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HBX-360-BC Return to service

Monarchist

Diamond
Joined
Oct 2, 2012
Location
Sol, Terra
HBX-360-BC Returning to service

Hopefully, not a terribly lengthy project, as it is in better shape than expected. Plan is to JF USE it.

Serial numbers when I can do. Meanwhile, this is the former Procyon Machine one discussed in several prior threads as Milacron was assessing it:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...-sale-ugly-but-great-shape-sort-cheap-277093/

It isn't so "ugly" after all, as the grime is coming off easily enough. "Before" shots were still on the dealer website:

http://procyonmachine.com/cgi-bin/disp_prod.pl?pg=prod&item=9

... but I'm about to pause that cleaning effort and try to sort wiring and plumbing.

Firster priority is to see if the motor is still OK.

"The Plan" is to remove the Phase-A-Matic static converter, go back to factory wiring, and check it all out with meters.

Second will be to run a stout SO cordset the 20 or so feet from my MEP-803a genset, put the gen set into 208 Wye 3-P mode, fire it up, dial the voltage up a tad. 220 - 225 vs 208, I should be fine.

The motor runs TWO fluid pumps on its arse-shaft, those should not be run when dry. Will be finding leaks the old-fashioned way, I am sure!

No fear. Plumbing is waaay easier than a great many OTHER things it doesn't seem to be much in need of.

More as that initial motor test takes its course.
 
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Hopefully, not a terribly lengthy project, as it is in better shape than expected. Plan is to JF USE it.

Serial numbers when I can do. Meanwhile, this is the former Procyon Machine one discussed in several prior threads as Milacron was assessing it:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...-sale-ugly-but-great-shape-sort-cheap-277093/

It isn't so "ugly" after all, as the grime is coming off easily enough. "Before" shots were still on the dealer website:

http://procyonmachine.com/cgi-bin/disp_prod.pl?pg=prod&item=9

... but I'm about to pause that cleaning effort and try to sort wiring and plumbing.

Firster priority is to see if the motor is still OK.

"The Plan" is to remove the Phase-A-Matic static converter, go back to factory wiring, and check it all out with meters.

Second will be to run a stout SO cordset the 20 or so feet from my MEP-803a genset, put the gen set into 208 Wye 3-P mode, fire it up, dial the voltage up a tad. 220 - 225 vs 208, I should be fine.

The motor runs TWO fluid pumps on its arse-shaft, those should not be run when dry. Will be finding leaks the old-fashioned way, I am sure!

No fear. Plumbing is waaay easier than a great many OTHER things it doesn't seem to be much in need of.

More as that initial motor test takes its course.

Ya sure, you are far too busy posting here to have any time to work on your machines, I think you are just a colector of machine tools!
 
Wiring play today. 'Local' schematic done up nicely on something durable that resembles sheet Vinyl, hung inside the cabinet cover door. I can get a decent tracing off that, have a display outfit make a new one in crisp black on white.

Date on that, 20-12-63, is probably good for the lathe itself, at least as to Revision era. Lathe itself COULD be newer, but not by a great deal. It still has the all Cast-Iron base, and we are the better and happier for that.

Fifty four years, max? I was probably standing in front of a War One Niles lathe that week. Fewer total components in its entire massive being that an HBX has in its complex apron alone.

Stripped the Phase-A-Matic static converter and all of its kludged wiring. Ordered a new Phase-Perfect PT-330 to replace it.

Inbuilt master disconnect is inside the left rear electrical cabinet, operating handle is upper left end, behind the swing-away // lift OFF end cover 'door'. May as well have anchored the sumbich in FRANCE for all the handiness of access THAT offers.

Simplest fix is to replace the square-drive handle with a bell-crank and linkage, remoted to the front of the machine, internally, operating handle external to the cover door, handy to the operator w/o need to open the panel. Lockout tab in there somewhere as well.

Found several broken bits of DIN-rail mount terminal blocks down in the electrical cabinet floor-originally, sump-now with the oily dirt. Sure enough, several others were damaged, above. Looked as if Bubba had casually raked the blocks with a camp axe, but DIN blocks are that way. They just break.

