Steel Project #4

[Bill Ford]

Hey Storm my heart bleeds for you buddy...after you got the thing looking that pretty you had to have an accident!
But you should be able to refinish huh? Just wash the whole body with acetone, get it fairly smooth and the new lacquer should melt right in with the old shouldn't it?

Not to contradict you Bent but, if it's apart already, I wouldn't chance it, I would strip it, and start from scratch. Sometimes stain matching can get tricky(ask me how I know) LOL

Lookin good Bro, I think you might just make a machinist yet.

Bill

[Storm Rosson]

Yer bout right on with my thoughts, just strip it and give a real good acetone bath, maybe bleach it with Oxy-clean and make it up from there. Don't know what color it may turn out maybe flat black (like Moon's when I met him in the late 60's)....he was with Waylon and they were in W's old Black Widow ex-Greyhound bus.....Moon had a big Salvo soap disk with a bite mark carved out of it hangin from his keyhead ROFL....but that was the good old days......

[Bent]

Just a pic to show what a breeze it is to drill the angle holes in the endplates when you can clamp it good and solid and just tilt the head 10 degrees.

Holes~endpl.jpg (118.78 KiB) Viewed 1802 times

[Pat Comeau]

That only makes me want to have a mill more then ever now , looking good Bent, i see you use cooling fluid for aluminum...i haven't used any cooling fluid yet but i guess once i get a mill i'd probably have to, where did you get the fluid?

Pat

[Bent]

Pat, I got that fluid at Tool and Cutter - machine tooling supplier. That is a rather thick oily stuff, maybe like #40 motor oil. It is also pricey so I use it only for drilling and tapping. For normal cutting with an end mill, I use either WD40 or Varsol (paint thinner). I have used up a gallon can of WD 40 so far and at $35 a can, it is too pricey. So now I will try a can of varsol at $5 a can. I also have a coolant pump on the mill that circulates coolant made up of emulsifying oil and water. But it's messy stuff, gets all over the floor from the splashing of the rotating cutter. So I use it only on long runs..say if I were to mill a neck or a pedal bar.

[Bill Ford]

Pat,Bent,
I used to use Ridgid clear ,mixed equal parts with Rapid tap cutting fluid. If you can find a small size, give it a try, the RT is a little pricey, but worth it, nuclear is $25 gal.
Bent, Do not use WD40 on your mill, if you leave it overnite, it will leave a waxy film that is a booger to get off.(also not a cutting fluid, or lubricant) A-9 is the best on the market for aluminum...Bill

FWIW...WD40....Water dispersant, formula #40...ie 40th try at a product.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ecatal ... utting+oil

Thread Cutting Oil,Clear,1 Gal
Item # 6YJ44
Nuclear Thread Cutting Oil, Size 1 Gallon

http://www.mcmaster.com/#rapid-tap-cutt ... ds/=c563bf

[Bent]

Bill, I used WD40 on recommendation of the engineer/machinist who gave me the mill. I find no waxy film , although I use paint thinner to clean the sliding surfaces before re-lubing.
A9 is great but way too expensive to use as lubricant/ cooling fluid when milling. Emulsifying oil mixed 1/20 with water works great but like I said, messy.
Anyway, my use of WD is done with the can empty...Varsol paint thinner is next!

[Bill Ford]

Bent,
WD40 may have changed their formula(WD41???) I'm talking 15+ years ago. I also got into a discussion with a talk show host on our local radio when I challenged his recommendation of WD for lubing door locks.Don't ever put it on your PSG !!!!!!!
A9 best on the market for tapping aluminum.Pricey tho.

Bill

[Bent]

Yes, Bill, I believe everybody knows by now that it is not to be used on the PSG. For instant lubrication, like when milling, it's ok. Greasy, slippery. Then you wipe the residue off when done and Bob's your uncle!

[Pat Comeau]

I was told not to use WD40 for lubrican or cooling, WD40 is a degreaser and rust cleaner for losing sticky nuts and bolts IMO.