I dont think the lube and maybe a bit of bed-in metal inside the change gear cover is cause for concern not does it say anything much about what the inside of the apron etc might be like. It's pretty normal for the inside of the change gear cover to get gunked up like that.

If you are not confident you could reassemble all those gears and things inside the apron, you would be best to leave it well alone.

There are quite a few SC4 owners on there (including the esteemed Editor) and I don't recall any reports of trouble with internal gunk on delivery. No doubt they will chime in with the full story in time.

I think that Arc used to offer a preparation service which no doubt covered this query so, as suggested, I would ask them for help.

As per my reply to your other post – don't fret (yet!)

When Far Eastern machines first appeared in the last century, they were usually plastered in 'Chicken Fat', a metal preservative that took a fair amount of work to clean off. Unlikely today.

Likewise many early lathes were downright rough, with some suggesting they were a kit of parts requiring much re-work. Not my experience; although clearly made down to a price, my two lathes required only minor fettling, and the milling machine none. More likely to find assembly errors than major issues, though it does happen. Be aware these aren't Swiss Made Toolroom quality machines. If you want one a new one of those, multiply the price by between 6 and 30.

My advice is to use the lathe. Cut metal. In the first instance operators are more likely to cause trouble than the machine, but the main reason is cutting metal highlights real problems far more effectively than beginner guesswork. Or even expert opinion working from photographs! Internet advice would be my second port of call. Books are much better, especially Sparey – brilliant but incomplete due to being written 70 years ago. This forum is pretty good. Quite a lot of other internet advice is outdated or misleading. YouTube videos vary between pure gold and absolute dross. Too many vanity videos of chaps confidently peddling their ignorance. Take it all with a pinch of salt.

The main advantage of buying new is the machine can be sent back if it turns out to be a lemon (refund or replacement.) Don't void the warranty by 'fixing' it. Later, yes. For now concentrate on learning to drive it, warts and all. Post again when it doesn't cut metal as expected. There are no stupid questions.

Dave

I do understand! We've all been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. Taking mum's kitchen clock apart to see how it works is a rite of passage. Unfortunately most of those clocks never worked again.

How much work do you expect to do on your lathe? Modern bearings are sealed, and the banjo, gearbox, lead-screw are robust affairs on most hobby machines of SC4 size, which are usually lightly loaded. It's not like a car where the mechanism gets hot and runs for hours on end. What matters more to machine tools is alignment and adjustment. If the saddle traverses smoothly and all the controls work no harm whatever in spending a month or two using the machine. I spend far more time planning and setting up than actually cutting. Unless you're planning a lot of hard work it's unlikely a little grot inside will do much damage, whereas cutting tapers rather than parallel is a major problem.

In the early stages easy to cause grief with semi-skilled dismantling. You're more likely to break it than a bit of carp, and the guarantee doesn't cover your mistakes. If it ain't bust don't fix it. And if you take her apart and then ask about cutting problems on the forum later, we'll have to add your doings to the list of potential causes. A new lathe should do X,Y & Z, but all bets are off if it's been dismantled.

I'm not saying never take it apart, just good tactics to slow down and reconnoitre first. After you've got used to the machine much easier to recognise issues and make improvements. Don't rush it.

I changed the oil in my lathe's gearbox 2 years late. It was still clean. Although I use it at least two or three times a week, it rarely works hard for hours on end. Lightly loaded machines will survive a long time in imperfect conditions. Heavily loaded machines need plenty of TLC, but I'm expecting your SC4 to be a Gentleman's Accessory, not a Grafter's Three-shift Metal Muncher with production targets to meet.

Dave

Thanks from me also – always a pleasure to read JS' down-to-earth comments.
DaveD

If you are new to metal machining, and / or fitting, heed the advice "If it ain't broke; don't fix it"

It should be a reasonably precise machine. Yes, experienced folk have fine tuned and / or modified their machines, but they knew what they were doing.

If you start pulling it apart, you may upset the factory adjustments, and not be able to reset them properly.

In which case you will have done more harm than good.

If in doubt, don't.

Your time may be better spent learning how to use and get the best from the machine.

We have all taken things apart and heard the "ping" as things, of which we do not know the shape scatter themselves across the floor and into dark corners. It wouldn't be the first time that i have been faced with working out how to reassemble a mechanical jig saw puzzle. And not always successfully!

If you have any queries, ask Ketan. He will do his best to help, I am sure.

Just get to know and to enjoy the machine. Any problems can be sorted out as they arise.

Howard.