# Rockwell Mill Refurb



## stevecmo (Apr 29, 2013)

Well, I finally finished refurbing my Rockwell 21-100 vertical mill.  It was a winter project, like my Logan lathe last winter.  I can't wait to see what next winter brings.  )  This mill has been beat up pretty bad but was complete and I felt like I could bring her back to a useful state.  Here's a picture of her on the trailer when I got home.




I used my tractor and loader to lift it out of the trailer and take it around to the shop door to the basement.  I had to rent an engine hoist to get it inside and in place.  Here it is sitting where it will reside when it's done.  Someone had given the WHOLE thing a hideous coat of beige paint.  




You can get an idea of the condition in these pic's.  





It was hard to crank the knee up.  I soon discovered why.




Fortunately new bevel gears were available and required only minor modification.

I decided to strip as much paint as possible with the column and knee still assembled to the base.  But eventually it all came apart for cleaning, stripping, and re-painting.




In the next post I'll start putting things back together.

Enjoy.

Steve


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## stevecmo (Apr 29, 2013)

After lots of cleaning, stripping and painting it was time to start putting things back together.  This is the stage of a rebuild that you get your second wind after many tedious hours of cleaning and painting.

Here's the column and base back together again.  Aren't they a cute couple?  )  I liked the hockey puck feet on my lathe, so went with them on the mill.




The knee, complete with new bevel gears, and the saddle were next.




And then the table, end caps, dials and wheels.  Gee, it's starting to look like a mill again.




Then came the ram and the head.  The lower duplex bearings on the quill were junk.  I was lucky to find a lead to someone that had a new set of ABEC-7 duplex bearings for a really good price.  (Thanks Don and Ray)  The upper quill bearing is not an expensive bearing so I replaced it as well.  There is also a set of duplex bearings in the drive pulley.  After cleaning they seemed to be fine, so I used them after packing with grease.  I didn't get any pictures of the "innards" but there was considerable work involved, including new "NO" type bearing retainer nuts.




And here she is in all her glory.




I still have a lot of things to do before she's ready to spew chips, but at least Humpty Dumpty is back together again!

I have to say thanks to Bob (buickgsx455man) for commiserating as we went thru this together.

Thanks for looking.

Steve


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## Buickgsman (Apr 29, 2013)

Why beige paint?  Couldnt't they just grab a quart of gray and slather it up?  Why why why?   But that paint stripper looks like it did the trick!  Looking forward to seeing the rest of the pics !!:drink2:

Bob


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## LEEQ (Apr 29, 2013)

I can't see the pics. AAHH. I can see the first couple and look forward to the rest. That's a neat looking mill.


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## Bellwether (Apr 29, 2013)

Mmmmmm. I'm jealous. That's going to be nice.


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## LEEQ (Apr 30, 2013)

Wow, looking really sharp!


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## LEEQ (May 2, 2013)

So what's left? Looks ready to make a mess anyway.


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## ddushane (May 3, 2013)

Very Nice! You did an awesome job! I want one.

Dwayne


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## RandyM (May 3, 2013)

You do really nice work Steve. That is a nice addition to the shop. I hope you get lots of use out of it now. Half the fun is restoring it, the other half will be getting it dirty. I bet you learned what really makes it tic though.


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## stevecmo (May 3, 2013)

Thanks for the compliments, guys!  

While trying to get the mill done, I've been neglecting the outside springtime chores.  We had a few nice weather days so I had to devote my time to that.  And then.......the weather turned nasty and we got snow yesterday!  So now I can spend some more time hopefully finishing things up.  Not a lot to do, just the little things tram the head and vise, adjust the gibs, make sure everything is lubed and smooth, etc., etc.

I do have to make some sort of keeper to contain/adjust one of the gibs as it has a notch worn in it and the button head won't retain it.  I also have to make some brass plugs for the dial locks.  And I have a couple of cool nameplates coming (thanks Bob) that will set it off nicely.

Randy, you're right.  I like tearing them down and going thru them completely.  It gives you a better understanding of how everything works so you can troubleshoot problems in the future.  (I'm still in awe of your BP......and shop, by the way ))

Steve


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## Uncle Buck (May 15, 2013)

Glad to see you are comfortable stripping them down and rebuilding them! Looks great!


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## Rennkafer (May 15, 2013)

Both the mill and the lathe look beautiful!  

I am resisting the urge to strip/repaint the Logan lathe I bought in December (a 12x24 2555VL) and the Bridgeport clone (Rutlands/Long Chang LC-1) I bought in April and have just been doing a disassemble/clean/reassemble/adjust on them (Well except for the quill portion of the mill, someone put plain ball bearings on the spindle).  

I'm not familiar with Rockwells, but a lot of the import machine tools (mills, especially) come in a kind of off-white.  Maybe they were trying to match it to other equipment they had.


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## stevecmo (May 16, 2013)

Rennkafer said:


> Both the mill and the lathe look beautiful!
> 
> 
> I'm not familiar with Rockwells, but a lot of the import machine tools (mills, especially) come in a kind of off-white.  Maybe they were trying to match it to other equipment they had.




Thanks for the kind words.  

