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Model 9A restoration question

C

critical_thinker

Plastic
Joined
Aug 8, 2018
Good evening folks,

Is there an existing thread/post in which members discuss how to estimate what it would take in cost/time to restore a Model 9A (or similar)? And if the effort is even worth it in terms of the sort of results I should expect?

Old friend of mine's late father owned a beautiful 9A. It was well maintained right up until he passed. I had thought they threw it out or sold it. I recently learned that for some reason they had taken it out of the workshop, partially disassembled it and stored it in an exposed space on a concrete pad under a deck. There it sat for several years.

Such a shame, but it's water under the bridge. I'd love some insight from anyone who has brought a South Bend back from the dead.

If I were to go through the effort of restoring it, I'd keep it. But I'm curious how much of it would likely be salvageable given the materials used in its construction. And any other things I should consider before making the leap?

Here are a handful of photos. I have many more.

Thanks in advance.

IMG_20180513_162041.jpgIMG_20180513_162047.jpgIMG_20180513_162051.jpgIMG_20180513_162204.jpgIMG_20180513_162211.jpg
 
It's certainly worth saving though it will take a good bit of elbow grease. There are quite a few threads on the subject.
 
You'll likely have to take the entire thing apart to comb through it and remove rust. I would start by cleaning some of the ways off, to see what kind of condition they appear to be in.

If you decide to restore it, i'd HIGHLY recommend an ultrasonic cleaner, evaporust, and potentially an electrolysis setup!
 
Not a 9A.
It is a 10L- AKA "heavy 10"

Clean it up and use it....rust doesn't look too bad, and will push right off the cast iron machined surfaces..I liked using single edges razor blades and wood to push it off.

Have fun with it!
 
critical_thinker said:
Good evening folks,

Is there an existing thread/post in which members discuss how to estimate what it would take in cost/time to restore a Model 9A (or similar)? And if the effort is even worth it in terms of the sort of results I should expect?

Old friend of mine's late father owned a beautiful 9A. It was well maintained right up until he passed. I had thought they threw it out or sold it. I recently learned that for some reason they had taken it out of the workshop, partially disassembled it and stored it in an exposed space on a concrete pad under a deck. There it sat for several years.

Such a shame, but it's water under the bridge. I'd love some insight from anyone who has brought a South Bend back from the dead.

If I were to go through the effort of restoring it, I'd keep it. But I'm curious how much of it would likely be salvageable given the materials used in its construction. And any other things I should consider before making the leap?

Here are a handful of photos. I have many more.

Thanks in advance.

View attachment 235162View attachment 235163View attachment 235164View attachment 235165View attachment 235166
Click to expand...

That’s not a 9a...it is a Heavy 10
Ted
Edit: Chad beat me to it.
Also included is a Clausing tailstock. What else is hidden it there ?
 
Oh, and take good pics of everything there....there are some other lathe parts there too...the extra tailstock is a Clausing....you can sell the extra stuff to pay for your expenses.

EDIT- LOL..seems Ted and I are playing Internet tag...
 
Wow, just wow. Gentlemen thank you so much for your input.

I'm completely unfamiliar with SB and right off the bat I misidentified the lathe (after apparently incorrectly "researching" it). Thank you for pointing that out. Basically when my friend's family disassembled the lathe, they moved it and another dozen plus accessories/parts out into the same storage spot. I've yet to drive out to go through everything, but they managed to snap the photos I shared earlier.

Seems like it would be an exciting project. And as a huge fan of Evaporust and elbow grease, it sounds like it'd be worth the challenge.

May I ask, what was the telltale sign that it's a 10L? I attempted to identify it through old manuals and product literature online when I should have just asked pros such as you. As a SB newbie, I'd love to know where I went wrong.
 
There is really not much similar between the 9" and 10L other than both are South Bend and lathe shaped....a good look at pics will show the diff.

Note- keep in mind there were several incarnations of the 9" and the 10L evolved from a 9"- but typically when someone refers to a 9" they mean the "workshop" type...AKA 9A, 9B, 9C....

see that "CL187" on the gearbox plate? That's a 10L catalog number.

Looks like a good project and seems to all there.

I do not recommend chemical cleaners on cast iron machined surfaces.
 
critical_thinker said:
May I ask, what was the telltale sign that it's a 10L? I attempted to identify it through old manuals and product literature online when I should have just asked pros such as you. As a SB newbie, I'd love to know where I went wrong.
Click to expand...

The easiest way to tell a 9/10k from a 10L quickly by bad pictures is by glancing at the headstock/spindle cover. On a 9 the whole cover lifts up in one piece. On a 10L it is just the center section that lifts up.

If you can only see the apron you can quickly learn to identify the different look of the half nut handles also.
 
Good to know....I now understand why you recommended razor edges and wood to push the rust off. Maybe a pass with a light-duty wire brush for the more stubborn areas followed by some rust converter.

I used a similar technique while restoring my Dake No.1 arbor press recently.
 
Last edited:
critical_thinker said:
what was the telltale sign that it's a 10L?
Click to expand...

The photos of the headstock. That's a heavy ten headstock because of:

The size of the spindle threads in relation to the overall dimensions of the headstock.
The configuration of the oilers and the bearing cap bolts and expander screw covers (hex socket screws).
The reverse tumbler lever.
The small knurled screw that holds the hinged gear cover on the end.

The real tip off will be when you write down the number on the gearbox cover and see what it looks up as.

IF this had truly been a 9" model A, it probably would best be parted out. HOWEVER this has the wide range
quick change dual tumbler gearbox, and seems to pretty much all there. For example the two cast iron covers
shown in one photo, tend to go away. Folks spend years looking for those.

This machine qualifies as a diamond in the rough. Stabilize it by putting any kind of oil on the ways for now, and
get it under cover. Do not run it until you have put some oil in the headstock bearings.

To double-down on another poster's warning: do NOT attempt to dismantle the headstock bearings in any way until
you read about the correct way to do this.
 
From looking at the pictures it appears that it does not have a wide range quick change gear box. It only has 48 gear change and the wide range has 70 gear change. Also it only has one oiler on the box and the wide range has two oilers on the box.
Chet
 
742BF3BF-8C75-40D1-8501-24C7A099AD67.jpgStandard gear boxes have 5 holes on the left. The wide range box has 7. This lathe does not have a wide range box.

They were available with the cast iron legs and double tumbler.
 
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