I am working with an old 1974 Clausing 8052. The lathe itself seems to
be in really good condition. I am using the machine after it has sat
idle for a long time. No manuals exist in the shop and the topslide
will not move. The feed handle turns (there is quite a bit of backlash)
but the slide stays in one place.
It has an Aloris toolpost on it and I suspect the topslide has been
locked somehow. I loosened the gib screws but got no movement out of
it. Any ideas? Maybe a soft whack with a hammer?
Also, with the Aloris, is there an optimium angle for the compound to
be at? Once I get the compound moving, I may have to change the
rotation of the tool block. I want to get it right.

Thanks.