My New Clausing Colchester Mk1.5 13"x36"

I have it wired up and running, the headstock was bone dry and so I went to Napa and picked up 5 gal of Iso 32 and 5 gal of AW 68. I should be good for the next ten years now. I thought there was fluid in it but the sight glasses are stained and you couldn't tell until I pulled the gearbox cover. Are these things supposed to have a gasket, because mine doesn't? Now I just have to put the garage back together and get organized so I can start making some parts.
 
Don't worry about a gasket. The original was probably cork or one made from .015-.020" thick gasket material. What ever you do, don't use RTV for a sealer. You could damage the cover or housing getting it broke loose. I personally don't use any kind of gasket on any of my headstocks. They don't ever leak either. Ken
 
I went ahead and cut one out of the blue gasket material and filled up the headstock. All of the sight glasses are stained to the point that they are useless, so I am on the hunt for new ones to put in. I also need to look at the cross slide, it has about .065" of backlash and it needs to tighten up.
 
Maybe you will get lucky on the play by pulling the pulling the gibs and cleaning all the old dried gunk off then oiling and reinstalling. Proper adjustment sometimes is inhibited by all the old junk and debris that builds up over time. If it is wear, just factor it in and have fun making chips!

Glenn
 
It feels like the play is in the cross slide nut, I'll pull it apart and see what the deal is. Also, should I be able to slip the graduation ring on the cross slide wheel? I can on the compound rest, and that thing is almost too sensitive.
 
I replaced the cross slide nut, I found a new one in the boxes of tooling that came with it! This took the backlash down to .019", but when I spin the handwheel it moves in and out around .050" from the face of the apron. The lead screw is turning but I need to find out if there is a thrust washer or adjustment to keep the handwheel from moving in and out.
 
I've never worked with a colchester , so no expert by any means.
It sounds like If the wheel itself is moving to and fro on the shaft, maybe you are missing a washer or spacer from behind the hand wheel.
Thus allowing it to jiggle around some.

Or, Could be some wear on the shaft end causing play. Or the lead screw might be simply mounted to far outboard, leaving a gap at the end where the hand wheel mounts ( This occurred on my standard modern lathe one time ). If you loosen up the lead screw and wheel enough you maybe can inspect the area behind the wheel to see if it looks worn. a spacer might take up the play.
Or perhaps adjusting the lead screw position so the hand wheel seats more snugly against the saddle/ casting.

Glenn
 
I will check it out tonight, I am sure there is a washer missing or it is worn out and needs replaced. Also I contacted Clausing, they told me my machine was build in 1966 and emailed a scanned copy of the users/parts manual. It was a very pleasant company to talk to.
 
eodcoduto said:
I will check it out tonight, I am sure there is a washer missing or it is worn out and needs replaced. Also I contacted Clausing, they told me my machine was build in 1966 and emailed a scanned copy of the users/parts manual. It was a very pleasant company to talk to.
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Congrats on your lathe purchase :)

It looks identical to mine and is one year older. Did yours come with a taper attachment ? If so, there are a couple of bearings at the end of the cross-slide shaft which may be the source of the additional backlash.

Brian
 
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