not suite a very small lathe

Not sure how much pull it has.

It's the one I use most hence not mounting the other one on a quick change tool holder for use in the lathe. It could easily be removed from that to use on the miller if needed. The finger DTI kits usually come with a tool post holder.It odd there isn't one shown in the link. The spring on this magnetic holder is exceedingly stiff.

John

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LOL More of a I have more pull than you debate. I don't have any pull problems at all as I am happily married. I did have once or seemed to.

Maybe these things will have so much pull at some point people will have to demagnetise their machines. To be honest the numbers sound a little like an advertising gimmick but people could convert to Kg force - I think.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 16/06/2015 11:03:27