gonna buy a lathe

[El Bango]

I have an old (1930's) Logan 12X36 with an 1 3/8" hole thru the spindle. It's made me a pile of money.But the thing I really like abiut it is any part I need can be had through Logan Actuator in Chicago in just a few days.

[Linstrum]

i'm not familiar with blueing what should i get? thanks for the tip.
skimmerhead

Unless a truly blue color is wanted, I just use Roy Dunlap's famous blacking formula for small parts. This formula makes a HARD metallic black coating that can't be scratched with a wire brush, and that is tough!

Roy Dunlap's recipe of 65 parts lye to 35 parts potassium nitrate calls for one gallon of water for ten pounds of dry mixed salts. Water weighs exactly 8-1/3 pounds per gallon (that is the definition of a gallon of water, 12 gallons of water weighs exactly 100 pounds). So by weight, the water is pretty close to 55% of the total mix. The reason why I'm mentioning this is so you can make up small amounts of blacking solution. I have never made up a full ten pounds of salts with one gallon of water, I have only blacked little things like triggers, hammers, screws, etc., and only a few ounces of salts is required for parts that you can hold in one hand. Besides, making up ten pounds of salts would probably cost $50 - $100 because potassium nitrate and lye are pretty expensive nowadays, so it is just poor economics to make up a full $100 of blacking solution for a $2 part. At least the solution is stable and WHEN COLD can be stored in a glass container with an iron lid. Don't use aluminum, it just plain vanishes in contact with this solution because of the lye.


I don't measure the amount of water I use in the blacking solution, I go by the boiling point to determine how much water to put in. The amount of water used is not great, at room temperature add just enough water drop by drop to make a thin paste. As it heats up the paste rapidly turns into a liquid solution because the lye and potassium nitrate crystals dissolve into the water. The amount of water in the solution rapidly boils off so more water has to be added CAREFULLY while in use. Of great importance is monitoring the temperature of the solution since a temperature above about 350°F will destroy the strength of the steel by ruining its heat treat. DO NOT USE A GLASS THERMOMETER, THE HOT LYE SOLUTION RAPIDLY DISSOLVES GLASS! Use a thermocouple or remote infrared or laser thermometer to check the temperature instead.

rl 1065

[El Bango]

Get a machine with as much tooling as possible,the initial outlay of cash is tough enough but you need a ton of tooling like a 3 and 4 jaw chuck, steady rest, live and dead centers,drill chuck,if you plan on doing barrel work you want at least 36"between centers,if you can get a taper attachment that would be a big plus,a good quick change tool holder like an Aloris or a Phase II ,and make sure the headstock has at least a 1 1/2" hole through the headstock.Also use carbide inert tools (unless you want to waste time and money sharpening tools)you wil also need drill bits,(don't skimp on these you get what you pay for) combination center drills,taps cutting fluids and a Machinerys Handbook and I'm sure I forgot a pile of things but you'll figure it out as you go.Oh yeah you"ll need a drill press to get you by until you buy a mill then I'll have another list that'd break the Pope,have fun brother.

[skimmerhead]

i haven't posted here in awhile, but i have some photos i'm gonna post of some of the projects iv'e done, tooling i bought, new 16x40 lathe, and my bridgeport mill. i still have my atlas. i thought of selling it but i can't. i find myself still useing it even though i have the new machine.

skimmerhead

[PatMarlin]

I still use my 11x28 Logan every day for second ops and making tools Danny. I couldn't be without it.

[skimmerhead]

I still use my 11x28 Logan every day for second ops and making tools Danny. I couldn't be without it.

hi pat, how your doin? awhile back i found a pratt burnerd 6" setrite 3 jaw scroll chuck. a fellow bought some boxs at an auction and it happened to be some stuff from a lathe supply that went out of business. in one of the boxs there was this setrite chuck, new in box with manual and acc. with a back plate threaded 11/2" x 8 thread. for three hundred bucks i bought it before he changed his mind! after i put that chuck on that atlas and dialed it in i was amazed at the repeatable accuracy of it. i don't bother to use dial indicators, put it in the chuck and forget about it. i only had 4 jaw chucks and thats great, but it sure saves alot of setup time and work. i'd like to put one on the new machine, but thats alot of bucks, and the scroll chuck thats on there is pretty good so i'll wait awhile on that. between the chuck and the QC toolpost it made that little lathe into a machine thats a pleasure to work with. i'll be posting photos soon. hows snoop?

skimmerhead

[PatMarlin]

I'm good Danny. I'm setting up my new shop. Snoop's watchdoggin'.

All my daily stuff is small so I use 5C collets and a 5C chuck's 3" and 4" a lot.

[skimmerhead]

I'm good Danny. I'm setting up my new shop. Snoop's watchdoggin'.

All my daily stuff is small so I use 5C collets and a 5C chuck's 3" and 4" a lot.

thanks for the photo. it's good to see him at work!

snoop's friend

[akajun]

Skimmerhead, good to hear from you. I too have been busy, got a Lagun Mill, my Grizzly 14x40 gunsmith lathe, sold the Atlas.

