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Regal lathe info

Sprintman

Plastic
Joined
Oct 22, 2016
I have just purchased an older 12" Regal LeBlond lathe, serial number 2229, manufactured in early 1937. The spindle speed index data plate mounted on the top of the headstock is so worn that it is unreadable. This is a brass embossed data plate approximately 3" x 6", illustrating the various lever positions and their resultant spindle speeds. Can any member who has access to a similar lathe post a picture of this data plate? I would like to make a reference card off the photo. Thanks for any and all assistance.

New Member
Sprintman
 
If it is set up like the later Regal at work, lever closest to the operator is the three speed range selector, lever to the left of that is the four speed selector. Left most position is fastest, rightmost is slowest on both selectors. Both levers to the right gives the slowest spindle speed, both extreme left is top speed.
 
Mike,
Thanks for your reply, the control levers on my Regal are as you describe. What I am trying to find is a picture of that brass chart that depicts those positions and their resultant spindle speeds. My brass chart is worn smooth, totally unreadable. I would like to make a copy of the photo and hang it on the wall next to the lathe.
 
The one at work is probably a 1960-70s model, so the speeds would not match up with your machine. If you can get an optical tach, you could make up a chart pretty easy.
 
I have just purchased an older 12" Regal LeBlond lathe, serial number 2229, manufactured in early 1937. The spindle speed index data plate mounted on the top of the headstock is so worn that it is unreadable. This is a brass embossed data plate approximately 3" x 6", illustrating the various lever positions and their resultant spindle speeds. Can any member who has access to a similar lathe post a picture of this data plate? I would like to make a reference card off the photo. Thanks for any and all assistance.

New Member
Sprintman

Actually, you can easily use a 'revolution counter', Starrett no.107 or equivalent, timed with any good watch with a second hand, to read the spindle speeds of your lathe.

Read each speed two or three times, carefully, then re-stamp your speed data plate once you are confident of your reading.

You should be able to find the rev counter easily/cheaply on ebay, or maybe someone here has a spare one.....can't hurt to ask..... :)

cheers

Carla
 
Figure these days you can likely get an optical tach as cheap or cheaper than a counter. No timing involved. Put a piece of white tape on the chuck and turn it on.
 
If nothing else just pull the back cover ,put it in a gear hand turn the motor and count how many turns and fraction of turns it takes to turn the spindle one revolution.Once you know the ratio's in each gear and the motor rpm,do the math.Costs nothing but about 10 minuets of your time.
 
A lot of the old LeBlond Regals (at least the "roundhead" series) had a handwheel on the driveshaft, projecting out of the belt guard. LeBlond equipped the Roundhead Regal lathes with this handwheel to encourage operators to manually roll the headstock gearing to get the gears into proper mesh before starting the motor drive. If the "lumphead" Regal- which I suspect the lathe in this thread is- has the handwheel, the matter is even easier. No belt guard to remove. Make a chalk or paint marker mark on the handwheel, and make a similar mark on the chuck, each at 12:00. Put the gear levers in one position, roll the handwheel, and count the turns to get the chuck to make one turn. Chances are it will be a few full turns + some fraction of a turn. Round off the fraction of a turn to the nearest quarter turn, and calculate the gear ratio. If you know the pulley sizes on the motor and headstock drive shaft pulley, and the motor rpm, you can do the math for that ratio. Multiply the motor rpm x (small motor pulley diameter/large headstock drive pulley diameter). This gives you your input shaft rpm. It is a constant. Multiply the input shaft rpm by the gear ratios for each setting of the gear change levers on the headstock.

This is basic ratios, stuff that was taught to us back in grade school. With today's pocket calculators, it should not be too much of a job to run the numbers.
 
Thanks to all who offered their solutions, I will get the calculator out and the number stamps and we will repurpose the old worn speed chart.
 
Is There a Chemical Solution ?

Don't mean to make a pun, but is there some way to read word stamped brass by applying some sort of chemical(s)?

Law enforcement labs can sometimes read "ground away" serial numbers by treating the object with some sort of acid. The areas which were compressed in the stamping process etch differently that the background. Not having any knowledge of forensics, I have no firm information on this, but perhaps it could be looked up.

I'd try Brasso first. Shine the brass and then reflect light off it to see if anything becomes discernable.

John Ruth
 
Another option could be a series of digital images entered into a photo editing program (Photoshop)and then playing around with contrast, coloring, color balance, etc. I have used this before to find nearly worn off marks on tools and firearms.
 








 
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