Old Barn find

[jgarrett]

I was helping my son's Father-in_Law clean out an old barn on a piece of property that he just bought and ran across this little item.
I know it is a Sears (partial name plate) but have no idea what model or vintage.
It is very rusty but no deep pits. I oil sanded a small area on the bed and it came off easier than expected. OK, now what??? Do you think it can be salvaged??? Where should I start?? like what to spray on it or soak it in.
Thanks
Julian

 

[wareagle]

Not sure if this one is salvageable or not, and you may not really know until you have a go at it.

When I found my mill, it was behind a business and was left in the weather. There was rust on all of the bare surfaces, but no pitting as it sounds like your case. I went after mine with Naval Jelly and fine steel wool, and I had great results. It took me about a week of working it off and on to get the rust removed.

After I had the surfaces clean, I kept all of the surfaces oiled. So far, so good. The mill works great, and I have had no other issues related to the rust.

On your find, I don't know if the Naval Jelly would help in your case or not. It might be worth a try to see what happens. One thing to note when using Naval Jelly on precision surfaces is to work in small areas and avoid leaving it on for too long. After I would work and area, I would wipe the same down with a rag and WD-40 to remove any left over residue.

Best of luck with the restoration. I really enjoyed doing mine.

 

[mklotz]

My personal opinion is that you should put that one back in the barn.

Looks like one of those small, easily-bent Sears spindles. What about the rest of the change gears? De-rusting a lead screw is tricky...etc., etc..

It might be small enough to, after disassembly, attempt electrolytic de-rusting but, even if that worked, you'd probably have nothing better than a polishing or welding lathe.

 

[Tin Falcon]

That is a sears craftsman Dunlap 109 circa 1949
more info here
http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsman/page4.html

 

[jgarrett]

Marv, You mean like take it all apart, put it in a box and trade it for a goat and kill the goat!!! If I cann't salvage it I'll clean it up and use it for a conversation piece..
Kidding aside, it is not as bad as it first looked. Most of the brown stuff is Georgia red clay dust. There is surface rust but it is cleaning up nicely with oil and mild steel wool. None of the screws were frozen and all pieces came right off. Lead screw is free but have not been able to remove it. Had to quit for the day as the wife ran me out of the garage because I was stinking it up with PB Spray. It may be only good for spinning something while I polish but it is a piece of American history.
Thanks for the tips...
Julian

 

[lathe nut]

I have seen a lot worse than that come back to life, I have one just like that I did that to, seen a fellow that was 75 years old get three lathes out of a shop, they had been setting there for 40 years, passed by there everyday never seen them in the trees and bush, well the old timer cleaned out the brush and trees, loaded the lathes, got them to his shop and I stopped one day to ask about the old lathes, I said they are all frozen up, he said right, time froze them and time will unfreeze them, with oil, tapping with a small hammer and sand paper he did get them free and sold them for a very good price, it is not what is it but what it can be, have fun, Lathe Nut

 

[Tin Falcon]

atta boy Julian many people would easily toss up there hands and scrap the thing. I applaud you for saving a piece of history . I have two of those in the basement both in decent shape maybe some day will actually use them.
Tin

 

[jgarrett]

Tin, Do you have a picture of one with the motor installed???
Thanks,
Julian

 

[CrewCab]

Julian,
What do you have to lose except a few hours labour and a bit of polish ............ errrrrrrrrrr ............ OK ........... a lot of polish ;D

Keep us informed ;D .............. Oh, did I mention the sore fingers


CC

 

[Tin Falcon]

Not sure if I have one but I can take one and post it
Tin

 

[rake60]

Julian, as a collector and restorer of antique engines and machines,
I'm quite interested in your new find!

It's a BASKET CASE!

A little time and patience can bring it back to life.

(My personal idea of what "a little" is may very from others views.)

You have a real treasure there!
Don't force ANYTHING!
Work at it slowly and allow it to come back on it's own terms.

It will be stubborn SOB but if you keep coaxing it will come back!

In the day that little lathe was made, they were made to last forever.
That one has, it just needs a little convincing of that.

Rick

 

[steamer]

Actually, The AA109 was my first lathe and that one looks like it.....but with some character.

The centers are #0 Morse taper. The spindle thread is 1/2-20. It came with a 4 jaw chuck, driver plate, and this clapped out drill chuck...and I paid too much for it, but it was my first lathe and I built an engine with it...even without dials on the screws...taught you patience.

It may teach you patience twice.....fixing it and running it!

Good luck with it!

Dave

 

[carbide_burner]

I also restore old engines, and to salvage a "piece of junk", and turn it into a showpiece is hugely satisfying!!
It might seem like a lot of work to fix 'er up (and it is), but if you work systematically and patiently, you'll be surprised to find yourself excited to tackle the next part, and the next......

Just beware that you might become infected with "old engine sickness" This is a sickness where you get rust in your veins, and then you can't stop restoring old things ;D You can't help to always look for a nice "piece of scrap" to restore !! ;D

Plenty info on the net about restoration. I highly recommend electrolytic rust removal - I've had excellent results.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Kludge]

The centers are #0 Morse taper. The spindle thread is 1/2-20.

Weird, that's the same as my itty bitty Clisby!

Please keep us posted, Julian. Of course, you could always power it with a 90volt DC treadmaster motor - nice and controllable speed so a jackshaft et al won't be needed.

BEst regards,

Kludge

 

[Tin Falcon]

Julian:
Check out this site http://www.homeshopsupply.com/index.htmlthe guy s site is pretty well dedicated to the little Craftman 109 he has the vintage Craftman decals for sale as well as exploded drawings of the lathe suitable for framing, reproduced manuals etc. If not a usable lathe you can certainly produce a really nice museum quality display.
Also IIRC that lathe you have was only produced for one year in 1949.
And last but not least here is a bit of insiration [youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eP4jbjhLE9M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eP4jbjhLE9M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Hope this helps
Tin

 

[jgarrett]

Thanks all for the encouragement. The little bugger is not in all that bad of shape.I have managed to remove all of the components and the worst thing I have found is one of the gears being alum. has corroded away 2 full teeth from where it was in contact with the ground.
Tin, thanks for the link. I will post progress as I go, right now I am trying to get this Wooden Beam Engine finished. The lathe needs to soak a while in PB and Liquid Wrench for a spell anyway.
Thanks,
Julian

 

[Stu Miller]

Julian,

Here is your find as shown in the 1952 Craftsman Tool Catalog. By 1956 the price had gone up to $52.50.

This is the same as my first lathe. I watched each new catalog arrive for several years before I could afford the purchase.

As someone noted, the spindle was fragile. I bent the first one within a few weeks of buying the machine and getting it set up. After that learning experience I used it for a number of projects including trying to kill myself with homemade rockets. I finally replaced it with a used SB 9 and sold it for more than it cost.

Have fun.

 

[Kludge]

The lathe needs to soak a while in PB and Liquid Wrench for a spell anyway.

Okay, PB means peanut butter to me. I figure it's a penetrant but what?

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Maryak]

I'm with you Kludge

Regards
Bob

 

[baldrocker]

As an elite athlete PB means "personal best" to me.
BR