Finally...

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DozerMite

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My metal lathe arrived today.


I've heard about the cleaning of the red grease.

WOW! That crap is on EVERYTHING. Looks like a nice Saturday project.
That is if I'm feeling better by then. I got a terrible cold over the weekend.

When I get it cleaned up and tuned a little, I'll see if I can make a round rod a smaller round rod.:rolleyes:
Pics to follow...
 
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Sounds like you're in for fun! Running down to the store and grabbing a couple big jugs of Simple Green or Orange Blast degreasers and a large container to toss parts in when cleaning would be a good thing! :smile:

DozerMite said:
My metal lathe arrived today.


I've heard about the cleaning of the red grease.

WOW! That crap is on EVERYTHING. Looks like a nice Saturday project.
That is if I'm feeling better by then. I got a terrible cold over the weekend.

When I get it cleaned up and tuned a little, I'll see if I can make a round rod a smaller round rod.:rolleyes:
Pics to follow...
Click to expand...
 
I feel a little better today and it's 43* out, so I going to see if I can drag it out to the shop and start the red goo removal.
 
AWESOME STUFF!!!!!

Have fun cleaning the goo off!
Kerosene works wonders on the red stuff!
Bit smelly and toxic so wear gloves, but it is a lot faster than the "safe" stuff...

I will hopefully be picking up my mini lathe and X2 mill this weekend!!!:biggrin:
So i will be joining you in the fight to eradicate the red goo!

Andrew
 
Scrape off what you can and use WD40 for the remainder of the goo. Catch the run off and soak any small parts for a few minutes, wipe down the remaining bit.

All done and protected at one time.
 
Fred brings up a good point - you will need a protectant to prevent rust once you remove the packing grease. I'd recommend something better than WD-40 though. You'll really want 3 different lubricants. Gearbox oil, way oil, and spindle oil. Each one has different properties needed for each use. Oh, and I urge you to wear gloves no matter what degreaser you use (DAMHIKT).

Regards,
Eric
 
I didn't completely disassemble it to clean it. I figured I would get the real bad stuff and get the rest as I start replacing some of the factory parts.
I wiped the bulk off with rags and got the rest with PB Blaster. Cleaned right up and is protected.

I'm going out today to try a cut.

I read to use oil on the ways and a grease on the gears. Not good?
 
Hey Dozermite, how is this lathe working out for you? Are you satisfied with it?
 
Padre said:
Hey Dozermite, how is this lathe working out for you? Are you satisfied with it?
Click to expand...


I love the lathe. It has done everything I've asked of it without hesitation. Very smooth running. I've done some of the needed mods.

I haven't had time to mess with it and after the LMS ordeal, I haven't even put the toolpost back together yet.

I'm trying to get some brass rod, since the aluminum doesn't like to thread well. There is a guy I work with that wants to trade one of my pens for a few pieces of brass.

So far... the lathe is great.
 
DozerMite said:
Padre said:
Hey Dozermite, how is this lathe working out for you? Are you satisfied with it?
Click to expand...


I love the lathe. It has done everything I've asked of it without hesitation. Very smooth running. I've done some of the needed mods.

I haven't had time to mess with it and after the LMS ordeal, I haven't even put the toolpost back together yet.

I'm trying to get some brass rod, since the aluminum doesn't like to thread well. There is a guy I work with that wants to trade one of my pens for a few pieces of brass.

So far... the lathe is great.
Click to expand...

Great!! I am in the market and was wondering about this one! THANK YOU.
 
Were you using cutting fluid on the Al? I found that the best coolant I found was plain water, possibly with a small bit of Dawn in it to break the surface tension and any lube oil. Instead of the threads tearing out with normal fluid, with water the threads came out perfect. YMMV.
Charles
 
Dozer,
Glad to see everything worked out ok. If you have a HF store nearby, try the brass punch set. Brass is brass. Used one of the punches for trunnions for the cannon I have been making.
DozerMite said:
Padre said:
Hey Dozermite, how is this lathe working out for you? Are you satisfied with it?
Click to expand...


I love the lathe. It has done everything I've asked of it without hesitation. Very smooth running. I've done some of the needed mods.

I haven't had time to mess with it and after the LMS ordeal, I haven't even put the toolpost back together yet.

I'm trying to get some brass rod, since the aluminum doesn't like to thread well. There is a guy I work with that wants to trade one of my pens for a few pieces of brass.

So far... the lathe is great.
Click to expand...
 
DozerMite said:
Padre said:
Hey Dozermite, how is this lathe working out for you? Are you satisfied with it?
Click to expand...


I love the lathe. It has done everything I've asked of it without hesitation. Very smooth running. I've done some of the needed mods.

I haven't had time to mess with it and after the LMS ordeal, I haven't even put the toolpost back together yet.

I'm trying to get some brass rod, since the aluminum doesn't like to thread well. There is a guy I work with that wants to trade one of my pens for a few pieces of brass.

So far... the lathe is great.
Click to expand...
Here's a little tip to help your single point threading use the compound slide to dial in for your cuts, set the compound slide at 29 1/2 degrees, that way when you dial in to take a cut you are only cutting on one side of the thread. if you want more details let me know and I will try to explain more.

I've single point cut miles and miles of threads in my career.
 
I'm not cutting the threads on the lathe but, was using a die.
I will eventually get to cutting threads on the lathe but, was just trying something out.

I had trouble with the threads on steel also using the die, so I borrowed a die from work and it cut the steel perfect. I didn't try the aluminum but will soon.

I figure I have a crappy die, so when money permits, I'll get a better one. For now, I can just use them at work.
 
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