Tommcmi:
Hendey Lathe No. 11819 a 20 x 8 Cone Head model, was completed during the last week of August 1910. It was shipped with a Taper attachment and an Oil Pan. The original owner was Factory Products Ltd., no country, state or city was listed. There are no longer any Patterns, Castings or Repair Parts left in inventory for this lathe, but all of the original drawings are still in the files, so parts can be made if required.
Regarding the Half-Nuts, as originally manuafactured they were one casting. After cleaning, boring and drilling the anchor holes for the
Babbitt metal. the casting was fluxed and tinned to receive the metal. The casting was then mounted on a fixture with an arbor, whose
diameter was smaller than minor diameter of the Leadscrew. After pouring the metal and allowing it to cool, the casting was placed in a fixture that would allow reaming and tapping of the hole. It was then sent to the milling machine to have the casting sawn in half. As a final operation, the halves were set on a flat plate and the metal that came through the drilled and countersunk holes was peened and filed to secure the Babbitt. After a light chamfer of the edges, the Half-Nuts were ready for fitting.
When repouring Half-Nuts, I usually follow the method I just outlined. Since the Half-Nuts are now two pieces, it is necessary to put
a 1/8 inch shim between the two halves prior to pouring. The arbor, reaming and tapping method works just fine if you have them.If you
have a second lathe available, then you still use the arbor during the pour, but the reaming and tapping are replaced by using a face-
plate and an angle plate in the lathe for boring and thread cutting.
If you don't have access to another lathe, then there is always the time honored (but awkward) Leadscrew Method. This normally entails
using a short piece of Leadscrew in place of the arbor. The screw is given a good and even coating of lampblack from an acetylene torch.
When done right, this will produce a beautiful image in the Babbitt. I keep short lengths of the various Hendey Leadscrews around for
just such occasions. Before I had these handy items, I had a field repair miles from the shop and time was a problem. To get the job
done, I removed the Leadscrew from the lathe and used it to repour the Half-Nuts. The Half-Nuts came out just fine, but I have never
repeated that method. From the standpoint of convenience, it compares to leveling a lineshaft by jacking up the end of your shop instead
of shimming the hangers.
Hendeyman