Bridgeport mill table finish

adambomb777 · Feb 16, 2018

Just had a question on the finish of this table. In the pictures you can see the table very rusted and one shiny spot that I cleaned with krud kutter rust product and 0000 steel wool. I then submerged the whole table in evaporust. You can see the spot is still shiny. I have not had time to really scrub it, but is the "shiny" still under the finish the evaporust left? Is it something I should even care about?

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Danny VanVoorn · Feb 16, 2018

With the condition of that table I think you have a lot bigger things to spend time on than that small shiney spot? It looks like someone may have filled an oops once but may be wrong. Last Bridgeport table I saw that looked like that was ran 3 shifts 24-7 for years on end and I get the feeling that the rest of the machine probably has at least a little wear everywhere.
Dan

dcsipo · Feb 16, 2018

adambomb777 said:
Just had a question on the finish of this table. In the pictures you can see the table very rusted and one shiny spot that I cleaned with krud kutter rust product and 0000 steel wool. I then submerged the whole table in evaporust. You can see the spot is still shiny. I have not had time to really scrub it, but is the "shiny" still under the finish the evaporust left? Is it something I should even care about?

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You remind me of this guy...

he goes to the urologist, and he says he has an issue with his testicles. He is dressed in a three piece suit, patent shoes, silk tie, bowler hat, gold pocket watch on chain.... The doc says, "ok lets take a look at it", hands him the gown, and directs him behind the screen to change....

the guy. asks for a hanger, then for another for his pants, then he asks for show spanners, a towel, a clothes brush...and and...and finally he gets changed, comes out he sits on the examination table al tied up neatly in his gown. So the doc directs him to stand up, open his gown and starts looking at it. Doc shakes his head, says "i see nothing wrong with them." But the guy insists, that he needs to look more carefully. So he goes back to studying the guys testicles, asking him questions about pain, or abnormal discharge, typical doc stuff. The guy gives answers that gives the doc no clues. So the doc returns to his desk and tells him that the cannot find anything abnormal, everything looks and feels as it should. The guy is insisting that he still has this issue. At this point the doc takes the novel approach to ask the guy what he thinks is wrong with his testicles. So the dude starts up this lengthy description, how depending on ambient temperature and level of excitement and other environmental factors the left testicle hangs lower or much lower than the right.....To which the doc says, "oh that is perfectly normal every body has ...".the guy interrupts him and says, "but doc that is just unacceptably untidy!."

dee
;-D

kpotter · Feb 16, 2018

the factory would weld up bad castings and grind the whole table smooth. I have seen a few like that. no worries

adambomb777 · Feb 16, 2018

I was just curious why it was shiny on the small piece I did by hand and not where the evaporust took off the rust. The only other area that kept it's shine was where it had bird poop on it.

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Paolo_MD · Feb 17, 2018

Adam,
I'm not familiar with Krud Kutter and its composition. Probably, it has some wax in it and, by rubbing with steel wool, you coated the now shiny surface and Evaporust didn't even touch the metal in that spot due to the waxy shield.

I don't know what to say about bird droppings. I know they're rich in phosphate and, maybe, there was some surface reaction like parkerization or similar. I'd bet that the two shiny are different from each-other.

Paolo

Richard King · Feb 17, 2018

Why worry about it. It a mess. Get it ground .

thermite · Feb 17, 2018

Paolo_MD said:
I don't know what to say about bird droppings. I know they're rich in phosphate and, maybe, there was some surface reaction like parkerization or similar. I'd bet that the two shiny are different from each-other.

Paolo

Nitrates and Ammonia as well as Phosphates, probably Chlorine's salts, too, all modified / neutralized by reaction with lime from ingested stones for digestive assistance, etc., etc.

Birds can't carry much baggage.

Anything they use for digestion is shat at higher concentrations than lower and slower critters who have the systems to recycle and re-use their digestive acids and such.

End of the day, it doesn't matter.

No time machines on rental to roll back and PREVENT birds from shitting on your mill.

You'll just have to deal with what already IS.

Grinding? Slippery slope, and a spendy one.

Grinder cannot just touch the top and quit. Table moves, dovetails need attention, top moves. Competent shop knows all this in advance, also what to charge for it.

Chasing tail is always expensive, Iron or any other kind.

adambomb777 · Feb 17, 2018

Richard King said:
Why worry about it. It a mess. Get it ground .

How much does that usually cost?

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JohnEvans · Feb 17, 2018

adambomb777 said:
How much does that usually cost?

