Boxford Model B lathe rebuild

ive owned this lathe for about a year now and ive finally got the time to do a full strip down and rebuild.
i know its not a cnc lathe but that may well change once its been rebuilt.
mechanically everything works and all bearings seem to be in good nick but you never know what you'll find until you get knee deep
now... lets get down and dirty


the white paint job is definitely not the original hue and alot of it has or is in the process of flaking off
plenty of heavy duty dirt and grease too, i think im going to need a fair bit of degreaser (aka red diesel)
Attachment 6061


here is a better picture showing the stout steel cabinet freshly liberated from the shed
ive already partially stripped the lathe at this stage as i only have brute force and ignorance to get it outside the cramped shed
Attachment 6062


here is a close up of the cabinet top, just after being de-swarfed, de-greased and ready for sanding
Attachment 6063

these photos are also available on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/79384660@N07/7273819848/

Hi Jonny,
I did a "C" a few years ago. To strip the paint off, use Nitromos + cheap angle grinder with a metal brush fitted. Works a treat !
Just make sure you wear eyes protection, Nitromos is not forgiving!

Here is a pic before and after:
Attachment 6064Attachment 6065

And some pics of the lathe fully de-assembled! And I do mean FULLY!
Attachment 6066Attachment 6067

If you need help to put it back together, give me let me know... I can re-assemble these in the both eye shut... ;-)

RNR

RNR

RNR thats exactly what im planning to do regarding paint removal although i do detest nitromors, its a terribly messy way of doing things but it'll save some time.
i like the way you added the little touches of yellow, you have one very pretty lathe
i dont think il have too many problems rebuilding it as ive had most of it striped down before when i first got it (only way to get it into my shed) although time will tell
still not sure whether i should paint it as the original colour or something different, im thinking white but am open to any ideas.
im hoping to put up plenty more pictures as i progress on tomorrow

rnr is that a CSB?

Hi Jonny,
The lathe is a "C" part of the AUD, BUD, CUD , A, B and C family. I am not sure what the difference are with the CSB ...

For the grey pain I use Myford Grey (Nice color and easly found). Bought it from this guy:
http://www.lathespares.co.uk/myford-...rd-lathe-p-412

For the primer I used U-Pol (From Halford) Acid-8 for all aluminium parts and red-oxide for all cast iron / steel parts.

Great paint, can be sprayed (diluted with White-spirit) or brushed on directly...

Yellow pain was a spray can for the local DIY place.

Ha... almost forgot, you can get new labels (all the small aluminium plates / charts) directly from Boxford. a few quids each...

Post some pictures during your rebuild!


RNR

the CSB was a what i believe to be just short bed version of the model c lathe
http://www.lathes.co.uk/boxford/page15.html

RNR, i think ive got one heck of a challenge to get it looking half as good as yours, anyone should be proud to have such a beautiful piece of kit like that!
im still thinking of going white and possibly dark blue accents (the same blue they use on the name plates etc) unless someone can persuade me otherwise! and il see what plates i can rescue before i splash out on new ones.

i will certainly post more photos, i should have a few more up later on today

Hi Jonny,
Thank you for the compliment! :-)
It took a long time to get it there... about 3 months between the striping, degreacing, paint removal, repaint....wait....wait....(paint is drying slowly in this country)
then finally re-assemble , re-oil.... and try!

Colour is a question of choise... If White is what's float your boat, Go for it! ;-)
Don't forget the double coat of primer! (etching primer on all aluminium parts, red oxide on steel and iron)

Looking forward to see more pics!

RNR

more de-greasing & de-gunking today, id love to be able to shot blast this cab but i don't see funds stretching that far.
the method im using for cleaning is rather simple and quite cheap although it is laborious, what i use is...

1) rather than using an expensive degreasing product i use lovely cheap & cheerful red diesel (ive also used kerosene but i find diesel is easier to clean up).
2) an assortment of brushes including wire brushes, scrubbing brushes, dustpan brush (its handy to have one thats dry) and even a tooth brush for the little nooks and crannys
3) budget brand toilet paper (or any other cheap disposable paper towel) rather than spread dirt and grease just bin it

diesel makes a great degreaser but it leaves a thin layer when used so a further rub down is required to get a clean surface for paint

this photo shows the rear of the cabinet, upside down resting on 2 pieces of wood
Attachment 6076

some one has previously done some welding to the bottom of the cab and i don't commend their technique
Attachment 6077

the door sporting the original boxford logo and the suppliers plate
Attachment 6078

a close up of the suppliers plate
Attachment 6079

this is the lock that is currently fitted to the door, i dont have a key for it and it doesn't fit properly so il have to find a suitable replacement
Attachment 6080

the barrel of the lock doesn't even match up to the hole let alone fit in to it
Attachment 6081

the lathe bed sitting upside down on the table, notice the solid lump of swarf reinforced grease ontop of the foot on the left
Attachment 6082

this is the head stock end of the bed, the paint simply rubbed off with a piece of toilet paper
Attachment 6083

as of yet i have not found any sign that there was primer used when it was last painted and i dont think it was even cleaned properly
who ever painted this lathe was/is a grade A idiot

RNR, do you think i could use 1 coat red oxide primer and then a coat of white primer in prep for the white paint?

Hi,
Yes, white primer on top of Red oxide is fine... Just mke sure they are of the same brand. I had a bubled paint problem painting different brands on top of each other.
If you want to paint white, you could use a High build primer on the top of the red oxide. (U-Pol High-5) these are beige almost white and are very thick, very good to hide the defects of the castings. And once fully dry, can be sand smooth (300 grit). I used it on the rough parts of the castings and got a pretty good finish after sending.

A couples of tip:
Get an angle grinder with a metal brush (You can get one fron 15 quids) a lot easier than a hand brush.
Lots of very light coats give a much better finish than 1 heavy one...

Are you going to spray or brush ?


RNR