Two Little Beauties (Or Crayon Sharpeners) in RSA

[Antman]

Just come on the market in sunny South Africa, a Colchester Chipmaster and an Aciera F3 for around 3Grand in US$. For the price and availability of machines in SA this seems like too good to be true. I really want bigger machines. My house was owned by the previous Town Electrician and he made sure his house had 3Phase. I have made some enquiries about a Yunnan 1m BC lathe that is monstrously overbuilt and a Heckert Universal with a dividing head chucked in with the deal, but these 2 are over twice the price of this pair of the sweetest little machines. I am sorely tempted. I don't know if I want to adopt project machines. Are these serious machines or are they just too littleand too cute? The lathe doesn't have steadies and the milling machine has some issues with the vertical head bearings. When I saw the ad for the first time I was hoping some rich old collector or his estate was getting rid of them but the seller lucked into them (or not) at a chemical plant auction so they have probably been quite worked making small mostly pipe fittings for instumentation and such. What do you think?
Ant

 

[Tin Falcon]

Most machine shops I have seen in chemical plants are pretty much Idol. walk in with 2 grand cash in hand an make an offer you can stick an extra 500 in pocket if you really want them and need to haggle.
hard to tell from a picture condition. but IMHO machines from a maintenance shop likely have less wear than from a production environment.
Tin

 

[kf2qd]

The lathe shows use from the paint missing on the pan. The mill looks real clean - unless its been repainted, but that doesn't seem like something they would do just for the fun of it. A horizontal/vertical mill is a beautiful thing in a home shop...

 

[rhitee93]

Looks like just what you asked for

 

[Antman]

You snooze, you lose. Both machines went to the same buyer (not me) 4 days after the ad appeared. I hope those machines went to a good home ... they deserve it

 

[woodmetal]

I was the the person to purchase the Chipmaster. I bought it blind without testing it. I did not take the milling machine. After filling the headstock, gearbox and variator with the specified oils, the gearbox would not select any gear, the gearbox change gear selector just stayed in neutral and the tumble reverse would not engage at all. After a perusal of the manual, I removed the gearbox cover and straightened a little pin on the gear selector and manually moved the tumble reverse. All is well with the gearbox. On the gearbox change selector, the shear pin was replaced. All in about two hours later Chippie was purring away. Tested the headstoch and tailstock alianment and found it all to manufacturers certificate ( found in switch box). Chppie came fully equiped as per manual with 3 and 4 jaw Burnerd chucks with keys, qctp with 5 holders, tailstock and headstock centres, travelling steady, faceplate and blank adaptor plate. Also 2 tailstock chucks and as a bonus about 80 new assorted replacable tips. Take a look at Chippie after a cleanup. I shall be using Chippie for general model making and maintance work on my wood working tools and machinery.

 

[Antman]

Congratulations, Woodmetal on your Chippy and well done on winning her heart, now that she purrs for you! That is such a pretty lil' machine, every bit as good looking as a Monarch 10EE and twice as cute. You could sell it tomorrow at twice the price. I wonder who got the Aciera. I see yesterdays post was your first. I'd like to take the opportunity to invite you to post more and show us some of your work, even if it isn't all engines. There are only a few South Africans active on HMEM.
Envious Ant

 

[woodmetal]

Thanks Antman. I will certainly post my progress. At 53, I seem to want to recapture my youth and reproduce my Mamod steam engines. I have a colection of Cox engines from 1973 and dream of constructing my own engines. I wonder if there are any engine kits available in RSA?