Love of lathes.

[camallison]

Hi All, so who recognizes the speed control knob in the centre of my lathe control panel ?. First to guess correctly gets a prize. The remains of an instrument that triggers even worse than Roy Rogers Horse.

Peter

Knob from an old scope?

Colin

[Retired]

Hi,

Well done on your blasting booth Colin and for maintaining the Yorkshire man's image; I like it. I might end up using the garage as a blasting booth because once the job is finished I can sweep up the bulk of the debris and blow the rest onto the driveway with the airline. By the time I assemble a booth and drag the lathe out I'll be too tired to blast?

Joe kindly let me use his lathe a while ago and yes it did feel strange having a carriage hand-wheel geared backwards so concentration was called for working near the chuck. Nice old drills Big Al; just like you; built to last.

Even if your Colchester Student lathe looks rough m1ecy it is still a top quality lathe built to last for years. A guillotine will be very handy for sheet metal work and an asset to your workshop but do you use it a lot because these tend to take up space? David (Yorkie) was disposing of his sheet metal folder and very generously gave it to me as a gift; I've used it and now it is stored under the bungalow for when needed again. I enjoy restoring good old machines as much as I enjoy using them; I can't settle with either an untidy work area or scruffy looking machine/tools.

I plan to use oil based machinery enamel too Alan D; such paint is becoming both difficult and expensive to source but best quality enamel looks the part on old machinery. My preferred choice of paint would be cellulose because it goes on rapidly with spray-gun and dries extremely quickly in fact the undercoat can be applied in the morning then the top coat can be applied in the afternoon whereas oil based paint takes a lot more time. Unfortunately I can seldom use my spray-guns due to the weather; it's not nice to spray something black in cellulose only to watch as it turns white due to blooming and this with top quality anti-bloom thinners. I can brush apply the enamel in my enclosed garage whatever the weather is doing outside.

Moving heavy machines around in a home workshop is as you say Refugee very fiddly but with patience and using nothing but steel tubes as rollers and a decent lever I used to move my Colchester and Dominion lathes around quite easily once they were on the rollers; it is much more difficult though working on my own whilst trying to place packing and applying pressure to the lever; it pays to keep fingers and toes out of the way. Day in and day out at I used to lift heavy electric motors by just pressing a few buttons or pulling a couple of levers; overhead cranes and fork-trucks are just brilliant for this type of work; I can only dream of having a workshop large enough to accommodate heavy lifting kit.

Bron and I have just returned from a trip over to Colne only 38 miles away; two hours outbound and 1.5 hours inbound; almost every traffic light was amber/red as we approached and workmen were practicing digging holes at every street corner with of course the usual amber/red traffic lights. I don't feel like venturing into the garage today but plan to make a start first thing tomorrow morning; I want to get the bandsaw sorted because too many things have been preventing me from completing its restoration; I need to get a grip.

The knob certainly looks like a scope knob;

http://www.thevalvepage.com/testeq/telequip/d43/d43.htm


Kind regards, Col.

[Retired]

Hi,

Before I wander into the garage I thought I'd give an update. I started work on the Lorch yesterday afternoon spending an hour and a half of sheer joy getting my hands dirty testing how the dirty metal parts would polish up?

The lathe is incredibly dirty and at first I didn't know where to start so out of interest I made a start on the cross feed handle which was nearest with good access. I used a craft knife as a scraper to remove most of the dirt down to bare metal; next I used a strip of 240G abrasive paper followed by a strip of cloth soaked with Solvol Autosol.

This seemed to take forever so I had a look around to see what I could find to speed the process up; I had bought a good stock of UPOL pads at Rufforth Auto Jumble so I cut a strip off an ultra fine pad and set to rubbing the top slide area with it; This proved much better and it brought the metal up a treat; Now satisfied I called it a day and put the car away; I can't stand too much excitement in one day.

