# Atlas 6" metal lathe rebuild, carriage assy. OK?



## dumpsternaut (Feb 18, 2018)

Hi and it's a privilege to be here.
I'm rebuilding a rusty Atlas 10100 (that's what it says, and I think it's essentially the same as Mark 2, 3950, or 101.212 ?)
In short (more below if you're interested), right now I'm just hoping I'm not missing anything in the carriage travel gear assembly:


I don't see anything missing, but the weird thing was when I cleaned out the grease, it was full of bits of, like, orange plastic (?) that was waxy and crumbing apart like peanut brittle. Hopefully it's just some kind of gunk that dried up or reacted with multiple greases or lubes and formed a solid. Or maybe an old red oil tube (like on a WD-40 can or Break Free etc.) whose end broke off in there (there is a slot for inserting lube one of those nozzle straws would fit in, actually).
But I couldn't help wondering if it was some kind of old plastic shear pin that was meant to break if someone cranked hard when the carriage was locked or something. Nothing in the pic above, but it does say Does Not Include Pins(?)...
here's me:





Before:



Anyway, in the opened-up pics where the two sides are cleaned up ready to screw back together, you don't see any "orange plastic part" missing, do you?
Hopefully it was just weird, coagulated, dissimilar grease clots or a hunk of lube-can straw nozzle!
That ties up the topic question -- below is just extra contribution of images and progress, intentions, etc.:
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Just for fun:
(wish I took pics with it fully together but dry and rusty) --




Masking (argh!) Sorry it's so dark, I need to load Gimp... I usually brush on machine paint at work but at home I did verify what I had easy access to was at least Rustoleum alkyd enamel, so I tried straying this time to get the show on the road, I'll show the assembled machine ASAP...



I got this Atlas Model 10100 6" consumer metal lathe for $150 in rusty, unkempt condition. As long as the guy didn't twist the way frame when he let it fall over in the dirt trying to get it over a fence himself (sigh) then it looks barely used. I've heard of bent or out-of-centric spindle IDs on some "recently acquired" Atlas Mark 2 videos... Of course the one pot metal, top crank is busted as you can see two pictures up from here (as are 90% I ever see, this one that moves the highest cross slide that pivots and connects to the tool holder) but I don't mind making one sufficient. And there's a little damage to one of the ways I think I can stone off and otherwise just deal with. I only want to make little bulbous, brass screw/bolt-like parts whose threads function as well as Chinese ones, and if I can't then I'll tap and die them myself and just turn the funny little bulbous shafts to OD I want in preparation. I do have a boss that could scrape, plane ways this small on his big mills etc. but I try to ask little. I just plain will never want to do something long on it; 3" tops (I don't have a steady rest anyway) so as long as it travels Harry Homemaker hobby acceptable up close to the chuck I'm good. I want to take it easy on it. 
Thanks! Like I say, right now I'm just wondering about the carriage travel gear assembly, I think (?) it's all there and not missing some plastic part I kinda seem to have found crumbled up in the grease?


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## T Bredehoft (Feb 18, 2018)

I don't believe there were any plastic parts in there originally. I have seen  grease which became plastic/like with age. Hope this helps.
You've done a fine job cleaning in there.


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## markba633csi (Feb 18, 2018)

No there are no plastic parts in there, everything looks as it should. You have the "other" style of carriage gear drive as opposed to the "original" style. 
Those two case pieces are made of Zamak alloy.
I have a MK2 also and have had fun fixing it up
Mark S.


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## westsailpat (Feb 19, 2018)

Hi dumpsternaut , nice post (all the pics and diagrams) . Looking forward to more . It's hard for me to imagine someone trying to get a MKII over a fence , I mean wouldn't it have been easier to go thru the gate ? And then just leave it there in the dirt and weather . Well it sounds like it's in good hands now . Mark .


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## Skowinski (Feb 19, 2018)

Just recently disassembled, cleaned and reassembled my 10100 carriage.  Nothing was in there but old grease, certainly no plastic bits.


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## wa5cab (Feb 21, 2018)

D,

The Pins referred to in the note on the drawing are the two #37 Dowel Pins.  No, there are no plastic parts in the assembly shown.  The only plastic parts I can recall in the 10100 are the change gear cover and the cross slide and compound gibs. 

Most parts in the 10100 are the same as in the 3950 and 101.21200.  The main difference is that the 10100 went back to Timkin tapered roller bearings on the spindle whereas the other two have ball bearings.  So the head stock castings are not interchangeable.  Other parts that are different are compound casting and thrust plate, carriage traversing rack, and late 10100's have the adjustable traverse gear assembly that you pictured.  The first 800 or so 3950's had a few other slight differences as the factory used up stock of 618 parts.


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