ML7 Restoration

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ML7 Restoration

This topic has 24 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 15 May 2014 at 08:38 by Raymond Sanderson 2.

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)

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24 February 2014 at 16:47 #144944
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Hi everyone, started a bit of an adventure with an old ML7 I picked up last week.

To set the scene it's in rather a state, covered in muck and grime and it is clear the previous owner had been attacking it with a grease gun and filling up the oilers with grease. I was dismantling the main bearing oilers and found them full of grease too, to my disappointment. I have checked the bearings for scoring, and to my eyes they seem ok, so we may be lucky here.

Photos from the main strip-down can be found below (hopefully)

I'll add more progress and questions (I have a few) to this thread as I go.
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24 February 2014 at 16:47 #17315
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Thread or description and questions to you experts for advice during my ML7 strip down and restoration.
24 February 2014 at 17:10 #144946
Diane Carney
Moderator
@dianecarney30678
You will be following Alan Hearsum's currently running series then ?

Diane
24 February 2014 at 17:23 #144947
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
No, what’s that? Sounds really useful & relevant.

Do you have a link?

Thanks!

Matt
24 February 2014 at 23:00 #144975
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Oh – I found what you meant. Here:

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/ME4475%20contents.pdf

Hmmm – synchronicity…

Matt
25 February 2014 at 00:20 #144985
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
So today I've pushed on with a few things:

1) Headstock spindle disassembly. Thanks for the advice form the forum here, it came apart nicely with a bit of care – photos here showing how I did it. I did however notice something odd with the cone pulley, where the channel in the inner bush for the oil is NOT aligned with the hole for the nipple. You can see it in this pictures below. After a bit of advice I put the cone pulley in the oven when it was cooling after dinner, and it came apart quite easily. So i've realigned it, but I think I'll be putting some Loctite on that to make it secure.

Matt
25 February 2014 at 00:21 #144986
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
2) Derusting and restoring the backgear. I used a reverse electrolysis approach, which was a lot of fun. I was really pleased with the result, and am going through the other change gears as a similar process. I used a lead flashing Anode with sodium bicarbonate electrolyte and a 5amp 24v power supply. Worked like a charm.

Matt
25 February 2014 at 00:21 #144987
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
3) Cleaning and stripping of the headstock castings. After a bit of digging I employed some Gunk degreaser followed by Nitromorse and some wire brush wheels on my drill. The parts came up really nicely, and will be painted with etch primer, high-build primer and then the tractol enamel top-coat when they arrive.

If you have any observations, advice, tips or tricks please let me know. (especially if you think I'm doing something wrong!)

Matt
25 February 2014 at 00:25 #144988
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
4) The Oilers – and a query for advice

A short update this time, been generally cleaning all the headstock parts (nuts and bolts etc) and started work on the oilers.

Oh my word what a mess! I cleaned up the bearing for the backgear, and I think I see why the previous had taken it off. It was clogged full of grease, the last owner has filled all the nipples up with grease.

So I decided to disassemble the oilers for the main headstock spindle, and these too were full of thick heavy grease. I managed to take one apart and unscrewed the bottom where the ball bearing sits.

I have one question for hints and tips. In the bottom part of the oiler (shown in the second photo) there is a bronze insert into the steel casing holding the sights. It is screw-threaded into the bottom part, but I'm not sure how to get a purchase on it to unscrew it. I need to get it out to clean up the oil-drip sights.

Any ideas?

Edited By Matt C Beech on 25/02/2014 00:30:18
25 February 2014 at 08:52 #144994
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Matt,

I am viewing on an iPad and cannot see any of the photos in your postings.

MichaelG.
25 February 2014 at 08:58 #144995
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Michael,

Yes, that _is_ annoying! I just checked it on my phone and the flash picture gallery does not load.

I was trying to find a nice solution to show my pics.

Works OK on my desktop though.

I’ll do some digging.

Matt
25 February 2014 at 09:01 #144997
NJH
Participant
@njh
Matt

I agree – an image, which can be expanded to show more images, appears in your first post but the next 4 contain just blank white squares under your text. This is on a good, old fashioned, Windows 7 machine. When I can get access to OUR iPad I will check it out there but that may take some time. My wife asserts that it is HER iPad and, as I like to eat and she is a great cook, I don't press the point!

Norman
25 February 2014 at 09:09 #144998
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Norman,

OK yes. That one I can fix (done now) so should work on all of them for the desktop.

Thanks for flagging it up. I’m still trying to get my head around making this forum software work the way I want.

Matt
25 February 2014 at 09:21 #145002
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Matt C Beech on 25/02/2014 08:58:11:

… flash picture gallery does not load.

I was trying to find a nice solution to show my pics.

.

Thanks, Matt

That explains it …

As you probably know, iOS devices don't do Flash.

MichaelG.
25 February 2014 at 11:05 #145018
ega
Participant
@ega
Matt's excellent pictures don't appear on my Android tablet, either but my Flash-enabled Windows 7 machine shows them.

