Colchester Bantam Mk1 1600

[Dieselman 63]

Your keeping me motivated now. Can't let you beat me to a working lathe lol. My dremmels had a good workout too.
Tomorrow should see the rest of mine ready for paint.
Never bothered with paint stripper. These things are the nuts for paint removal. Used then all the time when I was restoring sash windows regularly. The thicker the paint the easier it comes off. 30 mins saw my cab naked ready for wire wheel. And its clean in comoarison to paint striper. http://www.google.co.uk/shopping/pr...cQFjQqKQENxRZpdI_vZzT-USJeiPqVjRoC7sYQAvD_BwE

Yes those are good aren't they! Use them at uni all the time, horrible whining sound when you take them over walls haha

Doubt I'll beat you to functionality... Still haven't gone vfd inverter shopping yet.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Its not a fair race. Yours is a bit more involved with the screw cutting gearbox too. Guessing your cross feed is powered? Interested in going the 3p route myself too. A later project though.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Its not a fair race. Yours is a bit more involved with the screw cutting gearbox too. Guessing your cross feed is powered? Interested in going the 3p route myself too. A later project though.

It is - both forward and reverse, the uni were amazed when I showed them it could do power surfacing as well as feed, had no clue it could do both! Gearbox is a right old puzzler to take apart. The apron is all connected to it, too. I'm having some trouble getting it all free. There's a hole that looks like a grub screw should be there, I'll post a pic. Hoping something hasn't sheared inside.

 

[Dieselman 63]

I am stuck. I cannot get the shafts out of the gearbox. @Pete. @Ton-up can you offer any assistance? All the grub screws and the E clip are out.

The underside has gained some paint, the blocked holes got a coat of primer but the open ones still need paint prep

 

[Ton-up]

Sorry, can't help, never gone that far before! Just keep looking for hidden fixings and also look at the box logically. What moves, what doesn't, the sound of things when the shaft is tapped on the end, etc.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Sorry, can't help, never gone that far before! Just keep looking for hidden fixings and also look at the box logically. What moves, what doesn't, the sound of things when the shaft is tapped on the end, etc.

I can't get the splined shaft out of the gearbox, which is holding me back from cleaning out the apron. The apron won't slide off the shaft as the spline isn't cut at the end. Very annoying!

 

[Dieselman 63]

Progress marches on - slowly... It has been sunny lately which has meant two things, good weather for doing some much needed gardening and good weather for doing a spot of painting. I've cleaned and degreased the tray, now it is being sanded and then primed. Doing it in sections as and when I get time (I'll do the final primer and topcoat in one after I sand it down). I also need to buy some more Dremel sanding and grinding heads to clean out the bed casting. That paint is hard to remove between the ways and the Dremel has proved an ideal tool for getting into crevices, great purchase.

My lathe has weird wear patterns on the paint. Lots of chipping - bare metal on the tray on the front lip, yet the back and splashguard have no chipping at all. Not even any wear on the splashguard, like it was never used with the guard but I know it was as the guard was welded on. Lots of dings and knocks on the tray at the front edge too. Seems like it's had little, careless use. Anyway...

Tomorrow I plan to buy paint for the lower portions and a nice plastic fibre brush. No real need to sand back to bare metal, they're not rusty and the original paint is good - I would have kept it as I like the colour only someone has splashed white paint all over it at some point, so it will be repainted dark grey.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

and the Dremel has proved an ideal tool for getting into crevices, great purchase.

Even better if you team it with one of these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...tp_WAhXkLsAKHZ5VA6EQ_AUICigB&biw=1440&bih=794

 

[Dieselman 63]

Even better if you team it with one of these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...tp_WAhXkLsAKHZ5VA6EQ_AUICigB&biw=1440&bih=794

Yes I wanted the 'snake' but was too poor at the time I bought it, could only afford the base model 3000.

 

[God mode restorations]

I am stuck. I cannot get the shafts out of the gearbox. @Pete. @Ton-up can you offer any assistance? All the grub screws and the E clip are out.

The underside has gained some paint, the blocked holes got a coat of primer but the open ones still need paint prep

Did you get the shaft out ?

 

[Dieselman 63]

Did you get the shaft out ?

Nope it's bloody annoying. Taken all the E clips out, grub screws, but nothing. Read a description online but it was too brief and the pictures were poor. Apparently there's something you wedge but it's got me stumped.

Edit:

You can see the pin in this image here (not mine) on the lower shaft:

http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/azza2176/media/bWVkaWFJZDo5MzQ5OTQ0NQ==/?ref=1

No idea why they didn't just put a yoke in as it would give the same amount of drive as the other end is held captive. Would make disassembly so much easier. I don't want to take the gearbox apart but I need to take the apron apart.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Thanks @eLuSiVeMiTe for recommending a linbide scraper as even though I use them all the time at uni I wouldn't have thought about using one on lathe paint removal duties. It is scraping through like a dream.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Top shaft out. Two grub screws were hiding. Middle shaft is still a puzzler.

 

[God mode restorations]

Top shaft out. Two grub screws were hiding. Middle shaft is still a puzzler.

Might have some information for you. Found a site with someone having the same problem. Hope it helps you.

 

[Dieselman 63]

View attachment 118970 View attachment 118971 View attachment 118972
Might have some information for you. Found a site with someone having the same problem. Hope it helps you.

I've read this passage a few times now and I just can't figure it out, some photos of it actually being ripped apart would have been cool. Progress though! And no rush. The lathe never makes me angry, it's always a pleasure to work out how it goes together, so I'll work it out somehow. Thanks for the help

 

[God mode restorations]

I've read this passage a few times now and I just can't figure it out, some photos of it actually being ripped apart would have been cool. Progress though! And no rush. The lathe never makes me angry, it's always a pleasure to work out how it goes together, so I'll work it out somehow. Thanks for the help

No worries. Some information is difficult to find.

 

[RichardM]

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=571827

don't think it will help you much as seems to be before and after shots, and you've probably already seen it

 

[Dieselman 63]

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=571827

don't think it will help you much as seems to be before and after shots, and you've probably already seen it

That's a much larger machine than mine, but thanks

 

[Dieselman 63]

Big news - I got the middle shaft out!

It was really tough, a complete puzzler and many days I went to the workshop and left without doing anything. Slow and steady and all that though, and it's finally apart. Of course, the intention was never to rebuild the gearbox, but to get the spline shaft out. As @Seadog correctly pointed out there was an inaccessible pin which can only be reached once you completely dismantle the gearbox. Had to use a lot of brass pieces to knock the parts out. Although they spin free on the shafts, the shafts themselves haven't moved in 42 years so are a little stiff to say the least.

So the spline shaft is out. Now, I don't know how this has happened but the end is like a U which means it should have pulled out just fine without complete dismantling being necessary, however the end of the U had become bent, and all the grime and muck inside had sort of wedged it on solid. It all came out black. If you're reading this and wondering if you need to take apart the gearbox to remove the spline shaft, you shouldn't - normally. In this case however I did, and that's okay as the paint is shot to bits inside the housing so I'll do a repaint there and get it all looking nice and new.

Now to start on the apron - it's not straight forward how this comes apart either, but it looks a great deal easier than the gearbox. Managed to get rid of most of the grease for the photo, but the oil is thick and black, full of crap too. A full strip down and rebuild is in order I think, with the apron being repainted too.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Well done.

Told you it would end up coming apart completely lol. Looking forward to seeing progress again. Itching to finish painting mine and got some time off next week.