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Thread: 9" Hercus on eBay
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2nd Apr 2017, 02:12 PM #1Senior Member
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9" Hercus on eBay
Hi all, found this on eBay in case anyone is looking for one, looks like a good lathe and is a high speed machine and has a taper turning attachment and and a few other bits and pieces, would be a great buy for the right price. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/252840652024
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23rd Apr 2017, 01:49 AM #2
I bought it as a resto project
Just thought I'd let you know you were right, a good machine, with a lot of good accessories. Paid a bit for it, but I was keen on a serious and worthy restoration project and this looked like the one. A nice mate for my model C. So far I've pulled it down completely and have started the degreasing and clean up. It was pretty dirty with quite a bit of rust. Kero for the de-gunk, and Evaporust for the rust. All good. Mind you, the bull wheel has two teeth missing, and the mating gear on the back gear was missing one tooth. I've ordered replacements. Other than that, I haven't found any other nasty surprises.
Gear damage.jpg
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23rd Apr 2017, 07:03 PM #3Intermediate Member
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- Apr 2016
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- New South Wales
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It looks more like three teeth missing, I do not know - and doubt - if the gear would work at all with three consecutive teeth absent.
You would have been bidding against others who did not know about the missing teeth either, which is a definite hazard with ebay auctions.
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24th Apr 2017, 01:02 PM #4
Yes, yes, and yes. I had a closer look and there are three teeth missing, and once the back gear reaches that bald spot, the bull gear stops. Nasty noises and much gnashing of teeth - both the lathe and me! The bloke who sold it had no idea of the damage, as it was his late fathers, and he (the son) had it under his house for years before he decided to unclutter. Risky with eBay, not being able to inspect before buying. I think the taper turning attachment in one of the eBay photos got everyone's interest in the auction, perhaps more than the lathe. That photo certainly got my interest!
Replacement gears are on the way, and the rest is cleaning up nicely.
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26th Apr 2017, 12:03 PM #5Senior Member
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- Aug 2015
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- Adelaide
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It's good to know that someone on the forum ended up buying it, I think that you got a good deal and for a lathe that has a taper attachment and all of the woodworking rests, a fixed steady, 3 and 4 jaw chucks, and all of the other little pieces that were with it, if you break it all down just the three accessories are worth around the $800 to $900 on the second hand market plus whatever else was stashed in the boxes, I would have easily paid $2000 for that if it was in Adelaide and I didn't have to travel to pick it up. Whilst you are cleaning it up could you check to see if that has a serial number stamped on the motor mount frame that bolts to the bed, I am curious to see if the F models all had that on them as per the attached photo.
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26th Apr 2017, 12:31 PM #6
Thanks for that feedback. I was happy to pay the price; was keen on the challenge to restore it and the accessories were a real bonus (as I didn't have any of them already). The lathe was pretty poorly maintained and I reckon had been the victim of a flood at some stage - if not, it was certainly stored in a very damp environment. Sacrilege..... I've included a before and after photo of the cross slide, just by way of example.
Not sure if forum members would be interested in the details of the paint I sourced. No big deal, it came from Bunnings, but they went to quite some trouble to colour match it for me. I think the result is pretty good. If anyone is interested I can post the tint formula. Having said that, I gather Hercus used a few colours and variations within them, so the fact that my colour matches up nicely doesn't mean it will for others.
Also, I have tried all sorts of ways to de-rust things over the years and I have landed on a product called Evaporust, which is a fairly safe to work with, gently on the metal, and works like a treat. Just mention it in case others are interested.
Yes, my motor frame does have a serial number stamped in it. Didn't notice it at all until you asked and I had a look (haven't cleaned that part up yet). See photo. Cheers.
.Serial number on motor mount frame.jpgtop slide after.jpgtop slide before.jpg
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26th Apr 2017, 12:38 PM #7Senior Member
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- Aug 2015
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- Adelaide
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You are right about the colour variations, The two lathes that i am doing up at the moment were both different shades of green, not much in it but definitely noticeable, good luck with the rebuild, there is quite a few hours ahead of you in it but well worth the reward. And thanks for the advice on the Evaporust, it is always handy to know what products around actually work.
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26th Apr 2017, 12:55 PM #8
Evaporust is a bit hard to get. They have a web site with a list of distributors. It seems to be mostly used by car restorers, so I found it at a trade auto paint shop. It is not cheap, but seems to last a long time. I got on to it from an article that appeared in MEW magazine a year or so back, so they have it in England (and I think it is product from the US). Sorry, probably too much info, but it is a pleasure to use, as it is neither caustic or acidic and relies on some fancy ion transfer mechanism to attack the rust - but it is not a rust converter, which tends to just turn the rust into a black deposit. This stuff works a bit like magic....put it in the bucket to soak over night and in the morning rust is gone and you just rinse off with water and give it a bit of polish up, and bingo, looks almost as good as new. No, I'm not an agent for Evaporust!
If anybody is interested, I'll post some pictures of the finished lathe when it is done. Yes, some hours away yet.
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26th Apr 2017, 02:45 PM #9Senior Member
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- Oct 2010
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- NSW
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No! That just won't do. We want progress shots as it's being done too.
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26th Apr 2017, 02:58 PM #10
Ok. Don't need much encouragement to show off the new toy! WIP photos on the way. Mind you, tinkerer77 has set the bar pretty high with his resto(s).
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26th Apr 2017, 05:00 PM #11Intermediate Member
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- Apr 2016
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- New South Wales
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There are two bolts for a fixed steady on the slide. In my opinion the bolts would not be there if there was not a fixed steady with the lathe (at some time). If you do not have the fixed steady, the vendor may still have it, and not have realised it belongs with / is part of... the lathe. You may have the fixed steady, I am not sure, which is why I mention this, in case.
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26th Apr 2017, 05:08 PM #12
They would be for a travelling steady wouldn't they? That aside, you make a good point, I didn't connect the existence of the bolts with the lack of the travelling steady when I picked it up. It did have a fixed steady. I'll contact the bloke and ask. Thanks.
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26th Apr 2017, 05:12 PM #13
By the way, does anyone have an idea of what it would cost to have the cabinet sandblasted? Mine is in pretty rusty condition and in need a good clean up.
Lathe stand.jpg
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26th Apr 2017, 05:41 PM #14Intermediate Member
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- Apr 2016
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- New South Wales
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2nd May 2017, 10:51 PM #15
WIP photo. I was a bit careless with the wire brush wheel in the bench grinder while I was cleaning the half nut lever. It flicked out of my hand and hit the concrete floor - and broke in half. That put me in a grumpy mood!
There was a sizeable void on the casting - I could say it was a weak spot, but it had lasted 50 years until it hit the concrete.
I've ordered a second hand one from AMH.
Half nut lever breakage 1.jpg
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