Please don't use any wd40, as it attracts moisture somehow. I would just
wipe down the ways with 30or40 weight motor oil, even that new synthetic
stuff is goof...
I use the chevron sysn stuff on my mill/drill and enco 9x20 lathe.
xman
Okay, I got the Cincinnati Tray-Top lathe home today. Seller could not find
the gib for the compound, so I may have to wind up making one, although he
promised to keep looking. (Actually, my machinist friend said he'd see what
he could do about making one ... it's nice to have friends!!) When I hooked
up the motor, it was a little funky, so I'll probably eventually replace it,
but it hopefully will get me started. So far, those are the only surprises
... so far!
But before I do too much with the lathe, I want / need to clean it up. Any
suggestions? Wipe everything down with WD-40, or ?? Vacuum out all the old
chips? I'm not looking for pristine, just wanting to make sure the old gunk
is off.
I also would like to drain and replace the oil ... but that raises a
question: what kind of oil should I use in this thing? The headstock appears
to have something like 90W gear oil in it?? Does the same oil go in the
headstock, quick-change gearbox, and apron? If I drain the oil, should I do
anything to clean it out before refilling, and if so, what?
Part of wanting to drain the old oil is that I need to do something about
the warped sight glasses. I think I can make replacements out of some
plexiglass on hand. Some of you have mentioned fixing this on with RTV.
Okay, I'll show my ignorance: what is RTV?
Anybody got a manual for this thing???
Many thanks!
Andy
Hmm, I was told not to use motor oil (because it gets gummy? or because of
the additives?) -- yes? no? Does the same apply to synthetic motor oil?
Andy
According to Andrew H. Wakefield :
Better than it could be. I think that you have a winner.
The WD-40 is good enough for cleaning it, but be sure to wipe
something better on the exposed metal surfaces soon after you finish the
cleaning. WD-40 is no good for long-term protection. Get some Vactra
No. 2 Waylube for the ways and for wiping down other exterior surfaces.
Others here, those who have this machine, should be the ones to
suggest the proper lubricants there. I suspect that the apron will run
a thinner oil than the headstock, but if someone has a manual and can
give the proper lubricants, that is better than my guesses.
Hmm ... it will be easier to make the replacements with a
working lathe -- if you can't find the proper ones on your own.
RTV = "Room Temperature Vulcanizing" -- a silicone rubber which
either is mixed in cans (e.g. RTV-11 from GE), or comes from squeeze
tubes (probably what they were suggesting, as the mix from cans is
better used for potting circuits and such.
That's what you *really* want. Unfortunately, I don't have one,
so I hope that someone else does.
Good Luck,
DoN.
Any oil is good to prevent rust. But, as you will need way oil
eventually, you might as well get some now.
No way. I seem to recall you said it ran up to 1500 RPM? No way you
can put 90 W gear oil in a spindle running that fast. I'd guess
something about like Velocite heavy.
Does the same oil go in the
No, probably not. The headstock has large gears, with modest loads,
running at high surface speeds. The other gearboxes have much smaller
gears with higher PSI loads running at much lower velocites. Maybe
Mobilgear 626.
If I drain the oil, should I do
Maybe wipe extensive gunk off the bottom with paper towels or rags.
Replace the oil sight glasses. If like my Sheldon, they can be
tapped out fairly easily, and McMaster-Carr has replacements in
a range of inch sizes.
No way. RTV is bathtub caulk. I cleaned the sight glass holes very
carefully, and then tapped in new ones with Loctite gasket cement on
them, and they still leak (just a little). Bathtub caulk will never
work. There is almost certainly a GE RTV product DESIGNED for sealing
oil-filled gearboxes, and probably a line of similar stuff for auto
engines. So, you might check at the auto parts store. But, the
Loctite gasket cement looks like the right product for this job.
Jon
If you use motor oil, make sure it is not a detergent oil. A detergent
oil will hold the particles in suspension and not let them settle out on
the bottom of the gearboxes. It will also pick up and carry in
suspension all the stuff that is already settled out on the surfaces.
I would try to put in the recommended oil. Mobil has a book of machines
and the recommended oils for them. A good lube oil dealer will have the
book and the oils.
