In article ,
PeterM wrote:
I just picked up an older Unimat lathe, a DB 200.
That's even older than my SL-1000 -- but very similar. IIRC, it
has iron castings for the base, instead of aluminum ones, and there is a
slight difference in how the headstock attaches to either the base or
the milling column, but otherwise quite similar.
I like to clean it up. It
has light rust on the metal rails that allow other pieces to slide on. What
is the best way to do that,
What I would do in that case is to remove the rails from the
base casting (one screw at each end per rail), and then spray it with
something like WD-40 and rub one of the finer grades of 3M's
ScotchBrite, or a very fine steel wool to clean off the light rust.
(Note that the WD-40 is useless for preventing the rust from occuring,
but nice enough for the cleaning.)
It should not make a difference, but I would still mark each rod
at the end, so it goes back in the same place and the same orientation
-- perhaps by making a single center punch mark at the right-hand end of
the front rod, and a double mark at the right-hand end of the rear rod.
If the rods are badly pitted, you should be able to get some
drill rod of the same size (12mm I think?). In the UK, drill rod would
be called "Silver Steel". Actually, the metric size will probably be
easier to find in the UK than here in the USA. I don't think that you
will need to harden the rods -- the originals never seemed to be
hardened.
and maybe a hint on what to put on the parts
afterwards, so the rust will not come back......many thanks...........Peter
I would use a good waylube (e.g. Vactra No. 2 Waylube) to keep
it lubed and free of moisture. If all you have is a Unimat, the minimum
purchase of a gallon should keep you going for life. Perhaps you should
find a hobby machinist near wherever you live, and offer to buy a pint
from him. (I know that I ordered a 5 gallon container of the Vactra No.
2, and use it on several machines.)
Remember -- after using the machine, clean off the rails, and
once clean, re-lube with the Vactra No. 2 again.
Note that this is far from the most rigid design for the size --
those rods flex visibly under all but the lightest cuts. But you can
learn a lot about how to deal with the limitations of a lathe using that
machine.
WD-40 makes a good lubricant/coolant for machining aluminum, but
is more likely to concentrate water from the air and encourage rust if
left on the surface. Vactra No. 2 stays there forever. But it will
accumulate chips and such, which is why you want to clean the rods after
use (and WD-40 is good for that, at least). Then you dry the WD-40 off,
and coat with the Vactra No. 2.
Good Luck,
DoN.
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