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Edgwick lathe update

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mat9900:
Hi again, restoration on the edgwick is proceeding slowly- work and family life seem to have a habit of keeping you out of the workshop!   I have managed to strip the clutch/brake assembly, had the brake discs relined by a small firm in shrewsbury, so that side of things all working fine now.  Also done a complete rewire with new starter and reversing switch, so have done something with it other than used it

My next problem is both the micrometer dials are rusted beyond reading- which has made using the lathe somewhat tricky! Does anyone have any advice or info on sourcing replacements please? I had thought (well more hoped) that they would clean up but sadly they are too far gone :(

Pete W.:
According to folklore, one inch of iron/steel makes thirteen inches of rust.  If you can remove that rust without affecting the steel you will probably be pleasantly surprised how well the dials come up.

My own preference is for chemical removal rather than abrasive or wire brush wheel methods.  I previously used citric acid with some success but recently discovered that Amazon stock Evaporust, often used by the YouTube fraternity so I intend to try that.  Some folks swear by electrolysis but I haven't tried that yet.

The reason I avoid abrasives or wire wheels is that they tend to remove the iron or steel as well as the rust which is undesirable.  If the underlying metal is soft and pitted, the wire brush wheel can smear the metal over the tops of the pits, leaving the surface shiny and apparently rust-free while the rust actually still lurks in the pits to break out later.

One problem with chemical methods of rust removal is that following the treatment the metal surface is left absolutely clean and will 'flash' with rust in seconds.  My approach to this is to rinse with Methylated Spirits to remove any moisture and then to oil prontissimo!

I'm afraid that none of the above will help you if removing the rust reveals peeling chrome!! 

Pete.:
Get a wire brush for your bench grinder - it will bring out the shine on anything.

ddmckee54:
I was watching an episode of Physics Anonymous a couple of days ago, the episode where they were tearing down the chuck on the lathe they are rebuilding.  They tried several methods of rust removal, mechanical abrasion, Evaporust, electrolysis, and something else - I believe it was drain cleaner?  They then compared the results, both the electrolysis and the Evaporust got rid of all the rust, but the Evaporust seemed to leave all the surfaces with an etched appearance.  While the electrolysis left the polished machined surfaces smooth and shiny.  The drain cleaner didn't do anything, and as expected the mechanical abrasion left scratch marks on the surfaces.

Maybe they left the parts in the Evaporust too long, or it might just be another reason to give electrolysis a shot.

Don

mattinker:
On my Edgwick the engraving on the dials is very faint. polished up with paint in the engravings they would be reasonably clear. I'm sorry, I can't help you with new ones, I don't know of any parts for these lathes!

Good luck, Matthew

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