I intended to drag the lathe into our driveway and soda blast it making the clean up a much more rapid job but after consideration decided against this approach. I have been using the soda blaster with hard blasting media and to now load up with soda I'm positive the remains of the hard media would seriously contaminate the soda thereby possible inflict a lot of damage to the lathes moving parts so drat it; I've got an expensive soda blaster but dare not use it. This Lorch is an expensive precision lathe and commands respect not abuse. I'll tidy the lathe the old way by hand doing it bit by bit. I've posted the soda blaster onto eBay.

I measured the two flat drive belts and these are 1" wide but quite thick at 3/16". I dislike the alligator belt fastening metal clips which give a constant click as they go over the pulleys so I've sent an email to a local belt manufacturing company in Cleckheaton enquiring if they can specify and supply a pair of suitable endless belts for this application? If I can obtain endless flat belts it will mean removing the head-stock mandrel to mount one of the belts but this isn't a problem for me to do. I'll update on this later.

I've no intention of completely stripping this Lorch but I do plan to keep it as original as possible with a sympathetic tidy up and re-paint. I'll retain the flat drive belts and the counter-shaft together with the assorted linkages because for the use I'll put this lathe to it will do everything I ask of it without lots of modifications. I might eventually convert it to variable speed but this would only involve a motor change which is a simple job; I have a suitable 3 phase inverter rated motor to hand in either .75hp or 1.5hp versions and a new Huanyang VFD isn't expensive but I'll wait until the lathe is sorted and fully running before making the decision. This is such a lovely lathe and will be of huge benefit to my workshop; it's a joy to own and already I love tinkering around with it. I've plenty of work on so this story will end up as another of my sagas but I'm not worried because this type of project is what I like doing.

Kind regards, Col.

                   

[AlanBeckett]

so I've sent an email to a local belt manufacturing company in Cleckheaton enquiring if they can specify and supply a pair of suitable endless belts for this application.

Tony will do that as well - http://www.lathes.co.uk/page4.html
I quite like the 'Click' as the Alligator clip goes over the Pulleys.

Alan

[Refugee]

Even the start/stop relay looks like if would come up new again.
The belt click would only bother me if I was working on the machine all day on a regular basis.
I have never worked with a lathe with a flat belt for more than an hour at a time so it has never bothered me.
I have no space for a full size lathe so for me it is a power drill bodge and then only about once every couple of years or so.
If I need an engineering lathe job you will need to find something electrical that is difficult for you to do so that we could swap tasks we like doing for ones we do not like.
I may at some time this year need a fine thread cut.

[pwdrive]

I had a continuous canvas belt made up for old Dominion combination machine, 'twas cheap enough at the time.

Lawrence.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for Tony's link Big Al. I'm aware Tony can supply belts but thought I'd try a local belt manufacturer. I received a rapid reply from Benson Belting to my email enquiry and it's looking good so far. I was asked if I wanted to join the belts so I replied saying no; I would much rather prefer endless belts. I've received another reply requesting belt lengths as taken around the pulleys with a steel tape and to state the smallest sized pulleys being used in order for Benson's to supply the optimum belts. I've removed both belts this afternoon and measured them but before I send off the belt details I'll double check by measuring around the pulleys as requested. I'll update once I have more information but I don't expect it to be cheap?

http://www.benson-beltings.co.uk/home.htm

Yes Refugee the starter will come up like new with some TLC and will be tidied up as work progresses. I've not used a lathe for direct thread cutting since I was an apprentice 50 years ago in fact I would have to start over now if I wanted to do any serious threading because this Lorch is equipped with change wheels so the compound gear train would need working out; once this is done then comes the precise tool grinding; by the time the lathe would be set up for cutting the thread I would have used a tap or die much more quickly which is my preferred method. If you ever need to cut threads Refugee it's easy and cheap enough to buy the tap or die and run the thread in minutes. When I visit Rufforth Auto Jumble there is an enormous selection of taps and dies of every description with say a 1/4" Whitworth tap costing two or three pounds secondhand; new taps cost over double this.