Replacement DIN-rail parts can be had, I just don't keep 'em in the Hell box, as DIN -rail goods are shit-lousy-fragile and annoying space-wasters as an entire tribe compared to proper ones.

Contactors and wiring otherwise not all that dirty, no carbon trials, no overheat, generally looked OK.

A wire for one phase was stiff enough to still be in the right place, but not even in contact with anything electrical at its off - Literally OFF - end.

I can see why Milacron tried to go directly to the motor for demo testing.
:)

Motor shall have to come out, so I have re-reading to do, earlier HBX threads.

Hydraulic Reeves-style VariDrive actuator cylinders/dashpots will need rebuilt. Or re-engineered.

Seriously. The two of them are the only legitimate places the system is likely to leak (and HAS DONE), all other couplings and tubes being vanilla, if ugly at present.

Upper one is cast shiney-wood, the lower one looks to be one of the Nylons or a cousin. France must have been Church-mouse poor back in the day.

Proper METAL ones can be fabbed, and to fit standard seals. They are just "cups" and "pushedtons" after all. Basic lathe turning & boring 101. I THINK it will be less work overall to make them RIGHT, than to convert to electric actuation or manual, Sheldon "walking stick" style, or to slip a Dee Cee motor into it.

The weekend's task shifts to making space for it and relocating to the enclosed shop, rather than the carport's temporary quasi-outdoors clean-up quarters.
 
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Ya sure, you are far too busy posting here to have any time to work on your machines, I think you are just a colector of machine tools!

Challenges in the bank, Old Son. Before the last of 'em go off to make bean-tins.

:)

Time is coming I can't make the go-fetch road-trips as easily. Stocking up on good Old iron so I am ready to offset Alzheimers.. or wotever the excuse is to play with big old grubby toys.

You'd have to figure I'm right serious about this one. Just ordered a brand-new 10 HP Phase-Perfect for it 'coz of all the dire predictions about my old blue one not having a reliable future. Wanted two 10 HP rather than a single 20, anyway. The still nearly-new 10 HP RPC is just for fallback & more easily portable low-pain-if-trashed testing.
 
Move-in tomorrow. Worked HARD for an OF diletante today. Thank goodness for Yorkshire's own "Black Sheep Ale" at day's end!

Had to move one of the 10EE, 980 lbs of high-grade former hore-bore bedway, the big Kasto hacksaw, stick welder, air compressor, the thick 30" X 48" Herman Grade A surface plate, two heavy Dee Cee motors and a raft and a half of lesser "stuff".

Room enough indoors now that the HBX can be pivoted 360 degrees for the rest of the clean-up.

Now all I have to do is NOT face-plant the Mike Foxtrot forking it down driveway A along the street and around the corner into driveway B, then "shoving" it indoors on wooden "rails" 'til I hit the level floor (there's a ramp....) and dare put skates under it.

Manual calls for 16" of concrete under, 10" wider & longer, BOLTED then GROUTED to the deck.

WTF?

It will GET 3 1/2" of good 'crete over properly compacted gravel, 'permanent' skates, similar to 10EE "kinamatic" three-point support.

At around 500 Avoir less than a 10EE? Not as it it was a Mesta roll lathe, after all..

:(
 
Sounds like fun Bill

Move-in tomorrow. Worked HARD for an OF dilletante today. Thank goodness for Yorkshires Black Sheep at day's end!

Had to move one of the 10EE, 980 lbs of high-grade former hore-bore bedway, the big Kasto hacksaw, the thick 30" X 48" Herman Grade A surface plate, two heavy Dee Cee motors and a raft and a half of lesser "stuff".

Room enough indoors the HBX can be pivoted 360 degrees for the rest of the clean-up.

Now all I have to do is NOT face-plant the Mike Foxtrot forking it down driveway A around the corner into driveway B, and shoving it indoors on wooden "rails" 'til I hit the level floor (there's a ramp....) and dare put skates under it.

I wish I were there to help.

