# Clausing 1670



## Cheeseheadkeith (May 10, 2020)

Hello all

I recently scored a 15” classing drill press with variable speed. I’ve started disassembly for restoration cause the spindle and quill were all rusted and the bearing were pretty much toast. 
min stuck at removing the head off of the column. It’s stuck pretty tight.  I’ve been soaking it with pb blaster everyday but it still seems stuck tight. Any body have any good ideas?


----------



## matthewsx (May 10, 2020)

Be patient, keep soaking it in penetrating oil, maybe apply some heat, and be patient. It will come loose eventually but if you break it while trying you'll be bummed.

John


----------



## mikey (May 10, 2020)

What you have there is one of the finest US-made drill presses made. It has an angular contact bearing at the end of the quill, something that almost no import drill press has. I would kill to have that drill press.

The head is just bound up by rust and maybe some old oil. As John said, you need to be patient. Use penetrating oil and let it sit for awhile. I recall that one that seemed to work involved mixing ATF with some other oil; look it up. I would shoot something in the joint between the head and column and give the head a push/pull every time I walked by it until it breaks loose. In time, that thing will move.


----------



## Cheeseheadkeith (May 10, 2020)

John and Mikey. 
thank you. I have resisted the urge to pull out the dead blow. Would you believe the drill press was given to me free of charge?
I was told it hadn’t run in thirty years. I found the quill and spindle on eBay for $200 which is expensive but probably cheaper than going through Clausing. Pb I’ll let you all know when I get it to break free. Anybody have any tips on getting the column cleaned up once I get it all separated?


----------



## Manual Mac (May 10, 2020)

Equal parts ATF & acetone works for me. 
Keep the lid on, the acetone will evaporate.


----------



## Shootymacshootface (May 10, 2020)

Manual Mac said:


> Equal parts ATF & acetone works for me.
> Keep the lid on, the acetone will evaporate.


Yup, thats the formula that everyone talks about. I have never tried it. What I have found that works better than any other product (and I have tried many), is Seafoam Deep Creep. I swear by it.
That will be an awesome drill press!


----------



## mikey (May 10, 2020)

Cheeseheadkeith said:


> Anybody have any tips on getting the column cleaned up once I get it all separated?



WD-40 and Scotchbrite - works well for me.


----------



## Nutfarmer (May 11, 2020)

I have had better luck with kroil  oil than anything else.


----------



## Cheeseheadkeith (May 15, 2020)

Yesterday I had the column brake free from the base. Just using pb blaster every day. Gonna switch to acetone and atf to get the head to break free. Then it’s time for rust removal. I also got my replacement quill and spindle from eBay and all the bearings in from clausing. I might take some parts to work next week to sandblast them or I was considering electrolysis to remove rust. The blast cabinet would be quick and easy then I would just have to do the machine surfaces by hand.


----------



## HarryJM (May 15, 2020)

I second the application of some kind of heat to the head. Try several applications of heat and cool down cycles. 

Also when heated place a piece of 2x4 against the head and try tapping a hammer (maybe against the top of the head as it looks like a good solid piece of metal) while standing on the base (or securing it somehow to keep from moving) to see if you can break the rusted bond. You may want to put a metal hose clamp around the column under the head in case it comes loose and starts to slide down.

Also keep applying some kind of rust penetrating oil.


----------



## Cheeseheadkeith (May 16, 2020)

Another breakthrough today. First of all I mixed up some acetone and atf to soak the head. I took a long tapered screwdriver and tapped it in between the head and the stop collar. I got a gap of about 1/2” between them. Then I got about 1/8” turn and then with a few wiggles it let free. Just the head left. Might clamp it down in a chain vice and try some heat and maybe some light tapping from a rubber mallet. If the acetone and atf doesn’t break it free


----------



## Cheeseheadkeith (May 16, 2020)

Acetone and atf for the win. It was soaking for maybe 10 hrs. I started tapping with a rubber mallet and it popped free. I’m now completely disassembled. Trying to figure out if the column can be saved or if I need to source another one. Anybody have any recommendations for where to acquire a new column?


----------



## Shootymacshootface (May 16, 2020)

Cheeseheadkeith said:


> Trying to figure out if the column can be saved or if I need to source another one. Anybody have any recommendations for where to acquire a new column?


Perfect excuse to get a bigger lathe.


----------



## mikey (May 17, 2020)

Cheeseheadkeith said:


> Acetone and atf for the win. It was soaking for maybe 10 hrs. I started tapping with a rubber mallet and it popped free. I’m now completely disassembled. Trying to figure out if the column can be saved or if I need to source another one. Anybody have any recommendations for where to acquire a new column?



The column is a structural member, not a sliding surface. You should be able to de-rust it with some WD-40 and Scotchbrite, then oil or wax it to keep it rust-free.


----------



## HarryJM (May 17, 2020)

Today I needed to raise the head of my old Delta drill press and looped a heavy duty chain under the head, attached the chain to my engine host, and lifted the drill press up about 1 inch off the ground and then pounded with a small sledge hammer on a 2x4 against the column and it eventually broke free. The table and base were still attached so they added a little more weight to the column which I'm sure help free it up from the head. Also soaked it with a light weight penetrating oil over night.


----------



## Cheeseheadkeith (May 18, 2020)

Well this was encouraging. I spent about five minutes with a wire cup on a grinder and the table cleaned up really well. Gonna do as much as I can with the grinder then do the tough to reach spots under the base with the sand blaster.


----------



## Cheeseheadkeith (Dec 15, 2020)

Been a long time but I started up again on the drill press resto. Put the column in a weld positioner and hit it with a well worn wire wheel. It cleaned up really nicely. So far I’ve got the base, Head stop collar, table mount and table blasted and primed. Gonna use Ace hardwares implement and machinery gray paint. All the rust is just surface and cleans up really quickly in the silica blaster


----------