John
WD40 won't attract moisture,but... It's mainly solvent, and that
dissolves any oils it contacts, then it evaporates, leaving nice clean
dry metal behind. Nice clean dry metal rusts really fast.
The WD in WD40 is for water displacer. Works so-so as a cutting fluid
for aluminum, decent as starting fluid for brush pile fires.
I like using light oil, drench the whole thing down with the stuff,
then go over the whole machine with a couple rags. It gives you a chance
to have a good look at the whole machine to see what there is to see,
and it won't cause any harm if left on for a day or more between
sessions. I had a gallon can of mineral oil that I used for this, and
have used turbine engine oil when I had some of that. Automatic
Transmission Fluid is supposed to work pretty good too, for cleaning
stuff.
I'll leave the recomendations for internal oils and way lube up to
someone that has one (and may even have a manual).
Cheers
Trevor Jones
I'd roll it onto something that will absorb or contain droppings as you
clean.
WD40 is a good solvent that won't hurt anything. It's pretty good for
softening varnish and such. Just do not leave it on, as it is not a
lubricant, and it certainly does not slow corrosion. They make a
volume spray can (Max-Blast?) in 24-oz size.
By all means get rid of the chips. Some disassembly is almost
certainly required. I'd look at dropping the apron and going through
that. That is usually not too difficult, and it's a common problem area.
I would consider using Hylomar in this application. It looks like
Prussion Blue, but it's tacky and will seal even an oily surface, metal
(or plastic) to metal. It's ideal for a gasketless mating of two
machined surfaces.
Thanks all for many helpful suggestions. What is involved in dropping the
apron? Does it disassemble from the cross slide (if so, I haven't found the
bolts)?
I had a chance to go out and play a little while. I did some cleanup, but
then got impatient and decided to hook up the motor and see what happens. It
runs, but ...
The motor is rather hinky. It's an old, massive Emerson, 1-1/2 hp, single
phase, 110 or 220. There are no starting caps! But there does appear to be a
system of brushes??? I thought brushed only came on a universal type motor.
Could the brush mechanism be some sort of starting circuit? The leads coming
out of the motor are labelled T1, T2, T3, and T4. Anybody have a clue if
this can be reversed, and how? (Right now it's turning backwards.) Anybody
know how to wire it for 220?
The gear head seems to be in decent shape, but I'll need a more complete
test to feel sure. I do wonder if the oil that is in it is too heavy. It
appears that the lubrication is mostly a splash lubrication -- does this
sound right? There are a couple of copper tubes that seem to be designed to
catch some of the oil and direct it to the bearings.
The clutch is not entirely working correctly. At first it was sticking on,
but eventually loosened up. Now I can hold up the lever to engage the
clutch, or let it down to release it -- but I can't figure out how it is
supposed to *stay* engaged. I'll have to do some further investigation ...
All the change gears seem to work, as do the power feeds.
I took a look at the old electrical system -- as I expected, the old
contactors were long gone. No biggie ...
Thanks again for the help. Please keep on offering suggestions as they occur
to you!
Andy
Repulsion start motor. Good indication of age (meaning it's really
old). They don't make them any more but in there day they where one of
the stronger starting motors. Based on the leads I'd say it's single
voltage. My bets are that the leads are currently tied T1-T3-Line and
T2-T4-Line or the reverse which is T1-T4-Line and T2-T3-Line. However
double check that before playing.
Splash is common on lathes though some like my Pratt and Whitney
have a oil pump.
Should be a snap over center clutch. In other words it should take
some extra push to make it stay engaged and to engage the brake as
well. Might need adjusting. To tight makes it hard to impossible to
snap over. To loose and it will slip or won't stay engaged.
Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
I'm sure you will get make-specific answers from more knowledgeable
folks, but the typical procedure is:
Remove right side leadscrew mount (2 bolts?)
Detach leadscrew from QC box (Roll pin or taper pin or?)
Withdraw leadscew through apron and set aside.
If there is a separate carriage drive shaft below the leadscrew, remove
that also.
Remove 2 - 4 bolts from top of carriage. They thread into the leadscrew
vertically.
Separate apron from carriage. This is a machined fit, with dowels. They
are usually pretty snug.
The nameplate specifically says 220 and 110, with appropriate amps for each,
so it must be dual voltage. At the moment I think it is wired T1-T2-Line and
T3-T4-Line, but I'll have to check.
