South Bend 9 Compound Condition & "weld up" fixes?

[finsruskw]

Whoopps!!
Sorry about that!!
Whatever it is, sure looks like it has seen better days!!

 

[Tim9]

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I’m big on repairing lots of stuff. But there’s a lot of stress on T-slots. Especially the mount for the lantern or QCTP
For under 40.00, I’d buy a used one and then work on the rest. Old saying... you can’t polish a turd.

 

[SLK001]

I’m big on repairing lots of stuff. But there’s a lot of stress on T-slots. Especially the mount for the lantern or QCTP
For under 40.00, I’d buy a used one and then work on the rest. Old saying... you can’t polish a turd.

This is quite true. However, there isn't much to lose in trying the repair. The repair is mostly cosmetic, so the bulk of the stresses would be absorbed by the intact T-slot.

If the repair fails, the OP could easily fall back on a used compound.

 

[Tim9]

I totally agree SLK. I’ll be the first to admit that not too long ago, I had no other options but to repair this sort of thing. Back then, I just couldn’t afford 50.00 , so I absolutely bronze brazed cast iron things like this. As I often would say.... I’ve got more time than money so there’s little to lose.

in fact... on my first Atlas 618.... I repaired just this sort of break on the compound. It was never perfect, but at the time I just couldn’t afford to buy anything on EBay. I say another thing often.... Poverty sucks but it is what it is. No point in crying and don’t forget..... it could always be worse.

 

[graham-xrf]

This is quite true. However, there isn't much to lose in trying the repair. The repair is mostly cosmetic, so the bulk of the stresses would be absorbed by the intact T-slot.

If the repair fails, the OP could easily fall back on a used compound.

I could make the 9A "donate" it's compound to the 9C, but you can see where that leaves the 9A.

Purchasing a compound in the UK looks pretty much not going to happen. There are some beat up lathes on eBay "parts only", where there is a whole 9C with chucks and change gears for £225. Free collection in person only, long journey through one of the world's harshest lockdown, and nothing else on it I need. There are some parted-out bits, "as seen" in pictures that are too small and not zoom-able, all at bunkum prices, many with a postal charge from the USA. I don't know about customs import duties. Last time I purchased from USA/Canada, it stopped at the port until a fee was paid.

Here is a sample..



Note that £107.61 is $149.57 ! It becomes £170.46 when you add in the postage.
Then convert to dollars -> $236.93 (What?)
I am not inclined to play on these terms.
Here is a UK eBay link -> SB9C 42" for restoration

If rigidity and strength is is an issue with these, then a variation of the "New T-Nut lip held on with screws" route might be to machine away both the T-nut top ledges, and fix in thicker strong steel replacements, each held in with four high tensile countersunk screws, possibly made somewhat permanent with Loctite 638.

Right now, as I progress on this learning curve, I begin to feel I have less and less to lose. $40 for a compound body replacement sounds impossible when just a used compound nut by itself is like this -->


At today's exchange rate, that comes to $75.20 !! What's with the £35.17 ($48.88) to post a little harmless thing that weighs 32.3g (1.14oz) ?
I already have a worn nut. Why buy another? I would rather play with trying out my own bronze-loaded epoxy version.

Getting back to the weld fix, I think if I get it (slowly) up to something very hot, and keep it hot while welding, then after the weld, take the heat up higher, heat soak and slow cool. It can go in insulation, and take 16 or 20 hours to cool if that seems a good plan. So far, the costs are not high, and the learning is intense!

 

[martik777]

Americans don't realize how lucky they are to have access to a huge marketplace and cheap USPS rates. I am in Canada, 25kms from the border but cannot buy anything from the USA without paying enormous shipping rates like yourself. Luckily I can have some items shipped to the border town and pickup for a $2 fee but it's still a PITA. It is usually cheaper for me to have items shipped from China than the USA.

 

[SLK001]

It is usually cheaper for me to have items shipped from China than the USA.

