# Brown And Sharpe 2l Surface Grinder -- During --



## Bob Korves (Aug 18, 2016)

Continued from http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/brown-sharpe-2l-surface-grinder-before.49082/#post-418000
I have been working on the surface grinder.  I rebuilt the spindle using the best clean room I could reasonably cobble together, and cleaned everything with solvent, with Evaporust, with elbow grease, and with hot water and detergent.  The hardened steel spindle and the bronze boxes showed a good fit and finish, and the clearance between them was exactly as specified, .00011". which is determined by measuring the depth of the spindle both with and without the thrust washer, subtracting the difference, and the desired difference should be .0050", the end play of the slightly tapered spindle.  I used my B & S BesTest .0001" DTI to make the checks.  Besides cleaning, inspecting, oiling, and reassembling the spindle with my best possible techniques,  I did nothing to change anything.  Apparently, the problem all along was caused by using the wrong oil in the spindle, which is specifically warned about in the manual.  After testing, another wash with hot water and detergent, hot water rinse, blow dry, and then oiled EVERYTHING lightly with the correct oil and assembled them as clean as I possibly could.  I also repaired the constant level Gits oiler, which was cracked and leaking and needed a new gasket.  That specific oiler is no longer available, though there are substitutes out there.

I also took the carriage off, because of all the grime I could see in there that was not accessible without taking it apart.  It is a fairly involved operation, lots of things need to be taken apart exactly by the instructions.  Old grimy and stuck parts just make that more fun.  But, I got it apart without any issues that were not easily addressed.

I decided against painting the entire machine, which would have required a lot more disassembly to do it right, and the rest of the systems were tight and smooth.

I spent literally a week getting the grime off of everything, and it looks lots better without the layers of grime.  I decided to restore and properly paint and polish all the parts that my hands will come in contact with while running the machine.  The multiple layers of paint exposed after removing the grime, and all the scratches and wear make the machine look old, and it IS old and I think it should look like it.  The restored controls let the user know that it is an old machine that has been brought to functional renewal.

I also cleaned up all the pulleys, ways, and other working parts, removing lots of thick petrified layers of crud, and I will replace 4 Gits oil hole covers when they arrive next Monday.  The only things left to clean up are the carriage and the table.  The carriage is pretty complicated, but is easily accessible off the machine, and should be easy to clean.  The table will need more work, and it has some surface rust here and there that will need to be cleaned up.  I may end up painting the table.

The first picture, above, is of the place I cleared for it in my 3 car garage.   Next, below, are the cleaned up and restored parts, and the dirty carriage behind them.




Putting the machine in position with my engine hoist.  A freebie Harbor Freight tarp is installed behind the machine.  Part of the plan is to get all the gritty machines in one quarantined area so the clean machines and areas stay clean.




Cleaned up and lubed but not painted machine installed on an automotive drip pan.  One knob is painted black in place because it did not want to come off easily.




This is a view of the "grit area" that I will make.  The carbide grinder, the three grinders and belt sander on the table, and the belt/disc sander in the left background will all be enclosed with the surface grinder, probably with clear plastic curtains.  I also picked up two high end shop vacs with a "claimed" power of 5.5 hp (hah!) for $10 each to collect grit from the machines.  I will make a nozzle adapter to fit the wheel guard on the surface grinder.




Here is all the stuff I needed to move out of the grit area and need to find new homes for.




Here is a start at reorganizing the layout of my shop.  EVERYTHING in the picture has been moved.




Here is a look at it from the other side, where my car gets parked.  The curtains will go past that first grinder stand and then take a left to the wall.




The last two pictures show all the stuff on the floor from opposite ends of the shop, left over without homes after the move.  I have places in mind for almost all of them, but I am sure some things will require some thinking outside the box.  I have no idea where I will put that tall shelf unit, but I need it badly.  I will be starting on it tomorrow.  At least I can still get the car in.  It has been really hot here, I must have sweat a gallon today.  After I get the mess straightened out, it will be time to reassemble the grinder and test it.  Watch for part 3...
Continued at http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/brown-sharpe-2l-surface-grinder-getting-close.49978/


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 18, 2016)

we both need bigger garages 
looks great Bob, i'm happy to find out that the oil was the issue with the spindle.
i can't wait to hear it run.


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## Bob Korves (Aug 18, 2016)

Ulma Doctor said:


> we both need bigger garages
> looks great Bob, i'm happy to find out that the oil was the issue with the spindle.
> i can't wait to hear it run.


Well, I am hoping that just putting in the correct oil will end the problem.  The only way to find out is to test it and see.  The VFD should arrive tomorrow, and then I have some wiring to do for it...


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## chips&more (Aug 18, 2016)

I have the little Sanford surface grinder with a vacuum hook-up for all the grit and crap. Seems to be working very well, don’t notice any of the grinding swarf on other equipment. I’m using one of those special vac’s that are made for picking up hot fire place ash. And I was at first concerned about not having any coolant set-up for it. But after using the grinder for about 10 years now, I have never had a job that needed coolant. And you can also put me on the list for a bigger garage.


