Colchester Master 2500 Opinions

[Matabele]

Hi all,

I've found a refurbished Colchester Master 2500, here in South Africa. I havn't been able to see it in person yet although the dealer has said its under power and Im welcome to check it out any time...I take that as a good sign.

I was wondering though what your opinions are of the machines in general. How do they compare to the better Asian imports for example? Are there particular model variations or years to avoid?

The main use for this lathe is going to be gunsmithing work, along with light once off protoptype machining.

Any advice appreciated, thanks!

 

[gi_984]

Short answer=Solid lathes and will work for gunsmithing. I use them in the vocational school machine shop during classes. Used one last night as a matter of fact to do some bronze and aluminum projects. They are more intuitive (to me) to run than the LeBlonds of similar vintage. I've done several barrel crowning jobs on the same machines. 5c collet chuck or collet closer is very desirable. Make sure it has the steady rest as they are hard to find and expensive when you do.
Check with Clausing here in the US for a pdf of the manual. It is free for the asking. They just need the serial number. You'll find it stamped in the bed at the far right as you look at the machine.
I would be wary of a refurbished machine from the dealer. Who did the work and what did they do? Some dealers idea of refurbishing is to slap a coat of paint on it and polish up the ways. Was the bed ground? Who refit the carriage? Etc etc. If you are serious about the machine have a professional measure the bed wear, carriage alighnment, and tailstock alignment/wear.

 

[gi_984]

Almost forgot to add, I prefer the 1970-80's vintage Clausings to the new Chinese made Clausings. We have two of the new Chinese manufactured Clausings and I despise them. Cheaply made and already falling apart. And they are barely 5 years old.

 

[Matabele]

Thanks for the reply, appreciate it. I have a machinist friend who's been in the game a long while, I'll ask him to come along and have a look at the lathe with me.