I would be "the boy", 'cause there is so much that can be done in a day with a man and a boy.

Two men ? not so much! ;-)
 
I wish I were there to help.

I would be "the boy", 'cause there is so much that can be done in a day with a man and a boy.

Two men ? not so much! ;-)

Rigging-wise? Thanks, but... yazz. All about "communications". Or their "overhead".

UNLESS I have a Platoon of well-trained Combat Engineers? I really, really prefer to work alone.

True story, Engineer OCS test question, Ft. Belvoir, mid 1960's:

You have been assigned the task of raising the oversized "Garrison Flag" for a national Holiday. You have an 90-foot flag pole and only 30 feet of rope. What do you DO, Lieutenant?
School Answer:

"Sergeant, get that flag up, smartly, and precisely on-schedule.

I shall be at the Officer's Club if you NEED me!"

And any Platoon Sergeant worth HIS rations had best NOT need you. Even if there IS NO flagpole, the Officer's main task is to stay TF out of his way.

Which was, after all, the purpose of that exercise, and why we drilled it home.

:)
 
HBX went "indoors" this morning. Wooden roadway worked a treat as to pushing back into the low-overhead space. Still on skids. A pair of garage trolley or "floor" jacks will get the skates under her. By the time I actually NEED a "toe jack".. I'll no longer need a toe-jack. Sod's law. etc.

Spent the rest of the day dragging the Sheldon shaper and the Quartet mill outdoors for their final wash & brush up, installation of permanent skates, then back indoors for a bit of paint.

Blessed with another Yorkshire brew to celebrate THIS day's end. Taddy Porter, this go.

:)
 
HBX went "indoors" this morning. Wooden roadway worked a treat as to pushing back into the low-overhead space. Still on skids. A pair of garage trolley or "floor" jacks will get the skates under her. By the time I actually NEED a "toe jack".. I'll no longer need a toe-jack. Sod's law. etc.
.. and then there is, as usual, Lybarger's Corollary (to Sod's law).

Can't get the French gal where I want her until I get skates under the Alzmetall AB5/S AND the now re-turreted Quartet mill and move THEM. Quartet has the headroom and can be jacked from points other than its base. No sweat.

Alzmetall has neither blessing.

SECOND toe jack arrived yesterday to sort that barrier.
 
Minor progress. Lathe arrived with a 3-Jaw chuck, French made, "Handy" brand, and the Cazeneuve "OEM" item AFAICS.

Aside from not being one to harbour 3-jaw chucks as a hard limit, it was 200 mm / 8". The body JUST clears the front-edge of the cross. The jaws extend too far out before holding even 2" stock to do so. And/or hit the sliding cover at not a great deal larger stock.

Small Tools, in Cleveland, O. had these two NOS, still in wrappers, 190 mm AKA 7 1/2" 4-Jaw. Swedish "SCA" brand, model 608.

First one looked so nice I bought the other one for 10EE use.

SCA is now part of Fortiva AB. An email to Joakim Morck, and he sent back the current catalog page, plus the "best guess" that their Iron-not-steel bodies are good to 1800 RPM.. and perhaps a bit more.

Good enough for whenever I actually NEED one that large.

For higher RPM, I'll be utilizing 6", nominal 4-J ELSE collets, same as the 10EE.. which has an eerily similar RPM range as the HBX-360...so ..
 
Bill,

I didn't see your normal barrage of posts and was curious why...looks like you are working something other than your gums, glad to see you doing stuff, getting dirty and hopefully having fun. Share some pictures, pictures are fun!:D

Stuart
 
Bill,

I didn't see your normal barrage of posts and was curious why...looks like you are working something other than your gums, glad to see you doing stuff, getting dirty and hopefully having fun. Share some pictures, pictures are fun!:D

Stuart

"Dirty" doesn't begin to cover it...

:)

Pictures... of mounds of rather poor grades of common DIRT I actually do have, Stuart.
but .. mostly so I have some record of where I put 'many' new sub-surface drains & such.

Too weary by half at day's end to otherwise record or annotate it.
 








 
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