Collet Chuck (Part 2)

Well done Steve, good to hear that you are making progress. I don't know the C6 spindle mount system but judging from the pictures here

it would appear that concentricity relies purely on the fit between the parallel spindle register and the backplate internal register. If so then I have experienced similar problems with some pre-machined backplates I've bought for my Myford. Some suppliers seem to machine the backplate register with a little too generous a clearance. So much so that I now regularly measure the diameter before I buy. You might like to measure the internal diameter of your backplates and see if they vary at all. If they are all a little over size you might need to bite the bullet and make one yourself just for the collet chuck. I suspect that with a normal 3 jaw most people wouldn't notice a 0.03mm variation. As has been said before absolutly clean surfaces is essential.

One way I rescued a Boxford backplate with an oversize regsiter was to machine the internal diameter 4mm oversize and I shrink fitted a sleeve in place, although a push fit and loctite would do just as well. this allowded me to machine the internal register diameter again to a much closer fit on the spindle. Sounds a bit of a bodge but it has been in use on my Boxford for the last two years with no problem at all.

Now you have the collet chuck firmly mounted to the backplate it might be easier just to "clock out" the small error each time you fit it.

Best regards

Keith

Thanks Keith you have been a great help. I don't think I'll make my own back plate. I made one for my rotary table out of a scrap 8 inch cast disk I had salvaged from a patio heater. It took nearly three hours to clean strip and re-setup my lathe afterwards and I had to wash in a bucket in the garage before being allowed back in the house! So avoiding any serious cast iron work for now!

I think I'll just "clock out" the error before use.

Best Regards

Steve

Oh, then I'll pass along a trick I have read (but do consider it more a hack than a repair). With a center punch, punch some dings quite near (1mm or so) the "cliff". It will extend the material a bit and thus make the bore a tad smaller. It then either fits or can be bored to the right diameter.

Don't know why this is coming to my mind: "Never use force, just go for a bigger hammer"

Nick

In article , Steve W writes

Tell me about it! I have a pile of very large (for me) chunks of cast iron sitting in my workshop that all need turning and boring in the next week or so. I machined about 20% of that amount a few weeks ago and have only just got the black stains out of my hands. Not good when part of my business involves meeting people, and shaking hands with them....

Does anyone know an effective way of removing it quickly?

At least the metallic taste in the mouth goes after a day or so.

David

Certainly don't need to worry about iron defficiency for a while!

Dad taught me the same trick when I was little as a way of stopping bearings spinning in a crancase, - thanks for the memory!

Steve

David

Don't be such a woose (spelling), there is nothing like eating your "black" butties with black hands, good for the soul if not the body. The taste goes after about the third pint I seem to remember.

I would be interested in anything that removes it though as it shows up my wrinkles for days after I've machined it. :-))

Regards

Keith

Only one answer, Sell your machines and take up knitting, at least it keeps your hands clean. Part of my business also means meeting people and shaking hands with them. Only difference is they now also have black hands.

Three pints of Newcastle Brown takes the taste away, after twelve you couldn't give a rat's arse..................

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

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In article , jontom snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com writes

I believe the Americans spell it "wuss", but I shouldn't think it matters much.

David

...........my other half's far more interested in some easy way of removing the 'rust' which appears in the bottom of our stainless steel sink a day or two after washing cast iron hands! It's extremely difficult to remove, even with wire wool. I'm now banished to the garden tap for a pre-wash!

It's obviously a product of oxidised iron but seems to become chemically bonded to the stainless. Perhaps I've got a crap basin! I've resisted the suggestion that she swops her Jif for Jenolite but I'd be interested to hear if any of our chemists have noticed this phenomenon. --

Chris Edwards (in deepest Dorset) "....there *must* be an easier way!"

You could always use the trick that they use at the garage up the road from me to keep the crap off their hands - wear surgical gloves.

Alternatively, there are "barrier creams" (based on Lanolin usually) that you can work into your hands before you start getting them coated in muck - the layer of grease on the skin helps with later removal. Not tried it myself, but said to be useful.

Regards, Tony

Thanks but actually David having done a little (basic) research this morning I think it might. It seems a Woose is a haunting spirit present at the killing of Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Most likely I couldn't read that page what with the black fingermarks all over it. Joking apart cast iron is messy, I even tried some of those latex gloves once but all that did was produce an excellent "high tide mark" as my mother used to call them when I was knee high. Of course having one of those spotted meant an instant sore ear and a return to the bathroom to do the job properly.

Chris, I've been in trouble for exactly the same reason and no amount of rinsing after washing stops it. I smartly banished myself to the utility room after using the steel wool to hide the evidence but, that was a real disaster, as it seems "we" do the pre-wash for the laundry there and iron oxide doesn't come out of white clothes, apparently?

I've always found that Swarfega used straight from the tin and wiped off with a rag (no water), followed by a "Fairy Liquid" wash is effective but, it does nothing for the complexion. Oh, and of course wuss (barrier) cream before you start is a must.

Best regards

Keith

Modern swarfega has been attacked by the PC brigade and anything that remotely removes grease has been removed on the grounds of H&S. Most of the other industrial cleaners have also been attacked. One of the best at one time was Tuffanega but that's gone the same way. I now buy whatever is going cheap and drop a handful of clean sawdust into the mix and stir up. This acts as a ozone friendly, natural, carbon neutral abrasive to scour your hands and let the modern PC designated cat's piss do it's work.

Tough shit you have to chop a tree down to do this

.

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

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coated

For year I've been using powdered latex gloves, but only recently found that I get a rash after a few hours use. I've gone over to using the blue nitrile powder free ones find find them much better. They are not quite as sensitive to the touch as latex, but far tougher. I tried vinyl ones but found them far too stiff and awkward.

AWEM

at:-

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John, fancy depriving al those "cute likle" animals of their warm bedding and "chopping down trees", don't you know they are going to ban the sales of chainsaws. Doesn't matter that you might hurt yourself with one but, you could really make the tree cry! :-))

I'll have to be more frugal with my Swarfega then as I'm down to my last two 5 litre tins. The trouble with this old stuff is that it goes very runny after a few years, still seems to work OK though?

Andrew, those powdered latex ones make the backs of my hands itch after an hour or two but I haven't noticed a rash. I bought some of the "blue nitrile" ones at Taunton so I had better get on and open the box.

Regards

Keith (just taking a break after trying hard to kill some "helpless" grass)

at:-

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Joking apart, drop some clean sawdust in, it will thicken it up. Remove chainsaw first.

Problem with nitrile gloves is they 'stick' to metal and are positively dangerous when around chucks, lathes, chainsaws etc.

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

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Andrew

Have you tried more than one brand of Vinyl? I used to get the blue nitrile ones, my part-time helper has a latex allergy, but actually prefer the vinyl plus they're *much* cheaper Oh, and lots of places stock them now, which isn't true with the nitrile. Not impressed with vinyl gloves from RS, though.

Tim

usually)

removal.

Tim,

I bulk bought through my department store (eBay !) and it works out at

3.6 p per glove

So far I've almost got through 1 of the 10 boxes I bought 5 weeks ago so my lot of 10 should last about a year.

AWEM

See my post about a borax/soap mix. It also is good for cleaning sinks!.

Steve R.

We used to be able to buy a borax based hand soap in Canada, and the US. Alas, it proved slightly toxic if ingested by small children, and was withdrawn from the market. I now make my own, by mixing 25% Ivory brand powdered soap, with 75% powdered borax. Be sure to use pure (non activated) borax. Both can be purchased in the laundry soap section of supermarkets. I'm sure there must be equivalent UK products available.

Steve R.