Same here... I can buy something from China and it is cheaper to ship from there than from across town.

 

[Tim9]

Americans don't realize how lucky they are to have access to a huge marketplace and cheap USPS rates. I am in Canada, 25kms from the border but cannot buy anything from the USA without paying enormous shipping rates like yourself. Luckily I can have some items shipped to the border town and pickup for a $2 fee but it's still a PITA. It is usually cheaper for me to have items shipped from China than the USA.

I totally agree. And although I don’t really identify with either political party on every issue, I get really ****** when I think about the fact that America’s leaders gave a Communist country most favored nation trade status. It’s actually cheaper to ship something from China to the USA than it is to ship something from Canada or Mexico. It’s crazy.
We should be building and supporting the America’s . Most favored nation trade should be with North and South America. Granted, that’s not going to fix everything. But it’s just one more impediment for Canada -USA trade when it costs 25.00 to ship something across the border. And it’s certainly not helping Central America. If the economy was just a little better in Central America, then maybe we wouldn’t have a border immigration problem. What the heck is going on in Washington DC. Just so broken on the stuff that’s important.

I know we aren’t supposed to get political and I tried to keep this post worded so it wasn’t too Party affiliated. But, somethings really messed up when I can buy something from China and the postage is 4.95 while if I order a screwdriver from Canada..... I pay 14.00

 

[graham-xrf]

I get really ****** when I think about the fact that America’s leaders gave a Communist country most favored nation trade status. It’s actually cheaper to ship something from China to the USA than it is to ship something from Canada or Mexico. It’s crazy.

Far enough back in history that I think by now we are allowed to mention it - we Brits did worse! There was a time (1946) when we shipped 10 Rolls-Royce Nene Jet engines to the USSR (as it was at the time). Then, another 15 in 1947, ending up selling 55 jet engines at a fixed price.

1947 was hardly "wartime". By then, surely, Russia was no longer "an Allied nation".
What happened was one Artem Mikoyan was actually invited to visit the Rolls-Royce factory.
Stalin was shocked, reportedly saying "What idiots would sell us their jet engines?"
Also what happened was obvious and inevitable. Dozens of Americans were shot down by MIG-15s with a 100mph advantage!

As a lad, I would like and trust "Made in USA", or "Product of Great Britain". The stuff was quality, and affordable. Something is very skewed if now, we can't get an item of a trusted American brand from Buffalo to Calgary for a price that is not an unreasonable fraction of it's value. Russians, Germans, Japanese, and yes - even the very best of Chinese are not inherently smarter, nor more gifted than the rest of us!

 

[graham-xrf]

Whoopps!!
Sorry about that!!
Whatever it is, sure looks like it has seen better days!!

Completely agreed. I don't intend to give it better days to come. It's last ironic task, brimming with poetic justice, is to perhaps participate in the making of it's own replacement - maybe.

You get me thinking..
Loads
The entire load of cutting forces through the machine shoves on the little lead-screw, usually at some angle, because most folk try not to let the adjust handles of the cross slide, and the compound get too near to each other. If they don't actually clash, then at least they might limit the size they can be.

Then further down, the load goes through the cross-slide nut, this time shoving the threads into shear parallel to the axis. Everything we care about in rigidity and accuracy goes through these small things. OK - not all the forces. Some transfer via a fractionally tilted pin, or rotational moment onto dovetail slides, but in principle, they are easily driven into their "better days" being a thing of the past. If the lathe(s) survived beyond the anticipated war end, they become "repair consumables".

UHMW, PEEK, Turcite, Rulon, Tivar, et al
So what is the deal with using plastics for Acme Nuts? Can they take the load? Are they short-lived. Are they cost-effective?
I had wondered if a strong epoxy (Marine JB-Weld loaded with bronze powder might work, especially if potted over a lead screw coated with car wax to get a ready-made Acme thread. Here is a video which is gross in some ways, but anyway..

-->

Would you prefer true "metal-to metal"?