Colchester Student Mk1 Won’t Start

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 03/06/2020 18:13:02:

Also, while I'm working on the box area, I'll give everything a good clean and take a look at the starter switch. It's always had quite a bit of slop to it, so I'm going to sort that out by making a sleeve to go inside it. If I leave it wobbly then It's only going to keep wearing until it breaks fully. The only issue is, I'll need a longer bolt to fit inside for the way I want to do it, so I need to figure out what thread it is.

I have simply filled mine by using black powder and superglue. First I coated all the inside faces of the hole with the superglue and let it dry. Gave it a very light rub down with some steel wool. Then gave it another coat of superglue.

This way the superglue seals the bakelite.

I then filled the hole with the black powder and dropped the superglue onto the powder. So the hole is filled and hardened now. I still need to drill and sleeve the handle.

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

Posted by Herman van der Merwe on 03/06/2020 21:22:05:

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 03/06/2020 15:35:44

VIDEO.

Yes, The lathe doesn't quite knock itself that hard. But it does vibrate. What is this caused by?

Most likely the V-belts are not of equal length. Have you done the chalk test on the belts?

I meant what is the electrical issue caused by, but I've figured that out now.

The belts are almost definitely different lengths or not running right as they make a lot of noise and sound like they're hitting off each other. What is this chalk test?

I managed to sort out the excessive wobbling by using a much longer bolt, it works much better now

Wobble before

Wobble after

So it's now much more satisfying to turn, and doesn't feel like I'm about to break something.

These are only finishing touches but they're the feel of the machine, everything I touch when I use it. So I think it's important for it to feel nice so I enjoy using it more.

I also did the same for the reverse forward switch

direction switch before

And then it had no movement after. all the play was from the actual knob spinning, not the shaft spinning.

The last handle that Is loose is the main on/off lever. There is a lot of slop in this and it makes it feel loose and less tactile to use. The only trouble is, it's actually worn.

Herman, after seeing your future shiny handle I think I need to polish a few of mine. Perhaps just a brushed finish

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

I cleaned up the face of the switch box too. There must be a more elegant way to write reverse and forward onto it

Interestingly, there is the original lathe colour paint underneath the grey. This means that the switch is original, or at least was put on when the lathe was painted before.

This is the handle, it will be brightened up. The rod is held in by a blind pin. Any suggestions as to how I can get it out without drilling out the pin? Drilling is last resort, but I think it might be inevitable.

I'll get the bolts tomorrow for the cabinet things

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 03/06/2020 21:51:38:

This is the handle, it will be brightened up. The rod is held in by a blind pin. Any suggestions as to how I can get it out without drilling out the pin? Drilling is last resort, but I think it might be inevitable.

I'll get the bolts tomorrow for the cabinet things

Have you checked that it cannot be punched through and out the other side? Remove some paint on the rear surface and check. If not then screw a self tapping screw into the hole of the pin and pull it out with a slide hammer.

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

Yes, I checked the other side thoroughly, but I did not take a picture. There's definitely not a through-hole for the pin to be knocked out.

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 03/06/2020 21:35:40:

The belts are almost definitely different lengths or not running right as they make a lot of noise and sound like they're hitting off each other. What is this chalk test?

You need a matched set of v-belts. If you do not have such you need to replace the belts with Nu-T link belts. I only run Nu-T Link belts on all my machines.

Chalk test – http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page2.html

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

Posted by Herman van der Merwe on 03/06/2020 22:21:39:

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 03/06/2020 21:35:40:

The belts are almost definitely different lengths or not running right as they make a lot of noise and sound like they're hitting off each other. What is this chalk test?

You need a matched set of v-belts. If you do not have such you need to replace the belts with Nu-T link belts. I only run Nu-T Link belts on all my machines.

Chalk test – http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page2.html

Thank you, I have read that page before but I don't remember reading that. The belts were supposedly matched but I'll do the chalk test tomorrow. Link belts are a possibility depending on the cost.

[Swarf MakerParticipant @swarfmaker85383]

Unmatched belts can certainly cause some strange noises/vibrations/patterns in the finish. If you are experiencing any of these effects you could try operating with just a single belt. That is what I have done on both of my Master 2500 lathes and even though I work them hard, I don't spend all day taking huge cuts as would have perhaps been the case in a production environment. As a consequence all belt derived artifacts no longer arise, but a the same time there is no loss of transmitted power at the levels I require.

The removed belt becomes a spare for when it may be needed, although at least 10 years have gone by with no requirement!

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Phil Whitley on 29/05/2020 18:38:31:

here ya go Herman!

Any reason for the white backplate @Phil?

[Phil WhitleyParticipant @philwhitley94135]

Two reasons really Herman, it reflects the light into areas that would normally be in shadow, and it makes a good background for contrast with the job in the chuck. Also I didnt want to run out of green paint!

Phil

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Phil Whitley on 04/06/2020 09:50:37:

Two reasons really Herman, it reflects the light into areas that would normally be in shadow, and it makes a good background for contrast with the job in the chuck. Also I didnt want to run out of green paint!

Phil

Thanks @Phil, I thought as much. Maybe I must do the same …

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

I'm sure my background of a nice brick wall works perfectly too

I've had a very productive day. I finished some jewelry boxes, similar to the one I made for Phil, but with trays and sections. Then some castors arrived in the post so my bandsaw is now free to glide around the garage. Then onto lathe work…

I picked up some m8 bolts from Toolstation so I could work on getting the panel fixed in place properly

Before I could turn the bolts down I had to put the starting lever back onto the lathe, so I took a picture of the back. Tracy finally got back to me today, so I will try to see if she can send me the starting level of her lathe so I have a spare if I mess this one up!

