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Thread Size Tip and Graduations Question on 9'

mcload

Hot Rolled
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Location
Houston, Texas
Hello crew; I hope all are well.

I thought I'd post a tip as well as ask a question.

I'm sure this is well-known already, but in case you are starting a re-build, I thought I would post a reminder that the thread size on the ends of a cross slide and compound rest crank shaft are
#12-24 on a 9" lathe. Having just done this, I was fortunate that I had a #12-24 tap in my set. As you know, the #12 size is rarely used anymore these days. So don't try to use a ¼ or M6-1 on these threads! Might be a good idea to make a note of this in your ILION Restoration Guide on pages 58 and 60, assuming you still use it on occasions. (This may not apply to 10's with large gauges).

As you can see below, I have carefully polished the graduation scale collars. The look okay on an extreme close-up photo, but from a working distance, fairly hard to read. Just wondering if anyone knows a trick to darken these up. I've read "use a paint stick" on some other thread. Any tips?
I also assume I will hear to just get my hands dirty with black swarf/grease and rub it in too.

Thought I'd sneak this in; cool machining video on making a stainless steel "8 ball" if you haven't seen it. Only 8 minutes and 3 ads.
https://youtu.be/KKiHgBhW8UQ

Cheers,
PMc

BTW, anyone know why the first two pics are small compared to the last? Been bugging me.

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I personally love polished and shiney, like the chrome look. However its hard to read grads and markings due to light glare. An example would be Starret outside mics, No 436 I think they are. Well early versions are polished. Looking at number and marks at 12 oclock is troublesome, because light glare is at 12 oclock.

Later versions of that same mic use satin chrome which is glare resistant.

One trick could be to bead blast grads and markings only, to remove shine.

Another might be to have them chrome plated with more of a satin look.

Id say maybe paint, but that could look terrible.

Ive discussed making ring gears with grads that press on over current grads, different material and options there.
 
Photo Prob

As I always do, I take the photo with iPhone, then transfer them to my iMac desktop.
I then select images off the computer (not the phone), upload, and install in text.
Funny, all three images in the above post are the exact same size and type, and none of them
were in my library until I uploaded them.

Here are the same ones, yet pulled from the PM library...let's see what happens.
Preview shows them the same way as before.
When I double-click the image, I get a pop-up that lets me choose between thumbnail, medium, large, or full-size.

I've tried selecting and posting "full-size" in the past, but the pic isn't any bigger.
Something is choking down the size, apparently indescriminantly, and I can't figure out what. It has to be happening on the PM side. Maybe it just doesn't like Macs! (pun intended)

PMc

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On posting photos, Apple products have mixed results. Some other guys have been trying to sort it out. Might check out this thread, as I think they resize, or change file names:
photo posting issues

Here's a pic of two mics I have, the top one is satin finish, where the lower is polished steel, though it looks a little rough. Thought it may have been chrome plated, but it was pointed out that's its just polished steel:

46.jpg

In the near future, I have some decisions on what I'm going to do with some dials and chrome plating work. Some interesting stuff, that's halfway on topic, could be food for thought:
Recomendations on Chrome Plating Dials

In that thread, fellow PM member daryl bane posted an old thread of his that's pretty awesome. He made up ring gears to press on over existing dials. He used stainless, and bead blasted for effect:
Micro-Gaging Dial resto. Pt.2

Now I like that alot, but stamping, etching, or otherwise marking stainless steel would be a real trick.

Another member mentioned using a hard, colored plastic for the slip rings, as some more modern machines might. I think maybe ok, it would be rust free, and maybe less susceptible to getting banged. Plus etching would be a whole lot easier. Just not sure the look. Might be alright if a light gray plastic, with black for grads and numbers.

Somethings I have done on polished dials. One is polish and clean very well. Use a wire brush and a pic or needle to clean grads and numbers. Then I paint them black. Wait till paint is cured, then re-polish dials. To assist, I may wipe paint from main surface, but allow paint to remain in grads. Then polish a few days later. Works better if etchings are deeper, trickier on thin stampings/etchings.
 
Photos Sizes Solved / Graduation Highlighting

Great information Gunny!

I went through the photo thread and I think I found the problem....images from an iPhone and/or a Mac need to be changed from a .jpeg to a .jpg. I'll give that a try on this post.

------------------

In regards to the graduations, I will read thru the articles you recommend; thanks for those.
Personally, I would be VERY cautious about a re-chrome. I had an expensive/rare set of Jaguar XKE
seatbelts that have a small leaping cat factory engraved on the buckle. Just so they would be "perfect",
I had them re-chromed. Little did I know that the chrome would almost completely fill in the engraved
leaping cat! Ruined as far as I'm concerned. So unless the chrome platers have a way of lightly plating
or foregoing the copper or nickel base, I would be hesitant to let them touch your mics.

I'm also thinking as you mentioned that I should first painstakingly strip all of the crud out of the engraved lines with a needle first. Then and only then will they fill with some sort of paint. I've read that after you paint them in, use a rubber squeegee of sorts to wipe across the surface, then let dry overnight. Follow with a 2000 grit on a flat stone to remove
excess streaks.
I think I'll try an old Starrett ruler first.

Thank you Sir!

PMc

The images below were duplicated and then renamed with a .jpg suffix instead of .jpeg.
These now seem to work okay and are large. (I tried renaming one to .png, but that remained small.) The good thing is that I can "preview" the images first to see what form they will take
before actually posting them.

Thanks again! Those damn Mac's! :)

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I like that squeegee idea, that might be the ticket. I've used rags, or shop style paper towels, it works, but occasionally I suck up whats in the grads, and need a redo.

Your pics look great.

I am with you on the chrome plating. Those particular dials in the thread, the etching is supper thin. I feel sure chrome plating will fill it in. I'm thinking I may chrome plate the external section, then cut down the sections with grads, and press rings on. I just need to practice making grads and stamping.
 








 
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