On Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:27:26 -0700, etpm wrote:
On Mon, 11 Aug 2014 19:09:37 -0400, Ed Huntress
wrote:
On Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:38:46 -0700, wrote:
I have this old metal lathe. It's B.F Barnes and is at least 100 years
old. It has that patina that a lot of old iron gets. Some folks think
this patina should not be disturbed. Other folks think the tool should
be made to look as close as possible to the original factory finish.
For this lathe I am of the mind that the patina should be removed. I
want customers to see what was possible 100 years ago. I want the
machine to appear new, or nearly new, the way it would have looked in a
factory where the machine was wiped down and cleaned every night. So,
opinions?
Thanks,
Eric
A new lathe, 100 years ago, would have had a scraped surface on the
bedways. That's probably gone. The look is very distinctive:
http://tinyurl.com/mmyyq2x
Re-scraping it would cost more than it's worth. But you may be able to
somewhat restore the *appearance* of the original scraping, depending on
the lathe's condition and what you intend to do with it.
Let us know if this it just for looks, or if you want to restore its
function as much as possible.
The lathe is now and will be fully functional. I will be making parts on
it. These parts will be just for my own enjoyment, not for paying
customers. The bed ways look as if they were made on a planer or a
shaper. Even under the headstock there are no scraping marks. I am not
sure how straight or worn the ways are but I can still see longitudinal
marks that run the length of both the carriage and tailstock ways.
Eric
If the lathe is yours, you should do whatever you damned well please to it.
If you're trying to maximize its value when you get too old for it or pass
away, then you're guessing at what the fashion will be in antique
machinery in the (hopefully distant) future, and that's not a useful
occupation in my opinion.
If it were mine I'd do whatever is best for it as a piece of working
machinery, and let my heirs decide what to do with it after I no longer
care.
--
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com