Clausing 1670

[Cheeseheadkeith]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Shootymacshootface]

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]

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]

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

 

[Cheeseheadkeith]

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]

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.