Long Time Coming

I'm not sure there is actually anybody that reads this blog, but if there is anybody out there, I pity them mostly because I rarely ever update it :)

This is the last big project I have taken on....

My buddy Kirk let me rescue this South Bend 9a metal lathe from his barn.  His Grandfather was a collector of old machines and this one was in pretty rough shape, but I thought it would be able to be salvaged. 

I stripped it of all the paint, grease, and took it apart down to every last nut, bolt pin, gear, etc.  I then chased every thread with a tap or die and made minor repairs where needed.

The cleaning and stripping was the biggest part of the project.  Painting it was relaxing and went pretty quickly.  I brushed on 3 coats of Rustoleum hammer finish enamel very carefully with a 1/2 inch brush.  I used a different color of the same paint for the cabinet, and black automotive paint for the top surface of the cabinet.

I then assembled what seemed to be a couple million parts and made some adjustments and oiled everything up.

It works really well now and I am having more fun with it since it is adjusted so much better and is easier to keep clean.

I really wanted to document this process, but soon after getting into it, I realized that it was going to take a long time and I needed to have it up and running as soon as possible, so i just focused on getting it finished.

I still need to attach the gear chart, and the belt tension plate, but these items are pretty much for convenience, so they will wait.

Nearly every part is the original from when it was made in 1943, and I suspect that the leather belt is the original as well.  It is on it's last legs, but I will keep using it until it can no longer be repaired.

Coming Soon:  Metal Casting using patterns made with sculpey, and petrobond sand molds.

see you soon!!