More power to his elbow!
25 February 2014 at 11:55 #145026
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
Matt, I can't get your photo album photos, or the photos you have posted to this site, have you actually posted any photos to an album. When you try, reduce them to something like 640 x 480 and you should get results.

Ian S C
25 February 2014 at 15:15 #145083
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
OK – done a bit of digging, and I'll try and post links to picture albums directly too. I am not using the built in forum albums since all my pics are automatically uploaded by my phone, and if I can link to them it is much easier.

Part 0 – Strip Down

Part 1 – Headstock Spindle Disassembly

Part 2 – Derusting the Backgear

Part 3 – Headstock Castings Clean up

Part 4 – Cleaning the Oilers (and advice needed)

Edited By Matt C Beech on 25/02/2014 15:15:56
25 February 2014 at 16:53 #145093
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Matt,

That works fine, thanks.

MichaelG.

.

P.S. It looks like you are getting decent results from the modern Nitromors … I thought it might be too "planet friendly" to work.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 25/02/2014 16:57:45
25 February 2014 at 17:32 #145103
NJH
Participant
@njh
Matt

I have sent you a personal message – just log in and go to In Box at the top of the page.

N

Edited By NJH on 25/02/2014 17:33:16
25 February 2014 at 23:06 #145165
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
Even worse bit of geekware. Just get some sort of google sign in and commits the cardinal sin of screwing up the 'back' button. Luckily don't do Myfords so not too bothered.
26 February 2014 at 00:09 #145169
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
OK – done a bit more sorting after a lot of feedback on my photos. Sorry folks – you can tell I'm a bit of a noobie on this. Here are the links again – I think they all work this time, since I've put them on a public feed.

Full list of photos as I update them.

———————

Part 0 – Strip Down

Part 1 – Headstock Spindle Disassembly

Part 2 – Derusting the Backgear

Part 3 – Headstock Castings Clean up

Part 4 – Cleaning the Oilers (and advice needed)
8 March 2014 at 21:44 #146464
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Sorry about the delay, I've been moving the workshop and things have been delayed a bit in the project. Anyway, we're underway again and here's the latest update:

I've been stripping down the countershaft, and found all the oilite bushes full of grease, so they came out and I'm ordering a full set of new bushes from http://www.lathespares.co.uk for the lathe (although they call them sintered bronze – same thing). Seem like good value there.

I've also stripped down the bed – went through some serious amount of Gunk to clean it up. Ended up spraying it down with the hose pipe in the back garden before drying it and setting to with the Nitromorse.

In the end I wire brushed it down to the bare metal, although I did not take off the internal paint, but scrubbed it clean. It's impossible to get to the internal paint surfaces. You have to be careful not to wirebrush any of the machined surfaces like the bed, since the smaller brushes can be pretty aggressive.

I found quite a bit of rust spots under the paint, as you can see in one of the photos so taking it back the the bare metal was inevitable. There were some flecks on the inside too, but I brushed them down and then painted over them – it's impossible to reach those areas.

I also started etch priming with a spray primer from Smith and Allan – fantastic service from them and great products at a great price! http://www.smithandallan.com/prodpage.aspx?id=1445

I think I may have laid on the etch primer a bit thick on some of the components, and I certainly have a bit of spray technique to learn. I had to brush out some drips. Next step is some build primer.

I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Part 5 – Countershaft

Part 6 – Bed strip down and clean

Part 7 – First round of etch priming

Matt
20 April 2014 at 20:19 #150320
Matt C Beech
Participant
@mattcbeech
Here's an update after the first parts come off the painting line:
The paints I used are all from the same set and compatible (Tekaloids)
1. Tractol 729 Single Pack Etch Primer (http://www.smithandallan.com/prodpage.aspx?id=1445)
2. Tractol 816 Single Pack Undercoat Dark Grey (http://www.smithandallan.com/prodpage.aspx?id=2567)
3. Tractol 329 Single Pack Machinery Enamel (http://www.smithandallan.com/prodpage.aspx?id=1568)
Here are the back-gear and lead-screw clusters – first refurbished parts.
- First Rebuit components
M
22 April 2014 at 10:30 #150433
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Hello Matt,

I can only see 3 postings on your restoration, all yours. Where did the others go?

I wish you well by the way, nice colour you have chosen. I know Smith and Allan in Darlington, I used to buy a lot of stuff from them years ago and Tractol paint is top gear.

Brian
15 May 2014 at 08:38 #152518
Raymond Sanderson 2
Participant
@raymondsanderson2
A nice project. Thanks for the pictorial WiP will follow with interest.

I am tempted to do the same although my ML7 has been cared for by previous owners a tidy up would make it like new and give me the chance to become more intimate with the workings.

I am following the article in MWE of upgrading the headstock bearings.

Will you be going this way or keeping them original?

Ray
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