# How do you keep lathe all shiny



## kvt (Jul 30, 2017)

I now have 3 lathes, how do you keep all the metal on them shine like in everyone’s pictures.   Mine starts looking dull.   After use, I clean it off, and put a light coat of Way oil over all the metal surfaces to keep the rust away.   I do this by having a bit of oil on the cloth and just wiping over everything.   Of course, all the oil that I put in all the ball oilers also starts leaking out overnight and helps to keep a good supply of oil on things.   But in everyone’s photos all the metal seems to shine and looks so bright.   Mine looks like it is kind of gray with no bright shine.   There is no rust, but how do you keep the metal so shiny.   Is there something I am missing on clean up or something.


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## woodchucker (Jul 30, 2017)

I restored my lathe, it was pretty when it was complete.
It does not look that way now. I use it. I don't worry about how it looks. I clean it from time to time, but not each time.
My hand wheels were polished when it was rebuilt. They are now dull.

If your goal is to have beautiful machines, then don't use them. If your goal is to do work, then do work, and keep it clean.
You'll have to do a super cleanup occasionally.  
I only care that it is in good mechanical condition, That it's not rusting, that it's oiled.  

Maybe not what you were looking for, but the truth is the machines don't stay like new.


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## kd4gij (Jul 30, 2017)

Angle and Lighting


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## Cheeseking (Jul 30, 2017)

Ha.   Yep a lot of oil in use and wiping it down afterwards then oil again.    Repeat.   Sometimes I'll be lazy and as long as theres plenty of oil on the ways and knobs mixed in with the swarf will leave it for another day.   Technically dirt and grime doesnt hurt anything as long as its not in sensitive places.   As a home hobbyist cleaning is part of the ritual when time is not money like on the job.   To each his own tho right!  I cut alot of nylon which is easy to clean up and doesn't trash the machine as bad as steel but tonight I needed to turn some small steel pins down so it got cleaned up of nylon then promptly covered in chips again.   One thing I do also is cover the ways and cross slide with SS chip trays.   Catches 90% chips and prevents them from working under the carriage ways.   Keep a mag chip brush stuck handy and swish them straight in the can before using rags.   Snapped a pic just for heck of it.   Oily and shiny


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## Glenn Brooks (Jul 30, 2017)

Well, the other thing is people with shinney lathes clearly don't use junk yard steel. I try to run a wire wheel over everything I bring into the shop to make stuff with no matter, rust  dust gets all over everything  Even roughing mill scale off steel produces a dull gray slime over all the surfaces. 

The trick is, before you start every day, clean your machined and mated surfaces with soft shop towels, or paper towels with oil, until NO blackish grey streaks come off the ways.  Once towels come up off the ways clean - no streaking  or smudges - its clean. Usually takes me three good wipe downs, sometimes more, to come up with clean rags - then I use them to wipe up the gunk that shows up whilst turning something into a part.

Glenn


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## Zathros (Jul 31, 2017)

Well as a ritual at work we always Clean every friday our machines and tools and at Home just keep doing that. Maintaining tools Will keep them trustworthy and full of life. I use mine almost every day. The large waste I just puck up when its too much for clean workspace. Like others mentioned paper towels à small amount of grease. Same here. Chip catcher helps à lot. Weekly industrial vacuumcleaner. Clean workspace , clean mind I always say.


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## royesses (Jul 31, 2017)

The metal takes on a patina and no longer looks new. I like the patina and do keep it clean and well oiled.

Roy


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## BGHansen (Jul 31, 2017)

I brush the chips off first.  Then give everything a squirt of LPS 1 greaseless lubricant.  I picked up a 5 gallon pail at a shop that was closing down.  I apply with a 20 oz. spray bottle.  The stuff works great, leaves a dry film, resists water, etc.  It's about $18 for a 20 oz. squirt bottle or $55 for a gallon.

Bruce


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## Bob Korves (Jul 31, 2017)

I try to produce shiny work, and don't care if the lathe does not sparkle, just try to get the chips and grit off the parts that rub together and keep it well adjusted and lubricated.  Sometimes the work ends up looking worse than the machine...


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## RJSakowski (Jul 31, 2017)

I find that regular use keeps machines shiny.  I've never seen a rusty railroad track on a line that was used.  

The oil used for lubricating and cutting seems to find its way to all parts of the machine and usually to myself (saves on hand lotion) as well.  After use, cleaning the chips and a quick wipe with way oil keeps the machine looking good.


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## chips&more (Jul 31, 2017)

My lathe is not shiny, just clean. I use it! I try very hard to keep grinding swarf, filing swarf and emery paper swarf away from the lathe.


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## DaveD (Jul 31, 2017)

What's this all shiny you speak of?
I try to keep the chips down to a dull roar.
I try to keep the carriage, cross feed, etc reasonably brushed off.
Chip pans get cleaned out every so often.
I consider remnants of rust inhibiting lube a good thing.
I wipe off all tooling with a reasonably clean rag before putting tooling away.
Abom79 on YouTube is my hero. I try to follow in his footsteps. I have a long way to go in that regard.


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## dulltool17 (Jul 31, 2017)

Shine?  What shine?
Sparkling chips are just fine.


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## kvt (Jul 31, 2017)

Ok,  so most of the ones I see in pics are just lights reflecting off the oil.   I do try to keep it wiped off even clean off the ways when swarf tries to build up on them.  ShopVac used on everything to suck up the small stuff then wiped off with clean oiled scotts paper rags,   Then those go in to the side so that I have them to use when wiping down stuff while doing work.  
Maybe its just my photo skills that makes things look so bad when I try to take pics on the lath.   Thanks for all your responses.


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## Tozguy (Jul 31, 2017)

Cheeseking, how on earth does that wrench hold on the carriage lock without falling off?

Re housekeeping, I like my parents ole expression: ''may my shop be clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy''


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## higgite (Aug 1, 2017)

Photoshop.

Tom


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## Cheeseking (Aug 1, 2017)

Lol.   Busted.


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## kd4gij (Aug 1, 2017)

I think the op has been reading Randy's thread.


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