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Restoring (hopefully) my new Smart and Brown SAB
- Thread starter Ben17484
- Start date
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- Tags
- lathe restoration southbend
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2022
- Messages
- 498
Painted the drip tray / lathe mount. I went with Reseeda Green machinery paint. Can’t remember where I found that exact colour, but i knew I wanted a green paint. I really like the colour. I’m excited to see how the rest of the lathe will look with this colour.
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- Joined
- Apr 10, 2021
- Messages
- 617
Very nice. My 1024 is a very heavy build except for the apron and tailstock which more delicate. While your lathe is smaller, the apron looks to be proportionately heavier in design. My experience ( not a scientific sample ) is that although S and B hardened their ways, they seem softer than some ( Monarch and Holbrook come to mind ). How do yours appear? Dave
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2022
- Messages
- 498
I’ve been pretty bad at taking pictures and updating this thread, but progress is being made
First coat of paint on some of the panels, tail stock and bed. Instead of removing the data plates I tried to mask them up, but clearly did a Bad job! I’ll have to clean up the overspray.
I had the apron apart and cleaned out what looked like 70 years of chips and grime!
I started getting things lined up on the bench to give me some motivation (my hands have been very greasy hence the grease marks all over the new paint! This will wipe off)
The saddle has also been painted and the apron also (albeit very badly)
Other than the headstock, everything else has been fully torn down and cleaned up. There was a lot to clean out! I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first time this lathe has been fully apart in its 70 year lifetime.
I’ve come to realise that taking my time and doing a perfectionist job on this is not what I want right now. I must have 30 hours in the tear down, cleaning and painting so far and to do a perfect job I think I’d have 30 more (which with two kids, job, life etc is more than I have time for now). I’m now aiming at ‘presentable’ and fully cleaned and functional rather than perfect so I can actually get on and use the lathe. At some point in the future I’d like to buy another old lathe (hopefully a Colchester student or Smart and Brown 1024) and restore it to a higher level, but I’ll do that whilst having this lathe to use.
So anyway, the clean up will continue (and I’ll document in this thread) and then I’ll get to using the lathe and then at some point in the future (when I have a second usable lathe) I’ll give this the time and effort it deserves to restore it properly. I’d also like to change the colour as I’m not 100% on the Reseeda green. There’s a few greys I think I prefer.
It was in this condition when I got it, so it’ll be way better when I’ve done this first round of cleaning up!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
First coat of paint on some of the panels, tail stock and bed. Instead of removing the data plates I tried to mask them up, but clearly did a Bad job! I’ll have to clean up the overspray.
I had the apron apart and cleaned out what looked like 70 years of chips and grime!
I started getting things lined up on the bench to give me some motivation (my hands have been very greasy hence the grease marks all over the new paint! This will wipe off)
The saddle has also been painted and the apron also (albeit very badly)
Other than the headstock, everything else has been fully torn down and cleaned up. There was a lot to clean out! I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first time this lathe has been fully apart in its 70 year lifetime.
I’ve come to realise that taking my time and doing a perfectionist job on this is not what I want right now. I must have 30 hours in the tear down, cleaning and painting so far and to do a perfect job I think I’d have 30 more (which with two kids, job, life etc is more than I have time for now). I’m now aiming at ‘presentable’ and fully cleaned and functional rather than perfect so I can actually get on and use the lathe. At some point in the future I’d like to buy another old lathe (hopefully a Colchester student or Smart and Brown 1024) and restore it to a higher level, but I’ll do that whilst having this lathe to use.
So anyway, the clean up will continue (and I’ll document in this thread) and then I’ll get to using the lathe and then at some point in the future (when I have a second usable lathe) I’ll give this the time and effort it deserves to restore it properly. I’d also like to change the colour as I’m not 100% on the Reseeda green. There’s a few greys I think I prefer.
It was in this condition when I got it, so it’ll be way better when I’ve done this first round of cleaning up!
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- Joined
- Jul 6, 2022
- Messages
- 498
The part where the pulley release lever would go is broken. At the moment I’m a bit stumped as to how to fix it. I’ll take a look around and see if I can find the same part from a Southbend 9 as that’s essentially what my lathe is.
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- Joined
- Oct 10, 2018
- Messages
- 545
To me, that broken part looks like a candidate for brazing. A Youtuber that I enjoy is based in the UK but I have no idea how close or far he is from you. Nonetheless, he has done several videos on repairing parts:
He seems like a friendly guy so you might try reaching out to him. Even if he can't help, he might be able to suggest someone who can.
Craig
He seems like a friendly guy so you might try reaching out to him. Even if he can't help, he might be able to suggest someone who can.
Craig
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2021
- Messages
- 617
Don't apologize. The first time is always more about learning than perfection and it takes a working lathe to restore a lathe so your approach makes sense. Take what you learned for the next project. As nice as the little lathe is, a full time consuming rehab is better suited for a bigger lathe.
In the UK, I'd avoid the Colchester look eventually for a 1024, Holbrook C10, or C13, CVA, or even Hembrug if you want a machine of 10EE quality that justifies the effort. Those machines are very reasonable there compared to what a 10ee goes for here in US. Dave
In the UK, I'd avoid the Colchester look eventually for a 1024, Holbrook C10, or C13, CVA, or even Hembrug if you want a machine of 10EE quality that justifies the effort. Those machines are very reasonable there compared to what a 10ee goes for here in US. Dave
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2022
- Messages
- 498
Yeah, I’m treating this as a learning experience. The lathe will all be completely cleaned, greased, oiled and functional, it’s the aesthetics that’ll be ‘ok but not great’. The lathe restorations that I’ve been reading on here all seem to be peoples second (or even third) lathes so that they still have access to a working lathe whilst they restore one and are therefore not in a rush. I like the phrase ‘it takes a lathe to restore a lathe’
I’ve a Mill arriving on Monday as well, so I’ll be fully equipped in the future to restore to a better standard. I’d love a Smart and Brown 1024. They are pretty reasonably priced over here. I do t access to get something of that size in to my workshop at my current house. In the future when we move house and have better access, I’ll definitely be getting something of that size
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- Joined
- Jul 6, 2022
- Messages
- 498
Thanks Craig. I don’t have the broken off part though, so I’m not sure brazing would work, would it? I’m guessing I’ll need to remake the part of buy a replacement?
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