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Restore it or not?

jobowler

Plastic
Joined
Feb 9, 2012
Location
MA, USA
I own a candlepin bowling alley which opened in 1906. This old lathe was found in our open dirt basement some years ago. It was used to prolong the life of the pins as they became rounded from use. My partner and I are disagreeing about whether or not to restore it. Any opinions from people who appreciate this kind of thing would be welcome. We don't want to ruin it but seeing it in operational would be cool.
lathe1.jpg
 
Are you wanting to restore it for the heck of it?
Or do you intent to use the "bowling pin lathe" in your bowling alley after restoring it?

That might affect your decision...

If you simply don't want to scrap it, is there a bowling alley museum that would want it?

Andrew
 
What does 'restore' mean? Slop on a coat of neon blue paint? I dont think so.

By all means clean it up and make it operational, but think long and hard about abrasive cleaning and refinishing, once done those are ir-reversable. I believe that old things should "look old". Its nice if they work too. Very nice. The two things are not exclusive. That could spin smooth and slick as you want. And all it needs it clean off with a rag and apply some surface protection such as oil or LPS2 or wax or any of a dozen protective coatings that do not chemically react or alter the surface.

Thats my 4c, it not big deal and not gospel by a long shot. I have seen some wonderful repainted machines and done that myself. Its all kinda personal and based on what you are starting with. I think for something small like this it would be a good candidate for just oiling it down and concentrate on the bearings. Either way, I suggest you make it run right first, that is where the real skill usually come to play. It looks pretty simple, maybe just oil the bearings and you are done. And, like Karl says clean it.

I would make a wood handle, bolt it down - so folks can give it a spin.
 
It definitely would look better with bowling pin dust or shavings all over it!

I would get it working and just clean it a little bit to get the loose stuff off.
New wooden handle for sure. (made from an old bowing pin??)

It is not obvious how this is used? What is actually done? Is the pin sanded or cut with a tool of some sort like a regular wood lathe? Is the tool rest missing?

Michael
 
I would clean and oil only.

I'm curious how many of you are scratching your heads and thinking, "what's candlepin bowling"? I had never heard of it until I moved to New England. And I don't think people up here in Maine knew what duckpin bowling was. I've never bowled candlepin before but, correct me if I'm wrong, you don't clear the dead wood after each ball.
 
JoBowler:

I absolutely agree that abrasive processes are O-U-T out!

That said, I'd dismantle it and clean each part with electrolysis, (Do a search of this forum on that word - it's a simple process) The great thing about electrolysis is that it does not remove any of the metal which is not already turned to rust. Electrolysis is approved by museum conservators for many valuable museum pieces, for example the turret of the USS Monitor.

Then, I'd paint it with an oil-based paint. I'd take a best guess as to the color based on whatever paint still clings to it now. Black is the default choice if there is no existing paint.

With a new wooden handle, and the bearings oiled up with spindle oil (a.k.a. DTE oil) the result would be very presentable and would be an interesting and informative exhibit for your business.

John Ruth
 
7 different responders, with 7 different opinions, none matching entirely. Of course, that's what will happen. Everyone has their own opinion of what is right.

Personally (which doesn't matter much to this conversation) I think tools are for using, and all my tools are old. I like them that way. I feel inspired by the craftsmen who used them before me. That being said, nothing in my shop is rusty and dysfunctional, unless it's waiting for me to get to it, and doesn't get used yet.

Collectors who keep their tools in as found, dysfunctional condition have always made me laugh. What's the point of owning a tool if you can't use it.

If that were mine, and I owned a bowling alley, I would use electrolysis to clean it up; I would paint it what I thought was a good color that I liked; I would change out the bearings and get it functioning properly; and then I would probably display it where the customers could see it and ask questions about it, unless I was going to put it back to work. Then, it would stay in whatever shop I had at the bowling alley.

It's yours. Do whatever you want with it. I doubt some collector is going to pay you big bucks for it, but who know's?? I watched a woodworking handplane that was a rusty piece of junk sell for $17,000 at auction once. I was so shocked I dropped my coffee down my pantleg.

