Filling defects in slideways

Thanks, Ron

**LINK**

https://www.alvinproducts.com/Product-Line/aT/View/ProductID/3/Lab-metal

MichaelG.

That looks like useful stuff.

Downside is it has to be heat hardened at 425F for one hour.

Not easy with a lathe bed

Keith

I know my friend didnt apply any heat but I think he used the standard type not the high temp one. The only thing is the price, I think he said a small tin was around £70 but he also said it was worth every penny.

Just checked on ebay and a 12 oz tin of the standard Lab Metal is £23 but from the States and postage is a tenner. Dont know if there are any UK stockists.

Ron

You can buy Lab metal in the UK from Caswel Europe who are in Hampshire tel 01252 560515, they only sell it as a kit 700 ml Lab metal + 500 ml of solvent for £80 + £7 postage. I have nothing to do with this company.

Looking at the SDS, Lab Metal appears to be aluminium and zinc powder in a mixture of organic solvents. I can only guess that it is made in a reducing atmosphere and relies on the fine metal powder more or less 'self sintering' as it dries out and an oxide layer forms.

Any other ideas?

Neil

Not sure that something that "sands easily" is particularly abrasion resistant in respect of a lathe bed.

Thank you for all the suggestions!

I haven't gotten any further in this as I'm still in the process of cleaning the lathe. I do however think that matching the hardness of the surrounding material would be preferrable to both harder or softer. The saddle is also cast iron and I'd like to prevent the repaired spot from either directly scoring the mating part or being prone to embedding hard chips that in turn will score the saddle.

For anyone interested I've worked out that this is not in fact a DLZF. It's a DLZTE with a plain, bronze bearing as a a front bearing and witout the 5:1 reduction gear of the DLZF. I'll post updates of the repair and the whole lathe when I get further.

Best regards

Karl

Edited By Karl Mansson on 16/02/2019 14:29:52

I got the bed clean enough to measure it and over the entire length it looks like it's out no more than 0.05mm. There is a myriad of different mating and sliding surfaces on this, with a lower slide that the apron runs on. This slide is more worn and closer to 0.1mm lower compared to the bed in the last 1/3 towards the chuck. Not sure how that would affect the precision of the lathe, as it seems like the actual bed is in pretty decent condition. Overall it looks like this lathe was more abused than it was worn down.

I don't even know how I would set up this machine for re-grinding, let alone checking and scraping. Lots of anlges to take into consideration...

I got the bed clean enough to measure it and over the entire length it looks like it's out no more than 0.05mm. There is a myriad of different mating and sliding surfaces on this, with a lower slide that the apron runs on. This slide is more worn and closer to 0.1mm lower compared to the bed in the last 1/3 towards the chuck. Not sure how that would affect the precision of the lathe, as it seems like the actual bed is in pretty decent condition. Overall it looks like this lathe was more abused than it was worn down.

I don't even know how I would set up this machine for re-grinding, let alone checking and scraping. Lots of anlges to take into consideration...

+ 1 for Devcon repair putty. As Clive said, drilling shallow damage is a good idea. I've seen a magnetic base drill with large cutter used on a big machine to turn spot damage into round or chain drilled depressions with sharp transitions from base metal to filler.

Robert.

Hi Karl on new machinery with small faults in castings we would drill a hole or series of holes, tap in a piece of cast iron, peen over with a ball pained hammer file and stone over and you could not see the repair.

David