What a shame Dominion went out of business many years ago Lawrence; I used to own a huge Dominion woodturning lathe weighing around three quarters of a ton at eight feet long; their combination woodworkers were just as robust and made to last many life times.

I've had a couple of sessions in the garage today doing a bit more to this Lorch. Under the ugly duckling there is a beautiful swan and slowly the swan is being revealed. After only a few hours what a tremendous difference I've made to the carriage which is responding well to my attentions; the more I do to this lathe the keener I'm becoming as its former beauty is revealed. The picture shows progress to date and I can just imagine how this lathe will glow once completely cleaned and painted. David has already beaten me to it in cleaning up a Lorch lathe; when I first saw David's Lorch Schmidt watchmakers lathe I knew it was of top manufacture and like my Lorch David's looked as if it had been stored and unused for many years; David worked his magic and his Lorch gleams so hopefully mine will turn out as good?

I've now got a distraction though because the guide bearings and new bands arrived in the post today for the Wilmac bandsaw. Trucut the band supplier gave my exemplary service; delivery was rapid so I think I'd better complete the bandsaw allowing me to get it off the bench before proceeding with the Lorch; life sure is interesting at the moment and once again I look forward to going into the garage having such lovely projects on the go.

Kind regards, Col.

   

[AlanBeckett]

They look like an interesting Company young Col.
What sort of Belt have you asked for? Real Leather would be my option if they can supply it as I find the synthetic versions generally a bit too stiff. My big Denbigh Drill originally had endless Belts I believe. However I only have the one from the Motor to the Layshaft. That one is quite thin. I made the Main belt and the Power Feed Belts from woven Strapping of a suitable width.
If the prices I've seen in the past are anything to go by they won't be cheap.

Alan

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for asking Big Al. I haven't specified the type of belt as I'm leaving it to Benson's to advise me which is best for this application; they have the experience so hopefully even if the belts do prove costly in the long term the money will be well spent.

The Lorch has thick leather belts on at the moment but things have moved on in the last 50 years and hopefully I can now buy something of a lighter gauge but much stronger and come without a clip fastener.

I don't really mind the clicking as the clips go around the pulley because this takes me back so many years but I want this Lorch to run as quietly as I can get it to run; my recently restored Graduate is an absolute dream to use because it is so smooth and runs with a gentle hum; the Lorch will never be as quiet because the gears do make some noise.

I'll send the belt and pulley measurements to Benson's tomorrow and report back on what they suggest and of course the cost.

Before I forget; anyone installing a new leather belt the belt fits smooth side to the pulleys.

Kind regards, Col.

[Refugee]

I will have a look at the tech spec on the threads. They are about an inch or 25mm and I do know that they are called a "C" mount thread and it is for a camera lens. I am building a camera from a box of bits and it is looking like I have enough bits of electronics to make three and not just the one.
This runs me short of lens mounting parts and these are what I am looking for.
Last time I went to Chesterfield market the machine tool guy was not there due to winds strong enough that I was able to watch it sweep half the stock off a table in a single gust and the usual rain to go with it.
I will have to have another look for the size next time he is there but I do not have much hope.
I have some stuff that I could use to make a tool but it is very hard and my diamond grinder had to work very hard when I made a glass cutter. The old oven door that I was making a part out of exploded when I tried to snap it off. The glass cutter was fine though.
I only need the thread cut into a bit of angle iron and not a fancy stainless cylinder like the one in the photo.
The flange at the bottom of the thread is also not required and nor is the machining with the tapped hole as that is done in the new lens now. I will be fitting the black one and will only use the silver one if I get three going as I have another black one.
I can if armed with the gear teeth numbers do the maths and work out the selection list for the gears. I do know that it takes a few minutes to change gear on a vintage lathe and it looks like you have a good selection of gears for this.

On the electronics side it is a challenge and I have been writing a thread on VRAT and I can bring some of it over if you do not want to have a look over there. There is a very active TV section there.
http://www.forum.radios-tv.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7240&sid=d3bb39a41a6f4937dc171b061f6d266b