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## Bob Korves (Aug 18, 2016)

chips&more said:


> I have the little Sanford surface grinder with a vacuum hook-up for all the grit and crap. Seems to be working very well, don’t notice any of the grinding swarf on other equipment. I’m using one of those special vac’s that are made for picking up hot fire place ash. And I was at first concerned about not having any coolant set-up for it. But after using the grinder for about 10 years now, I have never had a job that needed coolant. And you can also put me on the list for a bigger garage.


I do not know about vacuums for hot ashes, I will need to look into that.  I do have a Wesco mister that I have cleaned up and got working again (when I got it, three out of four corners of the stainless tank were leaking and the hose was full of gunk.)  Stan Zinkosky (Shadon HKW on YouTube) uses a mister almost all the time while grinding and puts out some gorgeous work.


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## chips&more (Aug 18, 2016)

Bob Korves said:


> I do not know about vacuums for hot ashes, I will need to look into that.  I do have a Wesco mister that I have cleaned up and got working again (when I got it, three out of four corners of the stainless tank were leaking and the hose was full of gunk.)  Stan Zinkosky (Shadon HKW on YouTube) uses a mister almost all the time while grinding and puts out some gorgeous work.


I just went out and looked for you, I have a “Cougar Quiet” vacuum. Pricey if you paid retail, I got lucky and found mine at the flea market. Without any coolant, I have not experienced any overheating. I’m not sure as to why? I’m not a gentle person, sometimes. I have been known to push my machines at times. I have ground in one pass more material removal than I want to tell. Not sure if it’s the wheel grade I chose, the 4” diameter of the grinding wheel or what. But, I do not have any project metal overheating problems from grinding…none.


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## Bob Korves (Aug 18, 2016)

chips&more said:


> I just went out and looked for you, I have a “Cougar Quiet” vacuum. Pricey if you paid retail, I got lucky and found mine at the flea market. Without any coolant, I have not experienced any overheating. I’m not sure as to why? I’m not a gentle person, sometimes. I have been known to push my machines at times. I have ground in one pass more material removal than I want to tell. Not sure if it’s the wheel grade I chose, the 4” diameter of the grinding wheel or what. But, I do not have any project metal overheating problems from grinding…none.


Thanks for the intel, Dave!  I will be on the lookout for one of those vacs.  I am quite sure a fire in a vacuum is not a pretty thing, gives me the creeps just to think about it.  I wonder if people have workarounds for using a standard shop vac safely when it has sparks going into the hose intake?


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## chips&more (Aug 18, 2016)

Bob Korves said:


> Thanks for the intel, Dave!  I will be on the lookout for one of those vacs.  I am quite sure a fire in a vacuum is not a pretty thing, gives me the creeps just to think about it.  I wonder if people have workarounds for using a standard shop vac safely when it has sparks going into the hose intake?


Have you ever seen steel wool burn, it’s scary. I wonder what a tank full of fine metal swarf would do? The hose on my vac is about 6’ long and it’s metal. The sparks being sucked up don’t stay red for very long. Maybe red for an inch or two down the hose. Using a hot ash vac could be over kill. But I had the vac so why not use it, can’t be a bad thing. And it definitely keeps the grinding crap in check. Good Luck…Dave.


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## Bob Korves (Aug 18, 2016)

chips&more said:


> Have you ever seen steel wool burn, it’s scary. I wonder what a tank full of fine metal swarf would do? The hose on my vac is about 6’ long and it’s metal. The sparks being sucked up don’t stay red for very long. Maybe red for an inch or two down the hose. Using a hot ash vac could be over kill. But I had the vac so why not use it, can’t be a bad thing. And it definitely keeps the grinding crap in check. Good Luck…Dave.


Imagine the steel wool with a strong blast of air feeding it.  Under the right conditions it could get very hot very quickly.  Probably not likely, but scary anyway...


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## Bob Korves (Aug 18, 2016)

I moved all my "precious" old used lumber out to the back yard, which opened up lots more space behind the lathe and the mill.  The tall shelf unit will fit nicely behind the lathe.  I will use the back of it, against the back of the lathe splash enclosure, to mount it solidly to the lathe so it cannot tip over, will cover the wood back with a tarp to protect it from oil, and will use that newfound vertical panel space to mount some lathe tooling.  Symbiosis, fixing one thing opens up additional benefits.  The shelf unit does not cover the entire width of the lathe splash guard, so I may build a narrower companion shelf unit to fill in the extra space and hold more lathe tooling.  I got everything put away and cleaned up today except for the items that will go on the shelf unit, and all the lumber out back on the empty concrete RV/sailplane trailer pads.  Maybe tomorrow, but I am really itching to get the grinder back together, and there are only so many hours before the heat tells me to stop for the day.


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## chips&more (Aug 19, 2016)

Once you get her going. I think you will wonder how you managed without a surface grinder! That’s what happened to me. At the time, got my little Sanford only because it was close to home and cheap. It’s been a few years now and I could not do without it. It has a definite need in my shop now…Dave


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## eeler1 (Aug 21, 2016)

Crazy that you park the car in the garage.  It's interfering with your shop.


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## Bob Korves (Aug 30, 2016)

This thread is continued at:
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/brown-sharpe-2l-surface-grinder-getting-close.49978/


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## Dhansen (Mar 8, 2021)

Where can I buy an elevating screw  and nut for my 2L?


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