Jeff
 
OK. Lots of responses, thank you. No we would not use this, for a while plastic caps were used on the ends of pins to avoid the need for this tool and to reduce the cost of pins. Now the pins are completely plastic.

The tool was found bolted to a 2x12. I believe the pin was cut not sanded. Right now it is completely rusted together, nothing at all moves on it. (We got the pin in the picture in there by notching the pin itself). I'm afraid cleaning it up and oiling it isn't going to get things moving again. After some research I was wavering between electrolysis (saw it on youtube - what could go wrong? LOL) or a rust remover product which is now not an option. Thanks for your advise on that. I didn't want to try something and then find out it didn't work and have it partially cleaned. I guess I've got to think about it some more and since opinions differ I've still got to convince my partner that it would be fun to have it in working condition.

We are the second oldest bowling alley in the U.S. that is still open to the public so we ARE the collectors who would pay for this sort of thing. We're located in Shelburne Falls, MA. We have a display of early (late 1800's) balls, pins and other candlepin bowling finds, I have this up high and out of the way because it's so rusty and has a lot of sharp edges on it - I don't want anyone to get hurt. But it's so cool I'd like people to be able to touch it and see how it was used. We had a lot of tool manufacturing around here, I just had an older customer climb up on a chair to get a better look at it - so much for safety - and he thought someone local probably made it for the original owner. That's what got me thinking about getting it working again.

Candlepin bowling alleys are found in New England and in the eastern provinces of Canada. We outnumber ten pin (big ball) alleys by 3 to 1 in New England. The balls are small - 2.6 lbs - and don't have holes in them. You get three balls per turn and fallen pins are not cleared in between balls so you use the fallen pins to knock other pins down. There is no top or bottom on a pin. This game is much harder and lower scoring. A perfect game has never been bowled.

Here are a couple more photos of it, though I now see that I didn't get the end of it that matters.

lathe3.jpg

lathe2.jpg
 
How does one use a candlepin bowling lathe? I doesn't appear to be built for a banjo and toolrest with the web running down the center of the bed. The bevel gears look to be the same size, so one crank of the handle will give one spin of the pin. That would be pretty slow for wood turning, even 100 (or 300) years ago. It would also seem to be made for a left handed turner who was really adept at one-handed turning. Or maybe it's a two man operation provided the lathe is mounted out in the floor where the cranker isn't bumping into the turner by standing on opposite sides of the lathe.

Is it possible that this is a jig for painting the stripe on the center of the pin and not a lathe?

By the way, I would lean toward cleaning it up, rebushing the bearings (as needed), and painting the portions that appeared to have paint originally. Others prefer the patinated look (dirt and rust). I tend to like putting things back to factory fresh provided anything I do isn't irreversible. Then I would use it and let the chips fall where they may, so to speak.

It's true you can't put THAT dirt and rust back on it, but you can always depaint it and set it back down in the basement to put some new dirt and rust on it. Given enough time it will look a lot like the old dirt and rust. Hope this doesn't offend anyones sensibilities.

The disclaimer here is: I don't own anything rare or valuable so anything I've done to my old junk iron has been an improvement, IMHO. I'm not in the habit of battering 200 year old mics with spinny wire brushes or anything like that.


Pat Black

ps: After squinting at the first picture some more, Is that a cutter in the headstock end? Something like a tenon former?
 
So; what we establish there is no longer any functional need for this tool. it is a collector piece or for display.

It is probably not stuck as bad as you think. I can almost guarantee it an easy piece to free up.

Try and spray the bearing areas with PB Blaster. Stuff works.

You only need a tiny tiny movement then spray again and work the handle back forth to extent that the other shaft will allow. its tricky because you have to work each of the two shafts to the extent you can with the other stuck. It can be done due to slop in the gears.
Also loosen up the lock nut on each gear, those may brake loose too.

For someone experienced, this probably be free in a few hours. Take your time, you be amazed how easy and fun it is to free up old iron.
 
Agree with Patrick. If it won't turn at all, and the original finish is gone, the only thing you are preserving at this point is neglect. See if you can detect the original color for later repaint, and dunk it in the electrolysis tank for a few days.

allan
 
Thanks. I'll try the PB Blaster, if I can get it moving I'll go from there.

