Fire damaged 12x36 import lathe restoration.

S

Shawnson

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Jan 24, 2021
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I have wanted a lathe forever. Never had enough of a need to buy what I really wanted so I have always put it off. I have never run a lathe before so I figure the rebuild process will teach me a good bit about it. I used to watch Grandpa work in his machine shop all the time as a kid but I was too young to learn then and he is gone now.

A few weeks ago I scored myself an awesome project. The guy wanted to give it to me for free but I threw him 100 bucks. Basically paid scrap metal price for it. It was involved in a house fire and it needs plenty of love. I was actually the officer that responded to the original house fire call when it happened.

Everything still moves and it was well cared for before the fire. Came with the 3 jaw, 4 jaw, live center and a chuck (may not be salvageable). Some rust doctor, wiring, lube, and paint should have it up and running again soon. I will probably need a fair amount of help along the way so I figured joining here would be a great resource.

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It looks pretty good meaning not all burned up at least. Good luck with your
project. I'm sure it will work out fine for you.:encourage:


Welcome to HM!
 
Welcome aboard. Definitely looks salvageable. Refurbishing a machine is certainly a great way to become intimately aware it's operation, and capabilities. Cheers, Mike
 
any idea how hot it got? Hot enough to melt anything plastic? If not then you're probably fine, but if so then seals and probably bearings will need to be replaced.
 
mattthemuppet2 said:
any idea how hot it got? Hot enough to melt anything plastic? If not then you're probably fine, but if so then seals and probably bearings will need to be replaced.
Click to expand...
It didn't "melt" the front control buttons but it did get hot enough for them to distort to the point they need to be replaced. The hottest area as you can see in the picture was the backside of the chip guard (right next to the electrical control box). Nothing inside the box even looks like it got warm. I am running wire for the outlet for testing. If it ends up needing a motor then so be it.
 
Great deal- nobody got hurt in the fire I trust? The wiring might be melted but that can be dealt with. Hopefully the motor is OK
-Mark
 
Really doesn't look bad. Maybe the only concern would be the motor which is in back where you said it saw the most heat. There is oil/grease, plastics, etc. in there.
 
I've done electronic repair for years. Once in a while I came across something that was in a fire. Check the insulation on the wires. If the wires show any brown or black, the check for brittleness. I'd replace. Do a slight pull on the wire connectors to make sure that they have not got loose. Just cut off and replace. Having a can of CRC contact cleaner can help. As for the motor, keep and eye on it and hope for the best. Good luck and give us progress reports.
 
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