Hey all, reposting these questions from the restoration section since someone suggested the people here may have some better insights since my questions are about a South Bend lathe.
I was given an old SB 9" lathe by a co-worker a few weeks ago. It is in need of some work to get it back up to working condition, and I have some questions on how to go about rehabilitating it. It was sitting in his basement since he bought his house several years ago. It appears to have been in working condition before it was left idle. All the research I have done leads me to believe that it was manufactured in the early to mid 40's before the serial # format change.
Questions....
1. Where would I get a rebuild kit for this that includes the proper fluids and felts? I have used some light lubricating oil on the major external components just to get them moving again, but do not want to risk putting the wrong stuff in the bearings and other internal components.
2. It did not include any threading equipment, and it does not look like there ever was any for it. Is there a way to retrofit some onto it? And if there is, are the parts to do it hard to find? If it's not something I can do, I would be willing to just use this machine as a beginners learning tool and maybe upgrade to a new lathe in the future.
3. I have seen where people have used automotive serpentine belts to replace the flat belt from the powered pulleys to the lathe's pulleys. I am thinking I may go this route, but I cannot see how I would get the belt around the pulleys.
4. There is some slop in the control wheels that I would like to remove if possible. Is this something that can be done, or is it a case of having to adapt to account for the play while using it?
I was given an old SB 9" lathe by a co-worker a few weeks ago. It is in need of some work to get it back up to working condition, and I have some questions on how to go about rehabilitating it. It was sitting in his basement since he bought his house several years ago. It appears to have been in working condition before it was left idle. All the research I have done leads me to believe that it was manufactured in the early to mid 40's before the serial # format change.
Questions....
1. Where would I get a rebuild kit for this that includes the proper fluids and felts? I have used some light lubricating oil on the major external components just to get them moving again, but do not want to risk putting the wrong stuff in the bearings and other internal components.
2. It did not include any threading equipment, and it does not look like there ever was any for it. Is there a way to retrofit some onto it? And if there is, are the parts to do it hard to find? If it's not something I can do, I would be willing to just use this machine as a beginners learning tool and maybe upgrade to a new lathe in the future.
3. I have seen where people have used automotive serpentine belts to replace the flat belt from the powered pulleys to the lathe's pulleys. I am thinking I may go this route, but I cannot see how I would get the belt around the pulleys.
4. There is some slop in the control wheels that I would like to remove if possible. Is this something that can be done, or is it a case of having to adapt to account for the play while using it?