Hi,
I suppose I should really explain what I'm thinking about.
Some months ago, I allowed a relative to do some work on the lathe using my big (160mm) chuck. Unfortunately, part of this work involved boring out the centre and he managed to very nicely gouge the chuck. Ok, Ok, perhaps I should have warned him to use a sacrifical piece of steel, but I didn't, and he didn't, and it got gouged. In fact, other than looking unsightly, it doesn't really detract from chuck usage so I idly wondered about (over)filling the gouges with a suitably coloured epoxy resin adhesive, and then carefully turning the surplus away thus hopefully producing a matching surface to the main body of the chuck. When all said and done, the only usage of the surface involved is likely to be under pressure so no great sticking strength is actually required.
The experiments I've done were with what I had in stock, including some epoxy putty – which didn't work anything like as well as the liquid adhesives. For the record, I mixed up small quantities – of both liquids & putties – plonked it onto a roughly cleaned by filing strip of steel bar and left for two weeks. A second experiment was to try the effect of the aluminium filings as reported above. Incidently, the Araldite Rapid Steel was by far and away the strongest stuck to the steel bar – which is more or less what it claims on the packaging.
Oily Rag,
Devcon – it may be good, but oh, that price! However, I think I may have seen titanium powder on the 'net. If so, then I might try some provided the cost isn't excessive.
JasonB,
Yes, it does indeed look as if a very fine aluminium powder might be satisfactory.
Brian Baker 1,
As the only person to come anywhere near what I actually asked, I wonder if the aluminium, seeing as how it will have an aluminium oxide covering is actually inert and hence shows up as speckled. Thoughts?
Finally, as ever,
My age, and infirmity has actually made me consider buying a 125mm diameter chuck in addition and reserving the 160mm chuck for those occasions when nothing else will do. There are two reasons for this: the first is the weight – I have to have sufficient wood etc packaging on the bed for the chuck to rest on when fastening/removing otherwise I struggle to hold it with one hand whilst inserting the bolts with the other. The second reason is that it only just clears the front of the saddle, hence any extension of the jaws catch on the bed wiper clamp bar, fortunately made from aluminium. I already have a 80mm chuck which I do tend to use quite a lot and I think a 125mm chuck will probably cater for quite a lot more.
Cheers,
Peter G. Shaw