Member postings for Rich2502

thanks, if any one can get me a copy of those articles i would be very gratefull.

Can anyone tell me the difference between a model M and a B, which is best, and what to look for when buying them.

I am looking out for a Drummond M or ZYTO or similar vintage lathe, just wondering if anyone has converted such a thing to variable speed motor drive with the motor mounted right on the headstock, and just a minimal length drive belt ?

Thanks to your help, i think this one would be too much work to rebuild, i'm sure it would end up needing a few hundreds worth of new parts made, and i don't have the time to spend on it.

It's a gorgeous machine though.

It's at £55 now on ebay no.181168206464, ends tommorow morning, probably wont go for below £100.

i fancy buying this old girl, as a project to end up with an accurate little lathe, possibly put a variable speed motor on it, would i end up with a money black hole, or something that will outclass a chinese mini lathe ?I

thanks fellas, you have confirmed my idea, i'll post a picture of my jig, if and when.

i want to solid rivet a chimney, 6 inch diameter rolled stainless sheet, by about 24 inch long, close rivet along the londitunal seam, i'm gueseing i would need a jig , a beam going through with drilled dimples along it's top edje to locate the rivet heads ?

anyone got any better ideas ?

i want to make some gear and bearing pulling tools which look like they're normally drop forged, I have plenty of mild steel, could this be hardned to near the same toughness ? or would i need another grade steel ?

while you can buy the tools cheap off ebay,which snap, the real ones like Sykes Picavant are not cheap.

anyone know where to buy or recycle carbon materiel to make small power tool brushes ?

I restore old powertools and i'm paying £6 for a tiny pair, and i know the materiel is just pennies. would the carbon rods from d cell batteries be the right materiel ?

It's just the quality on those Chinese mini lathes make me feel all queesy, i was an apprentice at one of the most exclusive London gunmakers, that quality control has kind of stayed with me.

I had an idea those old lathes might be unable to acheive modern tolerances.

Still i guess you do get what you pay for.

i have been offered a loverly old flat leather belt driven small metal lathe, the quality is superb, but could this be used as a basis for building a good machine that would beat a Chinese mini lathe ?

I'm thinking put a variable speed motor on it, a toothed belt drive,and new bearing, metric lead screw ect, has this been done before ?

I left my expensive Starrett calipers in a damp shed and they died, since then i'm using the Chinese ones there is no difference in the reading but, they are rough as a goats knee, maybe you could stone them to slide smoothly i don't have the inclination to find out.

I had a Victorionox £70 multi tool which i dropped in the canal, it was non magnetic stainless steel, i nearly cried, now i'm using a toy Chinese one of these too.

How would i sharpen some valve seat cutters i have, they are probably HSS.

I'm thinking stone them ? Or could i send them off to be done properly ?

yep that C3 looks about the size i want, what depth of cut would that do ?

i was a gunsmith apprentice in the 80's and in our Dickensian factory we used Lard oil, and Neatsfoot oil, for lapping shotgun barrels, i think it was for horses hooves ! We hardened and tempered some stuff in it too.

I'm looking for a serious second hand mini lathe, as i only have a very small workshop. My only experience is as an apprentice in the 80's on a Myford super 7. the kind of jobs i've got backed up are some brass bushes for engine rockers 20mm id x 26 od, aluminium bearing insertion plug 3 " od x 16mm bore, skim some car alternator commutators, make m14 tap, cut 1/2 " whitworth threads, BSP threads up to 1".

What are good brands and models to look out for, and what size machine will do what i need ?