The rebirth of the Atlas 618!

[lazylathe]

Hi All,

A few weeks ago i picked up an Atlas 618 lathe.

It was painted without any disassembly or cleanup, just a coat of silver paint to hide everything.

I stripped the whole lathe and cleaned everything.
Some parts were sandblasted to bare metal while other more sensitive parts were cleaned with paint stripper and a wire brush.

The ways had some serious damage to them and i was unsure if i could manage to fix it in a way that would still give me a functional lathe.
What i ended up doing was using a two part Cold Weld epoxy.
Mixed it up and filled the damaged areas and then clamped 90 degree angle iron on top to keep the surface smooth and to squeeze out any excess.
This actually worked like a charm!

A bit of light sanding with 1500 and 2000 water paper and a bit of oil and the ways are smooth again!
It still looks a bit rough but the cold weld is so thin it is transparent!
The cross slide works perfectly across the repaired areas and the rust monster has been put at bay!

Shot of lathe assembled after being restored

Headstock and name badge after restoration

Cross slide after restoration

Tail stock restored

I still need to make a platform for the lathe to sit on.
Will fashion it out of wood and have a steel top that the lathe will be bolted to.
The countershaft assembly is still drying, but it is the same colour!

I still need to strip and clean the motor. It is only a 1/4 hp motor but should do for now!
Someone decided to paint it black and again did not do a very good job!
So far i have cleaned one end cap and it is shiny silver aluminium under the paint.
I wil most likely leave it bare and just give it a coat of clear for protection.

Hope you like the way it turned out!
I do not think i will be doing one of these again any time soon!
It was a lot of work!!!
But it looks so much better that when i picked it up!!!

Let me know what you think!!
Go easy on me, this is the first time i have attempted something like this! ;D

Andrew

 

[BillC]

You have done a fine job.....My Dad gave me one of these when I was thirteen - I guess he figured it would be the lessor of the evils that he would contend with. I'm 63 and still have the machine although I rarely use it any longer but while it was my total lathe, I built a 40 speed quick change gearbox for it. I will look for those drawings and other info for you if you would be interested in such an endeavor for your 6" Atlas.... I bought and sold a 12" Atlas due to rigidity and what I was attempting with it, but the 6" was always ideal in many ways for model work especially using the milling attachment. The machine has been converted to an NC lathe by some as well - but not this one!

Bill C.

 

[lazylathe]

Hi Bill!

Thanks for the compliment!
If you manage to locate the plans that would be excellent!!

I was thinking of modifying it a bit but trying to do it so that it can be converted to stock again.

Not too sure if i am going to use it yet.
Will know that once i get it all together and see how it cuts and performs.

I like the feel of it and it's size is more comfortable for me at the moment.
My Myford seems huge to all the small machines i have worked on!
Although i did use the Myford to make some parts for the Atlas and that worked really well!

Andrew

 

[dsquire]

Andrew

Nice to see that you have the lathe pretty well cleaned up and ready to go. The time spent now will pay dividends down the road. It is looking pretty good. Thanks for showing us. :bow:

Cheers

Don

 

[xo18thfa]

Great job on that Atlas 6". What a wonderful machine. I have the newer version with the square headstock. I see you got the countershaft attachment for additional speed. Very nice.

 

[BillC]

Hi Bill!

Thanks for the compliment!
If you manage to locate the plans that would be excellent!!

I was thinking of modifying it a bit but trying to do it so that it can be converted to stock again.

Not too sure if i am going to use it yet.
Will know that once i get it all together and see how it cuts and performs.

I like the feel of it and it's size is more comfortable for me at the moment.
My Myford seems huge to all the small machines i have worked on!
Although i did use the Myford to make some parts for the Atlas and that worked really well!

Andrew

I'm looking Andrew, those drawings are here someplace.....in the meantime, I'll take a couple of photos so send....it takes much time to construct but that time is saved back changing the gear sets each time you need a different carriage speed.

BillC

 

[lazylathe]

Thanks Bill!
I appreciate the time you are spending trying to find the plans! :bow:

Some pictures would also be very helpful! Thanks!!!

Andrew