Hmm ... any thoughts about how to adjust it? I'll try to put some pictures
in the drop-box later today; maybe that will give someone some ideas.
Thanks, and keep the suggestions coming!
Andy
Okay, I can see how to pull the feedscrew. I'm going to have to look again
for any bolts from the top of the carriage; I didn't see them before. Could
they be under the crossfeed?
Hello, Andrew.
I'd work on getting a manual right away. That way you are less likely
to make an unrecoverable mistake somewhere along the line.
To help with understanding the motor, replace the words "funky" and
"hinky" with phrases that describe what the motor is doing that appears
to be abnormal to you.
Maybe it hums before starting to turn
Maybe it has some sort of smell
Maybe it makes a rumbling or rattling noise,
etc..
I agree with contacting the mfr for a manual. Ebay often has manuals
for machine tools, too.
There are newsgroups and list servers for many specific machine tools
out there. I would subscribe to an appropriate one right away.
Last comment: NEVER mention WD-40 on this forum. People wake up from
the GRAVE on both sides of the issue to try to change the other guy!
Of course I am the only one who really knows and I'm not telling. .
Pete Stanaitis
---------------------------
Andrew H. Wakefield wrote:
Ok. Well that blows my reversing theory out of the water. I'm
guessing that if you check the resistance that you'll find something
like T1-T2 and T3-T4 being two separate coils (could be different
numbers especially if your memory is correct on current wiring).
Anyway the way they're wired is parallel. Changing to series will
convert to 220. At that point it'll be something like T1-Line , T2-T3,
and T4 to line. Again numbers may be different but it gives you the
idea.
As for reversing well that my well be a function of the repulsion
brushes not making good contact somewhere. BTW there will be some form
of centrifugal switch on the brushes to turn them off once up to
speed. It may lift the brushes away or it may be some form of switch
next to the brushes but something will turn them off once started.
Varies with brand. Best bet is let me see a pic of the clutch near
the actuating yoke and then I can give better advice.
Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
More updates, questions, and some pictures -- see comments in line below:
I had never heard of a repulsion motor, but once you told me what it was I
did some browsing through old posts and found enough to figure out what was
going on. There is a collar that holds the brushes which is held by two
screws. These screws were loose, allowing the brushes to rotate about 90
degrees. At times the motor was very slow starting up (that was part of the
"hinky" business--I apologize for using these technical terms! :) and I'm
guessing the brushes were not positioned quite right. I tried moving the
brushes all the way around the other way and tightened the screws -- and
presto! rapid start and now running the in right direction. I need to put a
better wire and plug on it, and a better switch (that was the other "hinky"
part), but I think I'm in business with the motor. I won't be able to
reverse it in any easy way, but I can live with that for now.
Okay, here are some more pictures showing the inside of the
headstock--gearing, lubrication, and clutch:
formatting link
The first picture shows the whole thing. The second and third pictures are
closeups of the clutch. The brass lever moves a collar to the left, engaging
the clutch. Well, it sort of engages--but it won't stay engaged unless I
keep pressure on the clutch. surely something is supposed to click in place,
or ??? Any help or insight greatly appreciated!!
The last picture gives a closeup of some of the lubrication system. There is
no oil pump that I can see, but there is this interesting arrangement of
copper tubing. It appears that the large gear in the center of the last
picture throws oil onto the clutch, which then throws it into the right-hand
copper tube. From there oil can flow down the left-hand copper tube,
presumably to the bearing for the clutch/pulley shaft (the tube disappears
into the end wall of the headstock), and it can flow down a plate onto the
right-hand spindle bearing. I'm not sure how the left-hand spindle bearing
gets lubed.
I drained the headstock today--it does indeed seem to have been filled with
90W, or something close to it. Until I get a manual, I can't swear that's
not what is supposed to be in it, but I'm going to be surprised if it is.
I'd like to put something in to help get the rest of the gunk out--any
suggestions? Someone mentioned ATF--any particular kind? Someone else
suggested kerosene?
I also found the bolts that hold the apron to the carriage--underneath, not
on top. I probably won't tackle dropping the apron for a while yet...
At this point, my biggest concern is the clutch, since if it doesn't work,
it looks like a pain to get to.
Thanks for the input; keep it coming!
Andy
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