Most likely more than the mill is worth ! Use a dull file to draw file the top to find and remove any high spots and use the damm thing. You want pristine buy new put in glass case ! It is after all only a tool and a used one after all.

adambomb777 · Feb 17, 2018

JohnEvans said:
Most likely more than the mill is worth ! Use a dull file to draw file the top to find and remove any high spots and use the damm thing. You want pristine buy new put in glass case ! It is after all only a tool and a used one after all.

I agree with you. I've just read about grinding and scraping, but never seen a price attached to it. I'm working to get it usable, but i still have a long way to go.

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dalmatiangirl61 · Feb 17, 2018

I agree on just filing and stoning the table. If you get the table ground you are pretty well committed to a full re-scrape of the ways. Clean it up, put it back together and make chips, and keep your eyes open for a deal on a nicer machine.

adambomb777 · Feb 17, 2018

dalmatiangirl61 said:
I agree on just filing and stoning the table. If you get the table ground you are pretty well committed to a full re-scrape of the ways. Clean it up, put it back together and make chips, and keep your eyes open for a deal on a nicer machine.

Is there a certain type of stone to use? I have been looking at other machines to get a general idea of what they sale for.

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thermite · Feb 17, 2018

adambomb777 said:
How much does that usually cost?

We don't even see it done often enough to have hi/low/average stats, these CNC-dominated days.

Memory sez it can get to $1,600, and half that is not unreasonable. Lathe beds is ground, it doesn't move much. BP table very definitely DOES move. As already mentioned, "chasing" that to a decent final-final result is a multi-step process, and tedious. Priced accordingly, naturally.

adambomb777 · Feb 17, 2018

thermite said:
We don't even see it done often enough to have hi/low/average stats, these CNC-dominated days.

Memory sez it can get to $1,600, and half that is not unreasonable. Lathe beds is ground, it doesn't move much. BP table very definitely DOES move. As already mentioned, "chasing" that to a decent final-final result is a multi-step process, and tedious. Priced accordingly, naturally.

Ok thank you.

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rons · Feb 17, 2018

The "shiny spot" is a weld repair fill. I had my table ground flat and it cost $130. Removal and installation of table was included.

adambomb777 · Feb 17, 2018

rons said:
The "shiny spot" is a weld repair fill. I had my table ground flat and it cost $130. Removal and installation of table was included.

It just happened to be on the only spot I scrubbed? I wish I would have scrubbed two spots now. Wow that seems reasonable on the table price.

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thermite · Feb 17, 2018

rons said:
The "shiny spot" is a weld repair fill. I had my table ground flat and it cost $130. Removal and installation of table was included.

Bargain. I think. How long ago?

They did the dovetail ways into that price? Or didja scrape 'em yerself?

A needy 1960'ish "Quartet" combo mill I was going to JF "live with as-is" wonders...

Shorter than BP. Heavier and thicker, though.

Fishkiller89 · Aug 20, 2019

Funny joke, but I gotta say, the table wasn’t made with damage built in, the dudes nuts were made to hang that way, it actually serves a purpose believe it or not. The guy asked a question about what could be the cause of the discoloration in the metal...either answer it, or don’t bother. All you had to say was “cleaning one spot in particular could have exposed open pores within the metal because cast iron is inherently porous, this would allow any chemical treatments to penetrate further into the metal. Cleaning the rest of the table this way and retreating with the aforementioned solution should even out the disparity in color.” Fact is, if he bought something he wants to take meticulous care in refinishing, then who are you to belittle him for that? Even if it doesn’t affect performance, the cleanliness of ones workspace says a lot about the person doing the work....so stop trolling.

Fishkiller89 · Aug 20, 2019

Okay, so did was the spot shiny even before you cleaned it? If so, a lot of folks welding cast iron repairs using high nickel alloys, works pretty well, but these alloys are damn near impervious to everything. If it really grinds your gears, you can mill out the undesirable area and fill it with a cast iron impregnated epoxy. That being said, with its location being at an edge, it would probably be best to leave it be and clean up the rest of the table and scrape it in. Once you scrape it in, that inherently uneven reflective finish should make it tough to see. Hope that helps, I’m pretty particular about how my stuff looks as well, so I feel you on how that might bother you.

Bridgeport mill table finish

Aluminum

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Aluminum

Stainless

Diamond

Diamond

Aluminum

Titanium

Aluminum

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Plastic

Plastic

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