Nice scraping work

Thanks so much Bob for posting this and bringing Wes to my attention. I love his get 'er done methods and subscribed to his channel. His approach to scraping by hand and power is just what I needed. And the tips like using mortar pigment are priceless. Way easier to find than Canode and way cheaper and arguably better as it doesn't mix like Canode. I also love his no nonsense delivery with tons of great inside tips with less wasted time. This is how somebody who does this for a living would do it where time is $$. I'm going through all his vids and I hope he keeps on.
 
This is all pretty fascinating to me.

My Uncle used to scrape for Pratt & Whitney (the engine company, not the tool company). He was a tool setup and repair man, he's told me a handful of stories about things they had to do to make machines work. The scraping part I always thought was interesting but I never knew how much of an art, or almost a lost art it's become. Now I feel like bugging him to teach me. He did offer to try and scrape in the ways on my Craftsman/Atlas lathe. He said he could do a "surface cut" that really wouldn't change anything but would hold oil much better then the ground surface. To really modify the ways we would need a surface plate which I don't have. That and we're talking about a 6" lathe. :)

It's interesting the comments on technique. He told me once that he scraped with a couple of older guys early on and they each had their own techniques. He said it's a pretty physical job and you need to do what works best for you to be consistent and not wear your self out. Some of the jobs these jobs would take weeks. Now he's the old guy. :)

K
 
You are very lucky to have a family member you can learn from. Especially one that worked at such an elite place as P&W. You would learn so much in just doing a surface cut and would not believe the difference after it was done. It seems counter intuitive but the problem with two slick surfaces causing stiction makes it tough to do small adjustments in use. This is eliminated by doing that surface cut. Personally I love the amount of stories this would bring back from working with him. It is close to a lost art and you learn more from somebody who had to do it day in day out in a production setting than as "art" IMHO.
 
This is all pretty fascinating to me.

My Uncle used to scrape for Pratt & Whitney (the engine company, not the tool company). He was a tool setup and repair man, he's told me a handful of stories about things they had to do to make machines work. The scraping part I always thought was interesting but I never knew how much of an art, or almost a lost art it's become. Now I feel like bugging him to teach me. He did offer to try and scrape in the ways on my Craftsman/Atlas lathe. He said he could do a "surface cut" that really wouldn't change anything but would hold oil much better then the ground surface. To really modify the ways we would need a surface plate which I don't have. That and we're talking about a 6" lathe. :)

It's interesting the comments on technique. He told me once that he scraped with a couple of older guys early on and they each had their own techniques. He said it's a pretty physical job and you need to do what works best for you to be consistent and not wear your self out. Some of the jobs these jobs would take weeks. Now he's the old guy. :)

K
A 6 foot plus surface plate is not needed to scrape in that lathe. Cast iron straightedges are used for the bed ways. Start with Connelly's book (and your uncle):
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/connelly-on-machine-tool-reconditioning.41802/
 
Pretty interesting..... I can get my head around how they can map the tool on the surface plate but how do map the ways on the machine?
 
Pretty interesting..... I can get my head around how they can map the tool on the surface plate but how do map the ways on the machine?
Read the Connelly book linked in the post above yours and learn. It is only about 500 pages and is considered the bible of machine tool reconditioning. It is too much to cover adequately in a paragraph on this forum, and even the book is just a primer. There is also training available to learn the needed skills:
http://www.handscraping.com/

Edit: Misconceptions of how machines are rehabbed by scraping abound, don't believe everything you hear on forums...
 
A 6 foot plus surface plate is not needed to scrape in that lathe. Cast iron straightedges are used for the bed ways. Start with Connelly's book (and your uncle):
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/connelly-on-machine-tool-reconditioning.41802/

I know, but the bed on my lathe is very small. He said a straight edge and a surface gauge would be good enough. I think he said it's easier to work from a surface plate, at least in the learning stages.

I know he used lasers a lot at Pratt & Whitney. Many of those machines were massive.

K
 
I know, but the bed on my lathe is very small. He said a straight edge and a surface gauge would be good enough. I think he said it's easier to work from a surface plate, at least in the learning stages.

I know he used lasers a lot at Pratt & Whitney. Many of those machines were massive.

K
Good advice, he knows what he is talking about...
 
Read the Connelly book linked in the post above yours and learn. It is only about 500 pages and is considered the bible of machine tool reconditioning. It is too much to cover adequately in a paragraph on this forum, and even the book is just a primer. There is also training available to learn the needed skills:
http://www.handscraping.com/

Edit: Misconceptions of how machines are rehabbed by scraping abound, don't believe everything you hear on forums...
You know I sent them a message about classes but I never got a response. I'd like to find a rebuilding shop around here that wants to teach someone in return for free labor. I'd jump all over that.
 
Read the Connelly book linked in the post above yours and learn. It is only about 500 pages and is considered the bible of machine tool reconditioning. It is too much to cover adequately in a paragraph on this forum, and even the book is just a primer. There is also training available to learn the needed skills:
http://www.handscraping.com/

Edit: Misconceptions of how machines are rehabbed by scraping abound, don't believe everything you hear on forums...

I'll chick it out this weekend!!
 
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