Handwheel boss needs reconstructing.

Marlow A3 Milling Machine.

Time to sort out the Y-axis Handwheel.

Advise please on how to reconstruct the handle boss.

Handle with boss went AOL during delivery, never to be found.

I have some of those all singing & dancing aluminium welding rods, but haven't tried them out.

The paint on the wheel will suffer, but I can live with that as the machine is intended to work as designed. Been using it of late and it's nice & solid.

Top photo shows the wheel with boss missing, whilst the second shows the X-axis wheel complete.

Making a new revolving handle is not a problem.

Geoff - Productive day in the Workshop

Edited By OuBallie on 07/02/2015 18:26:01

Hello Geoff

JB Weld would be of use here. Patch up the old area. Might want to use masking tape to cover one side as best you can to hold the JB back. Probably have to build it up in layers to keep it from running out too much. Trim it with rasps and files just before it fully sets. Then when that's done, move to a different spoke and mill it out to suit, drill and tap to fit the new handle. I think you have enough metal on the rim to dispense with the boss. An Option. Good Luck with whatever you opt to do.

Bill

Geoff, from the photo the rim looks thick enough to spot face an area at one of the other spokes and put a handle

in there. As for the damaged bit ... body filler ??

There are a few metal casters on here who might use your X wheel as a pattern and make you one.

Tubal Cain (Mr Pete) does the very same thing on youtube..

John

Good Evening

The best way would be to clean up the area by plunging in an end mill of the correct diameter to create a circular hole. Then machine up a boss the same diameter as the end mill but a close fit in the hole. Drill and thread the centre to match the male spigot on the handle then use your magic aluminium welding rods to weld the boss to the hand wheel. The secret of the welding rods is a) clean all the paint from around the weld b) make a angled prep around the weld area c) puddle the weld at the joint and use the stainless scratch rod through the puddle to scratch away the oxide on the parent metal beneath the puddle. It works very well and gives a strong joint.

Best of luck

Peter

Hi there, Geoff,

That broken surface in your first photo looks like cast iron to me, not aluminium alloy!

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Looks very much like Cast iron to me as well. I would just plus one on using JB Weld metal binder, dress it all up with a rotary burr.

Drill, tap and spot face alternate position.

If it is cast iron, then a good preheat and weld will likely do too much damage and scaling.

I can guarantee if they are the same as mine they are cast aluminium, personally I would get it TIG welded failing that I would replace the handle either buying a new one or make one from solid or even cast one using the other axis as a pattern. 

Or you could just move the handle position to the other side and fill the original hole with JB weld, stepped stud springs to mind so the hole in the wheel is kept small  

Bob

Edited By Bob Brown 1 on 08/02/2015 10:32:53

Thanks for the suggestions.

The handle is aluminium

Will have a think before I dive in.

Can't see myself casting one, as I last did any in the '70/80s, and don't have the facilities now.

John's & Peter's suggestions looks to be within my capability, but I do need to experiment with those Ali rods first, as I know that Sod's Law is just waiting its opportunity to strike.

Have had an offer to TIG the gap, so that's top of list when I chicken out trying myself.

Searched high & low last night for my Engineers Clamps I knew I had, and joy oh joy found them, so can now continue making the knurling tool. Just had a thought - must check what size it will do.

Geoff - Sidelined once again.

No contest TIG wins every time.

Bob

Possibly worth laying a piece of copper or stainless round bar in the remains of the threaded hole to prevent it getting filled up, if thinking of using TIG. Could be pretty challenging trying to fill such a massive void without anything to contain the filler. That way you'd have something to work around.

It would be nice to repair and retain the original handle but meanwhile have a look at the ones on the ARC website under machine spares. I replaced the x axis hand wheel on my Tom Senior mill with one that has a folding handle as the original one with a fixed handle kept getting in the way when the machine was not in use and got clouted a few times - usually in a painful way to various body parts!. I bought mine at MEX from RDG. Not very expensive and does the job a treat.

I doubt very much that someone conversant with TIG welding aluminium would have a problem with the size of the hole. As for the handles on ARC they are a little small as the x and y axis are 7" and the z 9" diameter, the slides are heavy hence the large handles.

Bob

FWIW.. go the easiest route, fill up with JB weld, Devcon, or similar metal epoxy filler spot face opposite web, drill & tap as shown in Bill's pics.

George

I bought some large chrome hand wheels of Ebay some while ago of that type to modify to put on my Bligeport [ Chinese clone ]

Off hand they were 8" I think. I bought them to replace the standard ball type, similar to the Myford cross slide type as I find the ball type don't lend themselves to a steady hand feed that you can easily achieve going hand over hand on a large circular hand wheel.

I found it amusing that at roughly the same time on another forum a guy was removing circular hand wheels on a smaller machine and replacing with ball handles as they looked better.

It looks like Iron to me as well............. odd

Edited By Involute Curve on 08/02/2015 17:03:57

Edited By Involute Curve on 08/02/2015 17:04:21

Well if all else fails send it to me and i will tig weld it for you FOC. I'ts a 15minute job for an experienced welder.

Mike Young

Mike Young,

Thanks for the offer.

Should of added Bill's name to my last post of thanks, for his idea of drilling the rim opposite the break.

The consensus appears to be leaning towards the TIG solution.

Geoff - GD told me to "shudup" after telling her to do so whilst I was using the Marlow

Repaired by JS, painted and plastic handle by Your's Truly, and now back on the machine.

Geoff - Laid flat yesterday with a migraine so cannot sleep

Geoff, now you'll have to paint the other hand wheel. The repaired one looks good.

Ian S C

Ian,

Ta for the compliment, but without JS' absolutely perfect repair, it most certainly would not look like it does.

Very pleased with it, and now useful.

I can, however, take full credit for making the rotating plastic handle

Was thinking of giving the machine a coat of Warco green, but that would mean having to degrease then rub it down, so that idea went into the WPB PDQ, as I will be doing enough rubbing down on the Austin Seven bodywork soon.

Geoff - Time to prune the apple as I need fresh air to clear my head.