[Antique] Least favorite part of rebuild/restoration

Stripping paint. I've built up a pretty respectable shop from used machinery ( 35 stationary machines , the newest from 1961, the oldest from about 1890 or so), all of which was completely dismantled/repaired/restored. Some machines were in wonderful shape, and some were absolutely terrible but hands down, the most obnoxious part for me is always the paint removal.

You might try using a needle scaler. Harbor Freight makes a pretty good one cheap. It does an amazing job particularly in those hard to get at concave areas. Much easier than sanding or wire brushing. Very little damage to metal surfaces.

Randy
 
I am not a fan of moving big heavy stuff. My mill: the knee, the table, the head. The 13x40 Asian lathe had some heavy stuff but they were far more manageable.
I have not done a full rebuild, just cleaning, adjusting, replacing and fixing broken stuff.
 
I was told by a machinery dealer who I greatly respected, Mel Heinz of Berkley Ca. that one should try to keep all the filler on castings that is well adhered, and build up to the original finish with filler before painting; taking all the filler out with a needle gun just makes more work. I have used glazing putty for this in the past, but it is really too soft for the job, one should use a catalyzed (bondo) filler for the best job.
 
I was told by a machinery dealer who I greatly respected, Mel Heinz of Berkley Ca. that one should try to keep all the filler on castings that is well adhered, and build up to the original finish with filler before painting; taking all the filler out with a needle gun just makes more work. I have used glazing putty for this in the past, but it is really too soft for the job, one should use a catalyzed (bondo) filler for the best job.
My hat's off to the guy who has the patience to use body filler on their machine. It makes them look like a show piece. I don't have the ambition.
 
I have a needle scaler I picked up second hand ( I'm an anti- Harbor Freight extremist) that does wonders for chipping off paint; the thicker the paint, the better it works. I've also used an electrolysis setup to clean parts, which often causes paint failure in addition to removing rust, and an ultrasonic cleaner for smaller parts. I avoid chemical stripping if at all possible.
-James Huston

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The filler found on older machines comes in two flavors- either crumbling off at the slightest touch or absolutely welded in place and indivisible from the casting. Only problem is, you usually run into both on the same machine.
I'll confess that I'm prone to buying the machine I want and figuring out the issues later, rather than waiting to find a machine in good shape; it drives my wife nuts, but it generally works out fine in the end. I've often wound up with a machine because it was historically important ( I collect Porter Cable machines) or I felt sorry for it, only to find it become indispensable in my shop.
-James Huston
 
Finding damage, unexpected and serious, is what I dread. Especially on vintage parts that are near-impossible to replace.
Compared to that, I don't mind stripping/painting so much.
Mark S.
 
Fair point , Mark. I have had a few machines that have sprung surprises on me ( my lathe is not one, thankfully), but I can't think of any really bad discoveries ( though I'm sure I'm just blocking the memories!)
 
Probably finding broken parts then trying to remake them just to find i need more tooling and to fix the machine I need to make parts with!

That and the endless degreasing, since I built my parts washer the task has been less painful, nothing worse then hours on the floor with a bucket and a brush, the washer was free too, scounged fuel pump old wash basin, old battery charger and a 60L drum and a little plywood.

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