With some luck and good weather, I will be picking up a 1951 10EE on Friday from HGR. It is a former Navy machine, and it is the machine I have been asking about.
When I looked over the machine a couple weeks ago, I didn't have nearly enough time to do a complete inspection. I'll be giving it a good check. The Navy had it retrofitted with a DC drive, the MG is gone. I'm not sure if that rebuild included a bed grind.
The machine came in with 7 other 10EE's. It was among the last three. The other two were heavily salvaged for parts - cross slides, compounds, tailstocks, and even the DC drive boxes were empty. My machine has a complete DC drive, but it did not have a tailstock. That was sourced from one of the other two, making a complete machine. That is, until someone stole the cross slide crank (the vandal took the handle!), carriage stop, and the spindle pulley cover knob. The knob cam is broken, and I suspect that may have happened when forks were slide under the covers. I sure hope the covers weren't damaged.
When a machine is selected as an 'organ donor', there is generally a reason. It's broken in some way, etc. For that reason, I am particularly concerned that there may be some lurking serious issue with this machine. Though taking just the tailstock is not a big harvest..
I am prepping for my trip and don't have the time to inline these photos. If you see anything that catches your eye, or is a concern, please bring it to my attention. My list of general concerns follow. If anyone would like to volunteer a phone number for key questions that arise during my inspection, it would be much appreciated.
Concerns:
- Apparent rust drips and stains at controls and seams. Being ex-Navy, it could be due to salt exposure? Machine possibly washed, or just condensation? With water in the seams, is everything rusted tight? I don't have any experience with this.
- There is no tach, though there is a sensor and digital tach
- There is no fwd/reverse lever. I would want to restore that.
- My later photos make it looks like someone polished the spindle since the early photos. It looks more shiny, and I see some radial marks on the face. It could just be the flash. That often happens.
- Gearbox oil levels are very low. What I could see looked clean. I'm guessing it leaked out. Maybe there is some water in there. This is a big concern, and I need to carefully check the spindle, etc. Serious spindle issues, etc, would be on my list of possible showstoppers. Suggestions appreciated.
- I notice the spindle bearing preload adjustment collar notches appear a bit beat up. Not entirely unexpected, I guess. Especially if adjusted in place.
- I still need to test all the gears and feeds
- Lots of little dings in the top of the compound and on top of the left apron. Someone used those surfaces as an anvil, a zillion times, and rather seriously. Maybe tapping in an expansion pin? Someone shoulda got KP for that, for a year! While annoying, I'm not sure this is an issue. Urgency of wartime, and all that.
- In my photos it almost looks like the headstock end of the leadscrew is rusty. That wasn't my impression when I saw it. It could just be grunge.
- Anyone who has read about the challenges of DC controller retrofits would be concerned about that aspect. My hope is that a DoD retrofit would be good. I do see a field collapse detection circuit. I did not have time to study or diagram the controller. It is based on a Fincor 2601. The large Acme transformer is a 480 > 240, so perhaps it can be run on 240. Though the main legs do not immediately go there. That Fincor is single phase.
- Probably need to fit the tailstock, since it is from another machine. The TS adjustment nuts were tight and I did not have time to adjust them, clean it, and install it. I moved it from precarious edge of the drip pan to the bottom of the pan.
- Not unexpected, the sump was full of liquid. Looked like water and it seemed translucent. I only glanced - that was low priority.
When I looked over the machine a couple weeks ago, I didn't have nearly enough time to do a complete inspection. I'll be giving it a good check. The Navy had it retrofitted with a DC drive, the MG is gone. I'm not sure if that rebuild included a bed grind.
The machine came in with 7 other 10EE's. It was among the last three. The other two were heavily salvaged for parts - cross slides, compounds, tailstocks, and even the DC drive boxes were empty. My machine has a complete DC drive, but it did not have a tailstock. That was sourced from one of the other two, making a complete machine. That is, until someone stole the cross slide crank (the vandal took the handle!), carriage stop, and the spindle pulley cover knob. The knob cam is broken, and I suspect that may have happened when forks were slide under the covers. I sure hope the covers weren't damaged.
When a machine is selected as an 'organ donor', there is generally a reason. It's broken in some way, etc. For that reason, I am particularly concerned that there may be some lurking serious issue with this machine. Though taking just the tailstock is not a big harvest..
I am prepping for my trip and don't have the time to inline these photos. If you see anything that catches your eye, or is a concern, please bring it to my attention. My list of general concerns follow. If anyone would like to volunteer a phone number for key questions that arise during my inspection, it would be much appreciated.
Concerns:
- Apparent rust drips and stains at controls and seams. Being ex-Navy, it could be due to salt exposure? Machine possibly washed, or just condensation? With water in the seams, is everything rusted tight? I don't have any experience with this.
- There is no tach, though there is a sensor and digital tach
- There is no fwd/reverse lever. I would want to restore that.
- My later photos make it looks like someone polished the spindle since the early photos. It looks more shiny, and I see some radial marks on the face. It could just be the flash. That often happens.
- Gearbox oil levels are very low. What I could see looked clean. I'm guessing it leaked out. Maybe there is some water in there. This is a big concern, and I need to carefully check the spindle, etc. Serious spindle issues, etc, would be on my list of possible showstoppers. Suggestions appreciated.
- I notice the spindle bearing preload adjustment collar notches appear a bit beat up. Not entirely unexpected, I guess. Especially if adjusted in place.
- I still need to test all the gears and feeds
- Lots of little dings in the top of the compound and on top of the left apron. Someone used those surfaces as an anvil, a zillion times, and rather seriously. Maybe tapping in an expansion pin? Someone shoulda got KP for that, for a year! While annoying, I'm not sure this is an issue. Urgency of wartime, and all that.
- In my photos it almost looks like the headstock end of the leadscrew is rusty. That wasn't my impression when I saw it. It could just be grunge.
- Anyone who has read about the challenges of DC controller retrofits would be concerned about that aspect. My hope is that a DoD retrofit would be good. I do see a field collapse detection circuit. I did not have time to study or diagram the controller. It is based on a Fincor 2601. The large Acme transformer is a 480 > 240, so perhaps it can be run on 240. Though the main legs do not immediately go there. That Fincor is single phase.
- Probably need to fit the tailstock, since it is from another machine. The TS adjustment nuts were tight and I did not have time to adjust them, clean it, and install it. I moved it from precarious edge of the drip pan to the bottom of the pan.
- Not unexpected, the sump was full of liquid. Looked like water and it seemed translucent. I only glanced - that was low priority.
