6 Attachment(s)
Hercus lathe refurb in Revesby: week 1
Hi guys(*). My friend Barry gave me a pile of parts from his garage floor – most of a Hercus C lathe!
( bed & gear cover are C7967, tailstock says 6330, can't find any other serial numbers )
There is of course a story. I gave him my Dad's old Hercus about 4 years ago, which he fixed up and gave to his brother.
That old thing had no pinion or feed, and flat belt pulleys. He bought this lathe in a hurry from a school or reseller,
for parts, and then at leisure bought a "new" backgear, apron, et c.
So:
- Wednesday was unload parts from car and see what was missing: Attachment 381280
- Thursday, heated up a big degreasing tank and soaked most parts, which removed the horrible flaking blue paint: Attachment 381279
Attachment 381278 Attachment 381283 Sadly, it also removed most paint from the gear chart. Should have removed the pins and kept that aside :~
(and my factory neighbour had a go at the worst of the grooves/nicks on the bed with a file)
- Saturday, paint some black RustStop paint on bed, headstock, gear cover, and bango+guard: Attachment 381281Attachment 381282
- Tuesday, felts and slides off saddle, inspect that, decide to post you guys :)
To do:
- Build a base of some sort. Can't afford a real lathe cabinet (even though Hafco has them for $330).
Thinking about welding up some plates and beams, but given overall state of lathe,
it will never be super-accurate, so maybe a waste of time & steel. - Borrow a good straight-edge, find a wet stone, and finish filing/polishing the bed.
(saddle seems reasonable, but one flat is C-channel shape - just like the bed Vs were) - Spend hours measuring and shimming. I don't have any centres for the tail, so this will be tricky :-
Questions:
- Does anyone have one V felt retainer and bolt (set screw)?
Yes, I know I can buy a set of 4, but that is overkill. - Looking at the reverse gear setup, I'm wondering if it is worth it.
A reversing switch on the 3phase motor, and removing the bull gear, seems so much neater? - I can't afford regrinding, but can still try my best.
Does anyone know if the grinders tension down the middle?
( like Hercus factory used to – I assume to counteract future cutting pressure when lathe is used )
* I'm guessing there are no ladies here, although with a name like HERcus maybe there should be :roll: