Leaky lathe tray

If one's lathe should start leaking suds onto the floor through the bolt-holes between the lathe feet and the stand/tray, would a fillet of that silicone bathtub sealant stuff be any good? Or would the suds just eat it leaving a sticky mess making things worse? Don't want to lift the machine off the stand to replace gaskets if I can help it.

Regards Robin.

I have more or less the same problem except that bolts go straight up into the headstock casting and they ooze a very small amount of the gear oil. To put it into perspective, I filled the headstock to to its max oil level in about 1983 and re-filled it because in 2013, because I moved house and I wanted a fresh start. So less then .5l lost in that time! Interestingly the oil had gone black - bacterial degradation?

I think the technique is to lift the lathe slightly of its stand and block up under the bed or on any suitable surface with the bolts just undone by 3mm or so. Then if using silicone which I would think would work, de-oil the surfaces thoroughly and give the top of the stand a good bead near its outside edge. Leave it for 15 min to skin over, remove the blocking gently and tighten up the bolts.

If this is not possible, then a good cleaning to de-suds the area and just put a fillet on the outside should work.

FWIW I use to fix rockerbox and sump gaskets with silicone goo, good for engine oil up to 90 degs C! But the surfaces were clamped.

Frank

Usually all mating surfaces need to be clean and dry to use any sort of silicone gasket maker compound successfully. Applying a bead of this type of stuff to an oil covered joint will not likely work properly. It could be that oil is just seeping down the bolt threads. If that's the case, you might be able to use one of Loctite's maintenance thread sealants. Several are rated oil-resistant and may do the job, but only on threads where the compound is supported by the thread walls.

Whatever method you try, I would drain and wick up as much oil as possible in the leaky cavity and use a degreaser liquid if possible before applying any sealants.

It may not be such a big deal to raise the lathe one end at a time and clean, degrease, dry and seal it properly.

Even less of a big deal to lay a cofferdam of oil-dry absorbent or kitty litter around each leg of the lathe at the floor, if that is possible. JD

I have this mental picture of the household cat wandering by .......

Some years ago Holts sold a product called 'Seek and Seal' for car windscreens. The idea was it would run into a perished rubber seal and set. As with all these things the surfaces had to be clean and dry.
It worked well as I recall.

Plumbers merchants sell tubs of stuff called 'Plumbers Mate' which is a bit like a dirty white version of Blu-Tack but stickier.

I have sealed my trays down with that leakfree for years, it never ages and is easily cleaned off if needed. It is also excellent an making cushion mountings underneath things like porcelain bathroom fittings to give them an easier time when bolting down to concrete floors.

Try that

Brian

Robin,

As a job I build and service very large walk in industrial washing machines, these machines come in kit form to get them through standard doors so when we assemble them we use an industrial, Italian, silicon sealant, it works well with no problems but occasionally our customers have been known to put cleaning equipment in the machines which started degrading the silicon, it was found that the cleaning products they were using had chlorine in it which softens the sealer causing leaks so check your coolant specs just in case.

Martin P

> 'Seek and Seal' for car windscreens ... It worked well as I recall.

Not as I recall

Neil

I would try one of the marine polyurethane sealants. They stick much better than silicone and will even cure under water. Sikaflex or something similar.

Russell.

I've just used clear silicone sealant round the two feet of my Warco lathe and so far have not any leaks - using mistic by the way rather than cutting oil.

Rik

Plumbers Mate works for me

Shall go for the Plumbers' Mait - hadn't thought of that. Thanks chaps, Robin