Unknown Collet Closer

louosten · Mar 29, 2020

Would someone please help in I.D.-ing this 5C lever action collet closer. It came with an older Enco Model 92010 bench lathe I purchased. There are no markings, numbers, or names on it anywhere. All the threads are imperial so I suspect it is US made, but not sure. It was disassembled and cleaned up because it wasn't working; hopefully I can restore it to working order.
Thanks in advance!
Lou O.

;

DDoug · Mar 30, 2020

What models have you already looked at ?

looks like a royal to me.

why do you need to know what make ? To dis-assemble or clean it ?

louosten · Mar 30, 2020

Originally, I couldn't get the assembly apart. Since I didn't have a drawing or mfg source to call, I relied on critical observation and deductive reasoning. Low & behold, I was correct and soon got the contraption separated! Now I'm wondering about replacing some parts; the real critical one is the main bearing, an NSK-6209Z, which has the two mounting holes in the outer cover for the lever handle. Any ideas?
Lou O.

HemiRambler · Mar 30, 2020

Might be a knockoff if it’s not marked. Here’s a Royal for comparison.

louosten · Mar 30, 2020

Yes, the general appearance/configuration seems to be 'like a Royal'...however Royal prefers 'pawls to balls'...
Lou o.

HemiRambler · Mar 30, 2020

louosten said:
Yes, the general appearance/configuration seems to be 'like a Royal'...however Royal prefers 'pawls to balls'...
Lou o.

I didn't mean to suggest it was a Royal (quite the opposite). I'm certainly not an expert on Royal Collet closers, but it looks much different than the ones I've seen. That was why I added the picture. Also the Royal ones are made with REALLY nice castings - zero porosity and VERY well finished. Again at least the dozen or so I've ever seen were that way.

louosten · Mar 30, 2020

Could have been an accessory commissioned by Enco for buyers of their products. Seems like it's reasonably well made, but I can't verify if it's even useful until I re-assemble it and try it out. I had to soak the bearing in Evaporust to get it turning again. Whatever grease or lubricant that was inside has long since dissolved away. It was cleaned in a kerosene bath and soaked in a good grade of oil, so it's lubricated, but noisy. It would really be nice to know the source of the design; I was hoping someone had seen it before and could offer commentary.
Lou O.

HemiRambler · Mar 30, 2020

Probably not much help, but my experience with bearings has always been - IF they feel perfect they are good and if they don't feel perfect they need replaced (post cleaning of course!) Sure that's a bit extreme, but the degradation curve is so fast there's no sense in trying to squeak a little more life from a less than perfect bearing. I just glanced at mine - it appears the bearing is pressed into a smallish housing - doesn't APPEAR to difficult to replace. Good luck in your search to find the OEM identity!!!!! I'm sure it's on the net somewhere!!!

Video_Man · Mar 30, 2020

The 6902Z is a common, inexpensive bearing (eBay, Amazon). NSK is a (good) brand, but just a brand name. If the bearing is a ZZ bearing it is metal shielded on two sides; single-z, shield on only one side. It appears from your photo that the bearing is pressed into a holding sleeve, and it is that part that has the holes; the bearing itself doesn't (couldn't) have the holes you mention. Hope this helps.

rons · Mar 31, 2020

louosten said:
Now I'm wondering about replacing some parts; the real critical one is the main bearing, an NSK-6209Z, which has the two mounting holes in the outer cover for the lever handle. Any ideas?
Lou O.

Just use a grease press to replace the grease in the bearing. If you don't have a press then just soak bearing in lacquer thinner to dissolve the
old grease and palm in new grease. Why replace parts?, they look fine. Maybe some new black paint on the closure lever.

louosten · Mar 31, 2020

Is it actually possible to 'palm' grease into a shielded bearing? The holes/vents look awfully small...
Lou O.

Rob F. · Mar 31, 2020

louosten said:
Is it actually possible to 'palm' grease into a shielded bearing? The holes/vents look awfully small...
Lou O.

Yes, If you are careful and remove the shield. Probably held in by a tiny snap ring type of retainer.
Seals are also removable to renew grease, use a very sharp pick to get behind the lip, carefully of course. Practice on an old one if possible, easy to bend them.

rons · Mar 31, 2020

I never removed any shields. The risk of damaging them was not worth the extra time forcing grease into the small holes. Just hold in hand and work away at it.

Or get a manual press. You could even make a simple one.

louosten · May 10, 2020

OK, well, I tried to incorporate everyone's comments in my quest to get the 'mystery collet closer' working again. Eureka, it's now operational, and restored to full functionality. I did my best to force some grease into the existing bearing, through the tiny holes in the protective shields. Everything else cleaned up pretty well, except for the 6 ball bearings, which were surface pitted. I went to the hardware store and got 6 new stainless ball bearings of the correct size and re-assembled the contraption with light grease, and a little oil. Once it was back on the lathe I tested it with a clean collet to see if I could adjust it to the 'detent' position, where it would just clamp down onto the work-piece. Once I figured out the adjustment procedure, I tested it by releasing and re-clamping several times...it worked like a charm, so I guess the whole exercise was a success, except I still have no idea who made it, or where it came from. See pics attached for the final result...at last, some 'closure'.

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