What's new
What's new

My Hercus 9 Restoration.

wm460

Plastic
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
G;Day from the centre of Australia.

I saw this lathe advertise in Alice Springs in a recycling yard ( Alice is the closest town 500 Km away) in March 2018, I only wanted the stand for my Hercus 260, but when I picked it up I found out it was an Hercus ARL.
It appeared the be in quite nick, considering it is 10 years younger than me, I thought I would restore this one instead of my 260.

Messaging1520225984481.jpg

Messaging1520225991098.jpg

When I bought her home, I had to dismantle her to get her off the trailer and stacked the parts on an obsolete hospital bed, 6 month later I transferred to a different department at work so bought home my bench that I originally took there because it was too big for my shed.

DSC_2472.jpg

For some reason the missus is keeps whinging about 2 lathes, a hospital bed and a bench on the back veranda, strange woman.
 
Inside the cabinet amongst the swarf, rust, cobwebs and dirt., I found these goodies.
As well as the spare parts manual with the inspection certificate inside it.
DSC_2465.jpg
 
I purchased the Guide to Renovating the South Bend with the repair kit.
Also managed to pick up a Hercus 6 position carriage stop, A fixed steady, and a pile of gears.

I will have a lot of questions for you.

When I pulled the counter shaft assembly apart both bushed appeared tight until I pulled it apart.

DSC_2192.JPG

I soaked the parts in degreaser then blasted it with a 3500 psi gurney, I found this , makes me think the bearings will be just as bad.

There are some parts the repeated soaking in degreaser and the gurney would not remove the baked on dirt and grease.

Sorry about the rust, I had it stored on the veranda, last weekend we had our first rain in over two years, managed to find a replacement on the hinternet.
 
Is that a near clone of a SB 9" Model A?

To my knowledge it a direct copy SB 9" Model A, but over the years Hercus made a few improvements.

Did the SB have have the option of tapered roller bearings?
 
The Hercus 9" came with the standard bronze bearing, or like mine with Timken tapered roller bearings and for presumably the Instrument version 9", Timken tapered precision bearings class 3.
On another forum some one got a quote for the class 3 bearings, "would cost in excess of $1000
with a delivery time of 16 to 18 weeks."
This is back in 2007.
 
A quick cut and paste, might be of interest.

Letters in Hercus serial number and models explained,

A = gearbox model with power feed apron
B = power feed apron no gearbox
C = base model, no gearbox or power feed apron
D = double drive shaft, leadscrew for thread cutting and driveshaft for turning
F = fast (high speed model with roller bearing countershaft}
G = geared head model (260 models only)
H = hardened bed
L = long 49" bed (standard length 40")
M = metric model (all others are imperial)
N = instrument version ( I take it this is the high precision model)
R = tapered roller bearing headstock (9" models)
T = belt drive version ( only used on the 260)
U = under bench drive. (Craftsman models)
V = Bit of a guess with this one but I think it refers to 110v 60hz electrics as they all seem to be Canadian exported machines. The "V" referring to voltage
 
Now that I am in gaol (Quarantined) I have be getting back into my Hercus, before I came home, Bunnings and car accessories places had mobs of empty shelves, managed to get the last two tins of spray putty and the last tin of car putty.

After giving the cabinet and tray a citric bath, went over them with a wire brush on my angle grinder.

Asked some one to get me a tin of Killrust Etch Primer.

P4070015.jpg
 
Had a few attempts with the the car bog never used it before, finally got it right

There was a few holes in the name so started to scrap it out eventually removed the lot.

P4050007.jpg

Taped up ready to paint

Note the name.

P4080028.jpg
 
Problems,
All the bogged areas are crazed like this.


MRLD1028.JPG

The bloke in the auto shop told me that the spray bog would fill this in, this is the result.
Never done any panal beating before so have no idea of what to get or do.:angry:

P4110034.JPG
 

Attachments

  • P4080028.jpg
    P4080028.jpg
    51.3 KB · Views: 44
Last edited:
At least you have a project to keep you busy during your incarceration, hope you can weather the storm. we don't hear much from down under, how is it going out there?
 








 
Back
Top