No, I think the beige was just something they found in the corner.  They did very little masking.....just sprayed away.  The original Rockwells were gray....some two tone gray.

Steve


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## Uncle Buck (May 16, 2013)

Did you brush or spray the finish on those machines? Also, if sprayed did you use epoxy enamel, rattle cans, or hardware grade like Rust-olem? If you did use something like Rust-olem did you buy it is the can, thin, add hardener then run through a gun to paint it? Just curious, both are simply beatiful. Making them look that nice is so addicting too. Where did you come up with the mill, local to KC area?


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## stevecmo (May 16, 2013)

Uncle Buck said:


> Did you brush or spray the finish on those machines? Also, if sprayed did you use epoxy enamel, rattle cans, or hardware grade like Rust-olem? If you did use something like Rust-olem did you buy it is the can, thin, add hardener then run through a gun to paint it? Just curious, both are simply beatiful. Making them look that nice is so addicting too. Where did you come up with the mill, local to KC area?




Buck,

It's Rustoleum Professional in Smoke Gray.  I bought a gallon and still have about half left after doing the lathe and the mill.  I used Rustoleum white primer first, again brushed.  Everything is right out of the can - no thinners, hardeners, etc.  It takes a minimum of two finish coats and lots of things have three or four coats.  The Rustoleum flows well.  It's a little slow to harden, but once it does it seems pretty durable.

It's kind of tedious but I enjoy putting some tunes on and painting away.  I think the largest brush I used was 2".  All the smaller parts and nooks and crannies are done with small artist type brushes - nothing expensive.

I got the mill from a fellow up in Leavenworth.  He's just a hobbyist, but has 4-5 other mills and 17 lathes at last count.  We had quite a time looking at all his stuff and chewing the fat.  Nice guy.  He has a couple other things (including an Atlas shaper) that I've tried to talk him into selling but no luck.

Hope that helps.

Steve


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## Old Iron (May 16, 2013)

Nice job Steve! It looks like you took your time and did a fantastic job.

Paul


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## timbertoes (May 16, 2013)

so nice, heck you're the kind of neighbor we all need


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## Uncle Buck (May 16, 2013)

stevecmo said:


> Buck,
> 
> It's Rustoleum Professional in Smoke Gray.  I bought a gallon and still have about half left after doing the lathe and the mill.  I used Rustoleum white primer first, again brushed.  Everything is right out of the can - no thinners, hardeners, etc.  It takes a minimum of two finish coats and lots of things have three or four coats.  The Rustoleum flows well.  It's a little slow to harden, but once it does it seems pretty durable.
> 
> ...



I don't suppose he has a twin for your machine he might be looking to part company with?


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## woodtickgreg (May 16, 2013)

Yup that's a pretty cool old mill. You did a great job on the refurb, now I want one of those too! It's a sickness.


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## itsme_Bernie (May 16, 2013)

Wow that is a beautiful job there, wow


Bernie


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## Ben (May 16, 2013)

Wow Steve!

That mill looks great, you did a fantastic job on it! I like how the head unit is set up with the motor on it as opposed to the other end like the clausing 85xx. Saves a little space.

I was wondering what you used to strip the paint, if it gave off a bunch of fumes and how long it took for it to work. I need to strip green paint off my south bend and I want to strip my mill as well.

Thanks!
Ben


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## Old Iron (May 16, 2013)

Ben
The best thing to use is a needle scaler you can get one at H.F. pretty cheap. It won't hurt the cast iron.

Paul







Ben said:


> Wow Steve!
> 
> That mill looks great, you did a fantastic job on it! I like how the head unit is set up with the motor on it as opposed to the other end like the clausing 85xx. Saves a little space.
> 
> ...


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## stevecmo (May 16, 2013)

Uncle Buck said:


> I don't suppose he has a twin for your machine he might be looking to part company with?



No, I don't think he's wanting to sell anything unfortunately.  I accuse him of starting a museum.

- - - Updated - - -



Ben said:


> Wow Steve!
> 
> That mill looks great, you did a fantastic job on it! I like how the head unit is set up with the motor on it as opposed to the other end like the clausing 85xx. Saves a little space.
> 
> ...



Ben,

I used CitriStrip.  Probably not the strongest or quickest but seems pretty safe and I think does a good job.


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## Ben (May 17, 2013)

Thanks for the quick reply Steve, I will give it a shot!

Ben


stevecmo said:


> No, I don't think he's wanting to sell anything unfortunately.  I accuse him of starting a museum.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> ...


