first mill and its a Wells Index 745

Did you guys know that a machine sold in 1968 may have some wear on the ways?

I myself am of similar vintage, and if those ways are anything like my knees, elbows, etc. then I believe it.

4 more turns on it and it would have come out like it was supposed to.

Yep I've been in a similar situation, to me it means it's time to quit for the day!

Glad you had some progress!
-brino
 
Owners manual is on the way
Did you get your manual? I have one and it's more like a blueprint and is impossible to read
I finally got my 745 in the garage
Did you use a primer before the paint?
Did you use a bondo filler?
 
Ya, i got my manual. It is hard to read but with some good lights and a 40x jeweler's loupe it did come in handy LOL. When i remember, i plan on taking the few relevant layouts to a printer and have them blown up to a usable size or at least scanned and converted to vector so i can zoom all i want.
For primer, i started with some stuff i had laying around but then switched over to the trusty rustoleum rust colored primer. One coat of that followed with two coats of the enamel paint. After the first coat of enamel on the mill base, i realized this would take forever waiting for drying and curing so i found a solution to that problem too.
I ended up using this formula for the enamel paint that allowed a 24 hour dry time. It goes on thin, but thats ok. All parts are by volume.

5 parts enamel paint - I used rustoleum
2 parts naphtha - For spraying, you will want to use acetone in place of naphtha.
0.3 parts catalyst hardener - I used the hardener they have at Tractor supply, Majic Catalyst Hardener. The guy I got this from was using Valspar Enamel Hardener.

I also found it best, by trial and error, to mix this in small batches as it doesnt last very long. For best results, use it all in one session and mix a new batch for the next coat.
 
Jim in your first video at 19 min or so you are removing the bolt that rotates the head.
I see you are using a hammer and a screwdriver but what are you hitting?
Are you hitting the shoulder of the bolt? I am stuck at that point. Did you remove the nameplates before painting?
Mine looks a lot like yours with that green looking grease.
thanks
Paul
 
LOL, had to bring THAT set screw up didnt ya? I guess i should confess, my mental crystal ball/6th sense/whatever it is was correct when i was hesitant about throwing that set screw in the bucket'o'parts. That was last time i ever saw it :). I could phrase it that i upgraded that set screw to a more modern steel alloy but not even sure if that is accurate.
 
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