Getting back after a 6 month break

[Sean Boyle]

after a dislocated elbow, therapy and other projects last week was the first time I touched my lathe since January. I had a hard time getting the live center out of the tail stock once removed I have more rust than I would like to see I also noticed little also on the head stock. What is the best way to clean and possibly lubricate the MT2 tapers

 

[Bill Boehme]

You will need a Morse taper hand reamer. Depending on how bad the rust is, you might need to start off with the heavy duty one and then go to the fine reamer. After reaming you will need to hone and polish the MT bore. I use a SpinLMate tool. It isn't cheap, but I consider it an essential part of my tools. Finally, NEVER EVER lubricate the MT socket or the shank with anything. Before inserting a MT drive or live center I always clean both the shank and bore with a paper towel wetted with DNA and the wiped with a "lint free" cloth (microfiber cloth is good).

 

[john lucas]

start off with liquid wrench or some Navel Jelly to get rid of the rust. Then look at the surface and decide if it need the morse taper cleaners. Probably not but you won't know until the rust is gone and you can inspect it.

 

[Bill Boehme]

oops ....

start off with liquid wrench or some Navel Jelly to get rid of the rust. Then look at the surface and decide if it need the morse taper cleaners. Probably not but you won't know until the rust is gone and you can inspect it.

Sorry, John, I accidentally modified your post when all that I intended to do was reply. Dang the superpowers that we mods have (leap tall buildings, jump through hoops ....). Anyway, I restored it back to what it was, but in case folks start wondering why I edited your post, it was because I forgot to use the clutch before trying to put my brain in gear.

Spelling errors can be humorous. You had a thread on WoW about that subject. It's OK if you blame it on the spell checker. After all, I haven't tried navel jelly to remove rust. I have used Naval Jelly, but I would hesitate to try it in the MT socket. My thought is that I would be very reluctant to try it in the bore of a rifle that had rust and it is machined to the same tolerances as a rifle barrel bore. Liquid Wrench and a brass bristle brush should be OK. Naval Jelly has the potential to etch the surface of steel.

 

[Jamie Straw]

Eek! Naval Jelly? Evaporust instead...

start off with liquid wrench or some Navel Jelly to get rid of the rust. Then look at the surface and decide if it need the morse taper cleaners. Probably not but you won't know until the rust is gone and you can inspect it.

Oh, dear, I disagree with this one, at least the Naval Jelly part. Naval Jelly will scar the metal. EvapoRust will do a great job, it's non-toxic and non-caustic (I don't even use gloves most of the time), I've used it for years on many, many tools. Tips for use: soak over-night in E-R, take out and rinse off, brush it and perhaps use some 000 steel wool. If it's really rusty, you might need to do a second soaking, but it doesn't sound that bad in the original post.

Evaporust may seem expensive ($25/gallon), but it is re-useable. Any of the solution that isn't black in color can be re-used, over and over again. And it doesn't seem to ever go bad. You can buy it in smaller units, at Amazon or Harbor Freight, and some regular hardware stores. The one tool I really like to brag about is the $15 Inca table saw I got at a big rummage sale, steel parts were rusty and motor didn't seem to work. I got the motor going, and rehabbed all the steel on the saw and its accessories. Sold it for $850.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Before I learned my lesson many years ago, I used Naval Jelly on a high quality steel "tool" (bluegrass sawblade, AKA musical instrument) that had just a tiny amount of surface rust. Now, it's just relegated to being a has-been saw. Another thing to be very cautious about using is Lime Away and similar plumbing products. Lime Away is pretty tame compared to what it was originally, but I still wouldn't use it on anything that I didn't mind throwing away.

 

[Sean Boyle]

thanks for the advice I have a taper cleaner on order. I am glad I asked I was thinks of going at it with steel wool and oil or sandpaper

 

[john lucas]

Thanks Bill I have used Naval Jelly to clean old planes and plane irons without any problems but then they didn't have a polished surface and pretty heavily rusted. I always start out with something mild like liquid wrench or WD-40 just to see how far I have to go. Reverse electrolysis is the way I prefer to go but of course that would be totally impractical for a lathe headstock spindle that is still in the lathe.
I tend to type really fast unfortunately I don't always check for spelling or typo errors. I'll try to do better.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Thanks Bill I have used Naval Jelly to clean old planes and plane irons without any problems but then they didn't have a polished surface and pretty heavily rusted. I always start out with something mild like liquid wrench or WD-40 just to see how far I have to go. Reverse electrolysis is the way I prefer to go but of course that would be totally impractical for a lathe headstock spindle that is still in the lathe.
I tend to type really fast unfortunately I don't always check for spelling or typo errors. I'll try to do better.

My fat fingers very frequently hit several keys at a time, so if I didn't proof what I intended to say, nobody would be able to decipher it. Sometimes even I can't figure out what I was trying to type.

