Clean Up The Lathe & Mill

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ddickey

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
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I'm finding chip cleanup is a real pain. My chip brush gets saturated with oil that I'm using and it carries swarf onto the ways. I've been cleaning the ways with paper towels but I'm wondering if anyone uses these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFIO8A4/ref=pe_2313360_212072280_em_ti
Any trick for keeping chip brushes dry? I'm guessing these are disposable items and I should just use a new brush every other project or so. Also, are there any good brooms that push rather than hold onto chips while sweeping? Just curious what everyone else is using.
Thanks.
 
I made a magnet to clean up the lathe. Used a 18" piece of pvc pipe a round magnet inside the pipe epoxied to a 1/4" rod the sticks out of the pipe cap with a spring inside To push the magnet back to the end of the pipe. The end of the pipe has a this shhet of aluminum wrapped over the end and a hose clamp to hold it on.

Just stick under the ways and pick a load, pull it out and hold over a bucket and pull back the 1/4" rod and the swarf falls into the bucket. Let go of the handle and the magnet goes back to the end of the pipe and you get another load. Works real well.

Hope my description made sense.
 
Bristle chip brushes clean up quickly with Dawn. A quick blow with compressed air dries them fast.

I use plastic sheeting laid inside my chip pan to catch chips. When clean up times comes I brush everything I can into the pan, pull that sheet out and toss the whole thing. A quick wipe with paper towels in the chip pan dries everything up and a new sheet is put in place for next time. Oil the ways and other machined surfaces and the lathe is ready for the next project.
 
I'm just using a paint brush. Are there certain bristles that are better than others? What about during your work. I feel like I'm doing damage when I move the carriage with chips everywhere. What is the proper way, clean ways often?
Thanks for the suggestions.
 
I just use the natural bristle brushes you can buy by the box on ebay.

To keep chips off the ways in front of my saddle, I have a piece of rubber about 7" long that is attached with a bracket to the front of the saddle. It covers the ways out to 7" beyond the saddle edge. A stray chip gets under there from time to time but not many. This shield keeps the ways pretty clear and my way wipers handle the rest.
 
GMTA, Mike. I use the same type brushes and have a piece of plastic mounted on the front of the saddle.

For cleaning up the ways, I picked up a tip somewhere on the internet (don’t ask me where) that I find works quite well for cleaning the ways prior to relubing them. After I brush the chips off, I wipe the ways with toilet paper. I find it does a better job than paper towels of absorbing the old oil and picking up fine chips and holding on to them.

Tom
 
higgite said:
GMTA, Mike. I use the same type brushes and have a piece of plastic mounted on the front of the saddle.

For cleaning up the ways, I picked up a tip somewhere on the internet (don’t ask me where) that I find works quite well for cleaning the ways prior to relubing them. After I brush the chips off, I wipe the ways with toilet paper. I find it does a better job than paper towels of absorbing the old oil and picking up fine chips and holding on to them.

Tom
Click to expand...

And here I thought I was the only one with a toilet paper holder attached to my tool cabinet. People always give me a strange look when they spot it ... I just tell them that it gets deep in my shop somtimes.
 
A wallpaper brush with natural fiber bristles works well. The bristles are more coarse and don't clog with chips as easily as a paintbrush. I also use the type of brush which comes with a dustpan set. Same reason. Either type of brush can be washed with Dawn, Goop, etc. if it gets too grungy.

For getting into tight places, I use a metal blade to "sweep" the chips out. An old toothbrush will also work.
 
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