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## stevecmo (May 18, 2013)

ricksengines said:


> Absolutely fantastic work. So since this is my first post let me just say that the Rockwell Mills are my favorites. I have a vert that is operational and I use it quite frequently. I just got a horizontal and and vert/horiz combo that I have been salivating over for a long time. Both machines require a good cleanup and a mechanical and electrical going over. I'll try to post a few pics shortly but they are both missing some parts and I don't know as yet how well they run. I am searching for the missing parts but some I know I willl have to make. The vert/horiz was missing the arbor support. I managed to find the original 3" steel support but the casting is another story. If any one has an extra one that  they would like to sell please let me know. In the mean time I worked up a drawing for the support bracket and I am having four of them cut out of a piece of 2" thick 6061 Aluminum using a water jet. Once they are cut, I will machine and insert a bronze bearing into the support and I will also machine and install a gits oiler in the side so the bearing can be lubricated during operation. When these things are ready I will also punch in and thread the clamping hole. If anyone out there wants one of them please let me know. I haven't gotten a price trogether yet because I haven't gotten the price for the cutting and stock firmed up as yet. Once I get them in hand and finish up the work I have described I'll have a better idea on the price. Be assured that the price will be very reasonable. Something that I don't understand is how these things go missing as they aren't exactly small and light weight but sadly they do. Enjoy!
> Rick



Rick,

Thanks for the kind words.

Are you a member of the Yahoo Rockwell mill group?  If not, you should probably join as it is dedicated to these mills.  You will probably find folks there that would be interested in the parts you are making.  Thanks for offering.

Steve


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## woodtickgreg (May 18, 2013)

I would really like to see pics of these mills, I am not familiar with them and now I'm very curious.


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## stevecmo (May 18, 2013)

ricksengines said:


> I already asked Harold B but he is getting up there and didn't want to have to look through stacks of the labels to find one for the mill. He has gazillions of parts and I think the job of finding stuff for the mills in somewhat daunting at this point because he has so little of the parts remaining and they are probably burried in teh tons of parts that he has for other machines.
> 
> I may have found a source for belts for the horizontal mill. I won't know for sure until next week in the meantime if anyone in the Group has found a source I need four of the buggers. The part number for them is 49-084
> 
> rick



Rick,

Ah, so you've found Harold!  He is quite a story and quite a source of information and parts......sometimes.  I'm afraid when he goes his stash may just go to the curb.  

I'm not real familiar with the belts on the horizontals.  From Tony's UK site (http://www.lathes.co.uk/rockwellmillers/) they are 8M Gates Polyflex - which I'm not familiar with either.  Gates still makes lots of belts, have you checked their site?  I don't have the horizontal parts list - is that part number a Rockwell number or a Gates number?

Steve

- - - Updated - - -



woodtickgreg said:


> I would really like to see pics of these mills, I am not familiar with them and now I'm very curious.



Greg,

The above link will give some info on the different RW mills, including some pic's of a refurbed vertical.

Steve


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## stevecmo (May 22, 2013)

Rick,

There is a document in the files section on the yahoo site that addresses all the bearing.  It shows what folks have taken out of their machines and what they've put back in.  There is a set of duplex bearings in the quill and another set in the pulley.  These are ABEC-7 high dollar bearings.  Did I say they are expensive......and hard to find?  You might get lucky and find them on ebay.  Or, you can put lower tolerance, cheaper bearings in.  Or you may find that after you clean up your old bearings and get all the hardened grease out of them, that they're in good enough shape to reuse.  My guess is that your machines don't have the original bearings in them.  

Why do you think you need a new quill?  What's wrong with the one you have?

Resurface the table?  Why?  My table is one of the worst I've ever seen.  Put a big old swivel vise on it and you won't see most of the divots.  Unless you have a friend in the business, you will spend a lot of money resurfacing your table.  Unless it's warped or the tee slots are broken out I would clean it up and move on.

Unless you are wanting museum pieces, make sure you know what you're getting into before spending too much money.  It's easy to get sink more money into these old machines than it would cost to buy a better one.  

Hope that helps.

Steve


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## stevecmo (May 23, 2013)

ricksengines said:


> Hi Steve
> 
> At 66 my time costs me nothing. I get a lot of smiles out of doing something like this so kindly let an old man (getting older by the minute) who might have something bad health wise happening to him at least have a little fun in his golden (old age sucks) years. Now where was the link to the posting on the bearings as I think that was my original question along with a beg for other parts that might be lurking out there.
> 
> rickhew:



Wow!  I'm not quite sure how to take your last paragraph or how to respond.

Let you have a little fun in your golden years???  I'm certainly not stopping you from spending your time and money however you want.  You asked for advise and I tried to give the best I could.  I'm sorry if it wasn't what you wanted to hear.

Now where's the link to the posting on the bearings as I think that was my original question???  As I said originally, it's in the files section on the RW Yahoo group.  But since you seem to be having trouble finding it, here's a direct link:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rockwellmillingmachine/files/Rebuilding Notes/

As to your potential health problem, best of luck from a cancer survivor.

Steve


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## Ben (May 31, 2013)

Paul, sorry I missed your post previously, but thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I live in a townhouse with a one car garage that has my equipment shoe horned into. SWMBO would kill me if I ran a needle gun there:whistle:.


Old Iron said:


> Ben
> The best thing to use is a needle scaler you can get one at H.F. pretty cheap. It won't hurt the cast iron.
> 
> Paul


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## cbtrek (Sep 29, 2013)

Looks like a brand new mill that will give many more years making parts In AMERICA!


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## ScottieB (Jan 15, 2014)

Very nice job Steve. Don't rent an engine hoist next time. I have one you can borrow.


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## stevecmo (Jan 15, 2014)

Thanks for the kind words and the offer Scottie.  I may take you up it.  )


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