Patrick, you can see the blade part in this picture.

lathe4.jpg


Thanks everyone, I'm looking forward to taking this on.
 
Ok I'm going to take a guess at a few things here. When most people think of a lathe. They think of a machine that shapes things. A wood lathe to shape a pin like that would need to turn a few hundred rpm's. Your geared crank looks to be a 1:1 ratio. you couldn't begin to crank fast enough to get a nice smooth finish like that. At least not in my hands. Like another responder said you don't see a toolrest either. The cutting tool you point out is for centering and gripping the wood for spinning it. Is the other end cup shaped? If it is you couldn't turn the wood down at that part.
So now my guess. The wooden pins are bought in bulk from supplier with no markings. The owner of the alley would add the pin stripe. In your handy dandy little turner there. Are the pins marked in different colors? If they are all the more reason to buy blanks in bulk and customize as needed.
Your tool looks to have a green tint to it. How big is the pin turner? I would soak the whole thing in some transmission fluid. Drop it in container of some kind and just wait and see what free's up. Your not in a hurry. While waiting give it some thought of how you want to restore it. If you hurry you might break something.
Keep us posted we love old tools of any kind!!!
 
My guess is the end of the pins gets rounded off and the pins won't sit properly when setting them up.
The lathe just trues up the end of the pin so it will sit flat on the alley.

Being able to paint a stripe at the same time is a bonus.

Michael
 
Cool tool. I have no real opinion on to clean or not, other than do what you can to keep it. PBlaster seems to work really well, I'm sure its worth a shot.

I enjoy a game of candlepin when I am up at Devens for army once and a while, it is a very difficult game, and super fun. Leaving the deadwood makes for so much more action, yet its so hard to clear the floor.

I was out last night with my kids. my sisters kids and my friends kids and the 10 of us had a game of duckpin. A nice old lane in town here that has been open since 29. It was shut for a few years and we thought it was never coming back but it reopened and we couldn't be happier. Though duckpin is a smidgen easier, its not much. And its great that the ball is small enough that my 3 year old son can roll it down the lane with enough gusto to knock down the pins... when its not in the gutter.

Overall both candlepin and duckpin make 10 pin bowling look easy!!
 
Since virtually none of the original finish remains and it is not functional now, I think restoration to some degree is the best way to go. How far you go is up to you, but there is little left to preserve other than the original iron casting which has now rusted. I think it would get the attention it deserves if it were made to look more presentable. Good for you for preserving it.

Never heard of candlepin bowling. I'll have to ask my son who is in Holyoke if he has tried it.

Tom B.
 
Wow! what a cool find!

Additionally, what a small world. I would have never imagined finding anything related to candlepin bowling on this forum, let alone a thread started by someone who is only a 45 minute drive away.
I bowl in a league in Southampton @ Canal but also end up in Holyoke, Pittsfield or Erving at times for tournaments. Sadly, I have yet to make it to Shelburne. It's high on my list of things to do and I cant really call myself a true fan of the game until I visit this house.

My opinion on what to do? Leave it alone. It looks so deteriorated that I doubt you'll have much success freeing those parts without damaging it. Certainly make a little placard explaining what the device's purpose was though. I have never heard of it before as I've never had the opportunity to bowl on wooden pins. By the time I was bowling the industry moved on to the capped plastic Brunswick pins as well as the solid single piece turned Garland ones.

Never heard of candlepin bowling. I'll have to ask my son who is in Holyoke if he has tried it.

The center in Holyoke is really nice, has 20 lanes and cheap pricing per game. If he hasn't done it, make sure he does. It's fun.

Anyone interested in the game, watch this old video from 1992 of the legendary 500 series triple: Candlepin Bowling - Paul Berger's Legendary 500 Triple (1) - YouTube
It shows the speed and accuracy needed for success.

I love the game so much, I built an alley in my basement from 2x4s and hardwood laminate flooring: Build Your Own Basement Bowling Alley

Cheers!
 








 
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