BTW I may have a line on 3 Monarch 10EE's and Some Leblond Servo Shifts tool and die lathes. They will need work and chucks/tooling to get them going, but the price will be right if you would be interested.

[skimmerhead]

Skimmerhead, good to hear from you. I too have been busy, got a Lagun Mill, my Grizzly 14x40 gunsmith lathe, sold the Atlas.

BTW I may have a line on 3 Monarch 10EE's and Some Leblond Servo Shifts tool and die lathes. They will need work and chucks/tooling to get them going, but the price will be right if you would be interested.

Hey Man! good to hear from you. i aprecieate the info but i have enough machines now, more than i can use, maybe after i have my knee surgery i'll be a little more mobile. when i move its like the super slow motion cameras the nhra use to film the top fuel dragsters, where you can see each cylinder fire when they take off. well it feels like that anyway. i don't think i'll sell my atlas now that i have it allmost the way i want it. the only other thing i want to do is put a vfd so i can wire a variable speed knob with a digital readout tachometer. that variable speed with digital tach readout on my new machine took only a couple days to spoil me. the 2 1/16 thru hole and 7 1/2 hp motor, dro, and taper attachment, coolant system, did help some also. glad to hear you got a Lagun Mill, i hear there some good machines, i was looking at one when i found my bridgeport and got it instead. a good cleaning some adjustments here and there, put a vfd for power and a servo brand powerfeed for the table, and its smooth and accurate. i bet you like that lathe too, glad to hear it.

skimmerhead

[John 242]

A man that doesen't make mistakes is a man that isn't doing his job, a man that doesen't learn from his mistake's doesen't want to do his job.
skimmerhead

Awesome!
You have no idea how inspirational that is to me right now. I appreciate it.

[skimmerhead]

Awesome!
You have no idea how inspirational that is to me right now. I appreciate it.

John, iv'e been called a lot of things in sixty years, but never inspirational! i'm totaly flabbergasterated.
skimmerhead

[monge]

Shop around 5k will buy you a good lathe and mill both new or used check this web site they ship enenywere in the world : Machinery Values .com Good luck JOE

[skimmerhead]

You stick with me Danny and you'll be called other things too ...

Patmarlin- the evil incarnate scam artist checkmaker business man across the net..

Well at least Snoop thinks his Dad's ok...

Got the AC mounted for the shop today. 103 in the shade. Having a tech fire it up Monday, maybe. I ain't working in no heat...!

i'm with snoop! he ain't stupid! iv'e seen him curled up at your feet next to the fire. Amen on the AC! 103 in the shade! where did you move to, the middle of the desert?
the evil scam artist! i don't believe anyone ever called you that, c'mon man! i'll stick with you maybe someday someone will say you were an insperation. you can't be that bad snoop keeps you around!!!!!!!!!!!

Danny

[skimmerhead]

i'm gonna try posting some photo's of some of the projects iv'e done.
skimmerhead

[Tokarev]

Are you into offroading, skimmerhead?
If I was building those winches, I would have added a couple more bolts to attach each of the brackets to the plate, and also welded enforcement to the brackets to counter sideways force that may be applied from anchoring cable off the center line of the truck.

The lathes I was using at school in Europe (and that was almost 30 years ago) had 2 rows of 4 levers for changing speed. So there were 16 speeds from 50 to 2500 RPM if I remember correctly. What is that kind of lathe called?

[skimmerhead]

Are you into offroading, skimmerhead?
If I was building those winches, I would have added a couple more bolts to attach each of the brackets to the plate, and also welded enforcement to the brackets to counter sideways force that may be applied from anchoring cable off the center line of the truck.

The lathes I was using at school in Europe (and that was almost 30 years ago) had 2 rows of 4 levers for changing speed. So there were 16 speeds from 50 to 2500 RPM if I remember correctly. What is that kind of lathe called?

no i don't do any off roading. those winch's were built for a specific application for a shrimp boat. there is no lateral movment, simply pick up weight's of appr. 400 pounds. the charlyn 2000 series hydrualic motors i used are capeble of a lot more, they have alot of tourqe when used with the correct gpm pump. i have built many other type's for alot heavier duty and alot bigger. i'm not sure, but it sounds like you had a qwick change gear box on it, other than that i couldn't say.
skimmerhead

[Tokarev]

yeah, quick change is the word.

[edwin41]

Are you into offroading, skimmerhead?
If I was building those winches, I would have added a couple more bolts to attach each of the brackets to the plate, and also welded enforcement to the brackets to counter sideways force that may be applied from anchoring cable off the center line of the truck.

The lathes I was using at school in Europe (and that was almost 30 years ago) had 2 rows of 4 levers for changing speed. So there were 16 speeds from 50 to 2500 RPM if I remember correctly. What is that kind of lathe called?

hi , i think you are reffering to the mondiale celtic 12 lathes , as they were very popular at schools at that time.
it was build in belgium , i learned to use a lathe at school on this type , and now i have one !