Boehringer VDF 36S project

This thread is a follow on from 'VDF lathe information' I posted a few months back.
I finally found more or less what I said I was looking for in that last post: a VDF Boehringer 36s, located in Germany and at a bargain price, which I have now shipped back home (Lucca, Italy) and shoe-horned into my workshop. It is in fact a nominal 36 cm swing, but the relief in the bed at the headstock, added to the 355mm bed width, will allow for a 400mm faceplate to be mounted. Centre length is a generous 1000 mm (more like 1100). I reckon the year of manufacture to be around '64.
It is definitely a restoration project, since the machine has been idle for years and although not rusty, is well gummed up just about everywhere.
Positive signs are that the bed ways seem pretty good for their age, and the leadscrew also shows little wear.
The spindle seems fine (on a fist inspection, judgement reserved) and a look inside the headstock revealed clean and oily machinery. Backlash seen at the carriage handwheel is about 1.2 mm. Not sure about the cross-slide because it had been lubricated with grease and barely moved. This wasn't very promising, and after removing the oil-well cover on the saddle, it was plain to see that no fluid oil had passed that way in some time.... So off came the saddle (it wasn't that quick...), and the dried up wicks and saponified oil crud made it obvious that the apron needs to be removed and renovated. That is the next step.
One other issue, of an extremely annoying nature, is that the cross-slide crank got bent by the fork-lift operator while atempting to get the beast off the truck.... yes, the only words that came to mind at the time are unprintable.
I would appreciate any advice on straightening that without damage (heat.. i.e. stress relief?)
Needless to say I am looking for a manual... Kees, do you have one in your archives?? Pics are in the as-found condition in the seller's yard: more will follow.

Well done! Looks like a nice machine to me. The issues you discribe are to be expected from a lathe this age, but if the guideways and mainspindle/drivetrain are OK you got 80% of a working machine. The rest can be done with relative ease. I see coolant was used on this machine which often means you have to check and repair the inernals of the apron. Coolant comes in there and makes a mess....
I think you can just bent the cross slide crank back easely, this is made of soft steel. Maybe you need to make a set up for this,but do not use heat.
I do have manuals but I cannot scan. I think there might be one online for download somewhere on the internet but I am not sure.

Looks like your VDF is similar to one i ran. THere's a lever on the back of the headstock that allows the machine to run in reverse. Set this to the disengage position unless threading at a relatively low rpm. At higher rpm's the two shafts running in reverse directions will create enough heat to generate smoke.

706jim said:

At higher rpm's the two shafts running in reverse directions will create enough heat to generate smoke.

Click to expand...

Then something is wrong with your machine. It should not be a problem ( unless you run the lathe backwards the whole day at the highest speed) I never disengage it on my lathes and it never caused a problem.

To straighten that shaft I would do it without dismantling it
That way it is supported the same as when it got bend
You could replace bearings afterwards if need be

Peter

Thanks for your advice Peter. Got back to work today and tried straightening, with the screw and crank fitted to the machine. The handle of the 3-ball crank bent easily back to its former position. However, there was a fair bend in the crank and the only way to get purchase on it was to dismantle. Managed to get it off with an extractor. I then set to the shaft. Luckily it didn't take too much effort with a length of gas pipe and a sleeve, using the clock to check runout. Got it to about 0.25 mm tir and thought that was as good as some chucks and you can't really notice it... so left it before making anything worse.
However, I couldn't straighten the crank: I drove out the handle and started bending, but at the last couple of degrees the small ball end broke off. I suppose I could try brazing or welding but my chrome will be lost....
I know I could make a new one, but I need the lathe for that. I will look around for a replacement on ebay.de.
Good news is that I realise the machine is actually a 1200 mm centre length model (not a 'generous 1000'). The seller didn't know much about it and I had assumed from the photos it was smaller. That also explains why it was heavier than expected.
Hope to get working on the apron in the next few days.

You will love that machine when you get it going. Power like you wouldn't believe and exceptional rigidity.

The Boehringer now has its apron removed and partially dismantled. Pretty messy inside, obviously gunged up through coolant ingress and a stuck oil pump, but other than wear no serious damage found (yet). All the bearings are going to be replaced and I will have to make some new bushes. Still haven't got around to taking pics...
One question where I could definitely use some advice concerns the paint. I didn't really want to repaint the whole machine... we all know how laborious that is: however, it's so patchy and peeling in many places that I must face the inevitable. Now the carriage is off seems a good time to do it.
I notice that the coating, which I presume is original, appears fairly thin and without any primer or undercoat. If Boehringer did the job initially this way, I don't see why it shouldn't be good enough for me: I am not overly concerned about having a showroom lathe, (it would be an embarassment to my land rover) I would very much like it up and usable.
Does anyone have an idea of what kind of paint Boehringer used in the early '60s? Is it possible they didn't use a primer? Any suggestions for repainting? I will only spray the panels and bits that come off, the rest is staying in the workshop and I will brush finish it there.
Still searching for a manual or sectional drawings but nothing materialised so far.

My old Graziano was repainted with Tremclad rust paint. This was applied with a brush and I think looks pretty good. Less messy than spraying.