Chalk test, with a gold highlighter as I didn't have any chalk. The belts are not even. Can this be caused by a misaligned motor too?

Anyway, I'm running on 1 belt now and the lathe is much more peaceful. The link belts seemed a bit expensive when I can just use one belt, especially since I just bought these belts, although I do see the attraction.

The bolts were screwed into a piece of aluminium I tapped, then faced, and turned to the dimensions I wanted.

Then I cut the slots just with a hacksaw

Then I prepared to drill and tap the lathe body.

This went surprisingly well

Then I polished the bolts, gave them a brushed finish, then cold blued and oiled them.

Fully installed, I'd say they look rather fitting.

They pull the panel in tight

Then I tried the light and gave the panel a bit of a bang around to see if the light went off.

The light went off again

I've still fixed the stripped threads and improved the panel's fit, which I'd say is productive enough, but It annoyed me that it didn't fix it, so I started testing things

I cleaned the contacts of where the 2 legs for the lighting power leave the brass plug bit, that didn't help

I cleaned the surface of the slide lock fuses, that didn't help

Then I bypassed the switch to see if that made a difference, low and behold it stopped flickering when I banged it, I think. I could be completely wrong once again, I'll replace the switch and see.

I've ordered a toggle switch to replace it with since I found a picture and there should have been a toggle switch there anyway. I ordered it a couple of days ago actually, so this is currently working in my favour until it turns out to not be the issue.

[Phil WhitleyParticipant @philwhitley94135]

Belt problem could easily be a misaligned motor Richard, and I like those screws so much I am going to make some! I never realised that the hex bolts in mine were not original! For a better screwdriver slot, put two blades in your hacksaw at once, but of course, when you buy your milling machine, you will be able to use a slitting saw! Jewellry box? anyone can see that it is an instrument case!

Phil.

Edited By Phil Whitley on 04/06/2020 19:40:24

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

I'll have a look at playing with the alignment then, we'll see what happens

Phil, I don't know if they used hex bolts or not originally. I just wanted slot head screws since I could make the head whatever size I wanted. If I had a rotary broach, I would have made hex bolts

Two blades at once sounds like a good idea, although it wouldn't work for a junior hacksaw like I used. I'll definitely try that in the future!

Definitely a toggle switch originally.Can't see if they're hex or slotted

Now you've said it, looks like there are plenty of compartments for various instruments!

[Phil WhitleyParticipant @philwhitley94135]

I was going on the fact that the control panel has counterbores in it for cheese head screws, or allen bolts, of course, mine may not be the same!

Phil

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 04/06/2020 19:26:02

 

Then I polished the bolts, gave them a brushed finish, then cold blued and oiled them.

What do you use to blue the steel? I normally use a mixture of phosphoric acid and copper sulphate. The reaction on the bolts looks similar.

Edited By Herman van der Merwe on 04/06/2020 21:40:16

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Phil Whitley on 04/06/2020 20:30:00:

I was going on the fact that the control panel has counterbores in it for cheese head screws, or allen bolts, of course, mine may not be the same!

Phil

Mine has 5/16" cap screws installed @Phil.

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Phil Whitley on 04/06/2020 19:39:38:

Belt problem could easily be a misaligned motor Richard,

Agree, read this article on how to get the pulleys aligned.

http://www.lubsys.com/knowledge/knw_align05.htm

What I like about a Nu-T belt is that it never slips, does not have a direction, oil has no effect on it and when a link breaks you simply replace that link. These may be a tad expensive but in the long run they are just so much better in all aspects.

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

It's just 'Phillips Professional Cold Blue' but it's quite expensive, I'd like to be able to make my own. The web says its made from some sort of selenium dioxide

Phil, I had to look up what cheese head bolts were. But now I know what to search when I need bolts like that. Does your lathe have hex bolts in it? Because that really doesn't sound right?

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

New sleeved wormbox, new cross-slide screw nut and all new sleeved bushes or replaced bushes for all shafts done.

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

@Richard, my friend who made the sleeving etc did these mods to his tailstock.

Both our lathe's stop/start arms do not have pins and the arm screws into the shaft.

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

Very cool Herman, do you think you'll do something similar?

Also, how well did the windshield cleaner work on the sight glasses? I managed to clean mine a bit but they're not as clean as I'd like them to be

[Herman van der MerweParticipant @hermanvandermerwe76509]

Posted by Richard Kirkman 1 on 05/06/2020 15:30:54:

Very cool Herman, do you think you'll do something similar?

Also, how well did the windshield cleaner work on the sight glasses? I managed to clean mine a bit but they're not as clean as I'd like them to be

Yes, I think that will be one of my first projects once the lathe is turning again. If that spanners falls again …

It worked very well. I injected it, let it sit for an hour, blew it out with my compressed air (see?) and repeated. After two days, the sight glass is quite clear.

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

Looks like I'll try some windshield cleaner, but I'll have to blow it out using a straw with lung pressure!

Leaking once again.

The brake seemed to stop working so I thought I'd have a check. Low and behold, it's leaking.

It seems like its leaking from the outside of the seal, not the inside. So I need to take it out and put it back with gasket sealer or something? What do people recommend?

[FreddybearParticipant @freddybear]

I replaced the bearings and the seals. ( and I seem to remember there is a gasket at the rear too).

However. I did have the entire headstock stripped at the time. Also I was sick and tired of all the oil leaks everywhere

Incidentally, I also bored my wormbox true and bushed it. Action is much more positive now.

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