I used to buy old Stanley planes at flea markets and then cleaned them up with whatever I could find. Some of the rust removers discolored the cast iron, but I would sometime use gun bluing to had the discoloring. I sort of liked the bluing, but on cast iron, you don't always know how it will turn out.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

My fat fingers very frequently hit several keys at a time, so if I didn't proof what I intended to say, nobody would be able to decipher it. Sometimes even I can't figure out what I was trying to type.

I used to buy old Stanley planes at flea markets and then cleaned them up with whatever I could find. Some of the rust removers discolored the cast iron, but I would sometime use gun bluing to had the discoloring. I sort of liked the bluing, but on cast iron, you don't always know how it will turn out.

Bill, I have found that cider vinegar works well on items which can be soaked. You do need to watch as it will pit the metal if left in too long. When done the metal will look like new.

 

[Gretch Flo]

My fat fingers very frequently hit several keys at a time, so if I didn't proof what I intended to say, nobody would be able to decipher it. Sometimes even I can't figure out what I was trying to type.

You too???? I can't type a sentence without 3-4 typos/ I blame it on my brain and fingers working too fast. But my fat fingers...... I have had to increase surgical glove size in the last year!!!! Gretch

 

[Bill Boehme]

Bill, I have found that cider vinegar works well on . . . . .

Whew, for a moment I thought that it might improve my typing.

My fat fingers very frequently hit several keys at a time, so if I didn't proof what I intended to say, nobody would be able to decipher it. Sometimes even I can't figure out what I was trying to type. . . . .

You too???? I can't type a sentence without 3-4 typos/ I blame it on my brain and fingers working too fast. But my fat fingers...... I have had to increase surgical glove size in the last year!!!! Gretch

My theory is that gloves and clothing are being downsized by clothing manufacturers as some sort of misguided conspiracy. Once up a time, Medium fit just fine and I know that I haven't gotten any bigger. But now, sometimes (most of the time) even Large is too small and I must resort to X-Large. Mrs. B. confirmed this conspiracy as fact and not a product of a vivid imagination on my part. She said that the conspiracy has even infiltrated ladies sizes.

 

[Jeff Smith]

You will need a Morse taper hand reamer. Depending on how bad the rust is, you might need to start off with the heavy duty one and then go to the fine reamer. After reaming you will need to hone and polish the MT bore. I use a SpinLMate tool. It isn't cheap, but I consider it an essential part of my tools. Finally, NEVER EVER lubricate the MT socket or the shank with anything. Before inserting a MT drive or live center I always clean both the shank and bore with a paper towel wetted with DNA and the wiped with a "lint free" cloth (microfiber cloth is good).

Bill,

How often do you use the Spindlemate and do you need to do anything to the tool shafts?

Jeff

 

[Bill Boehme]

It is a good idea to use it with the blue blades installed every time a drive center or live center is installed. The blue blades do not have an abrasive. They are just for wiping dust and other particles out of the socket. The orange blades are only used when repair work is needed with the hand reamers which hopefully is never. I don't know of any tool for maintaining MT tool shanks other than keeping them clean. In most cases it is probably better to toss a tool that has a galled shank. It might be feasible to grind away any raised areas, but doing so without damaging adjacent smooth surface would not be easy. Inserting a damaged shank into the repaired socket would very likely damage the socket again. Besides that a damaged shank will have some runout, but worse than that, the mating surfaces won't be able to make full contact. This makes slipping a greater risk. And so we have a vicious cycle. The shallow angle of Morse tapers means that they can only be reamed a few times before they're too large for the mating shank.

 

[Jeff Smith]

It is a good idea to use it with the blue blades installed every time a drive center or live center is installed.

Thanks for the information Bill. I'll probably get one now and use it. I think they call that preventative medicine.

Jeff

 

[Bill Boehme]

Thanks for the information Bill. I'll probably get one now and use it. I think they call that preventative medicine.

Jeff

For the purpose of simple cleaning to remove dust, a less costly solution would be to use a Rubber Chucky or just a paper towel moistened with DNA. If it is necessary in use a hand reamer to remove rust or metal damage then the Spindle Mate tool makes a lot more sense.

 

[Jeff Smith]

For the purpose of simple cleaning to remove dust, a less costly solution would be to use a Rubber Chucky or just a paper towel moistened with DNA. If it is necessary in use a hand reamer to remove rust or metal damage then the Spindle Mate tool makes a lot more sense.

Thanks Bill. I'll look that up and get that instead because I don't have any damage yet and I always wipe it off before I put it in. The one thing I don't do is clean out the taper but now I'll make sure I do that.

Jeff

 

[Bill Boehme]

Thanks Bill. I'll look that up and get that instead because I don't have any damage yet and I always wipe it off before I put it in. The one thing I don't do is clean out the taper but now I'll make sure I do that.

Jeff

Jeff, I had a senior moment probably because I am a senior. The correct name of the product is TaperMate and it can be purchased from a number of suppliers. I'm not sure if it is made by Rubber Chucky or some other company.

 

[Jeff Smith]

Thanks senior Bill or is it Bill senior? I'll get one ordered.

Jeff