Hey all,
I had quite a find recently, which I will add to my small collection of formerly abused and neglected machine tools. I needed a vibration-resistant, heavy table for an optics project I'm working on, and I found a 18x36, cast iron surface plate for cheaper than I could get a granite tombstone of the same size. It's had a hard life, pretty clearly - it's got dings, and weld pits, and came caked in grease (way more than in the photos.) But once I got it cleaned up, the name "Brown and Sharpe" came out from under the layers of grime.
Now I'm curious about how much I can expect from this plate - I'm really tickled that I happened upon this piece of industrial history, but can I restore it to the point where it will be a valuable reference flat for scraping? What would be my options in that regard - lapping, planing, or knocking off the burrs and leaving well-enough alone? I'm curious what the experienced scraper hands here have to say about it. Even if it's doomed to boat-anchor status, it is a very nice boat anchor.
I had quite a find recently, which I will add to my small collection of formerly abused and neglected machine tools. I needed a vibration-resistant, heavy table for an optics project I'm working on, and I found a 18x36, cast iron surface plate for cheaper than I could get a granite tombstone of the same size. It's had a hard life, pretty clearly - it's got dings, and weld pits, and came caked in grease (way more than in the photos.) But once I got it cleaned up, the name "Brown and Sharpe" came out from under the layers of grime.
Now I'm curious about how much I can expect from this plate - I'm really tickled that I happened upon this piece of industrial history, but can I restore it to the point where it will be a valuable reference flat for scraping? What would be my options in that regard - lapping, planing, or knocking off the burrs and leaving well-enough alone? I'm curious what the experienced scraper hands here have to say about it. Even if it's doomed to boat-anchor status, it is a very nice boat anchor.