Seal Lathe Apron Leak

[Jake M]

Hondabond is made from the juices hand-squeezed from barnacles in Japan.

I suspect lots of stuff might work, so might as well try something I can get delivered.

You're absolutely right, I don't believe this is a complicated or difficult job for a sealant to do. I'm not sure if I said it, but that's why I was asking about pre-existing seals. This is a zero clearance sealer. The metal will set the dimensions, 515 will only sit in the voids. Somebody mentioned cleanup on the second go-round. It's really not bad, easier than scraping (mist) silicone/RTV or similar products off. A decent razor blade (NOT harbor freight....), drug backwards (slight to moderate negative rake) takes it right off. Except in any voids of course. At that point, so long as you've got any loose stuff off, it's just filler.

 

[AGCB97]

Loctite 518 sealant is what you need.
Aaron

 

[G-ManBart]

Loctite 518 sealant is what you need.
Aaron

Thanks...I already have some Loctite 515 on the way, but I'm sure 518 would work just as well...maybe a bit better since they say it's better for cast iron. Luckily the apron was still dripping today so I didn't order some without reason

 

[G-ManBart]

I hate when I do research, find a thread on a topic only to find the OP never circled back with an outcome, so here's an update!

Amazon lost the first package of Loctite 515, then couldn't give an estimate on a replacement so I stopped at the local Napa and bought a tube of Permatex anaerobic gasket maker, part 51813.

I drained the oil from the apron, split it in two and used clean shop rags to get the last little bit of oil out of the casting. At that point I ran the mating surfaces of both halves over a super fine wire wheel (it won't even take off skin if you brush up against it) and then used carb cleaner on a rag to make sure they were totally clean and dry. At that point I put a bead of the Permatex all the way around, reassembled the two halves, tightened the bolts and wiped off the excess. I reinstalled the apron on the lathe and let it sit for a couple of days to cure. The instructions say 24 hours for a full cure but I wasn't in a rush so it didn't matter.

After it sat a few days I filled the apron with the proper gear oil and a week has gone by without a drop....zip, zilch, nada, dry as a bone!

Thanks for all the advice

 

[Tim9]

I guess I am real old school. I clean these surfaces with a razor blade making sure the blade will easily move along the metal without a snag. The blade does the work of my worn eyes. Then, Permatex non-hardening. It's cheap and it works. The tube lasts for years without going bad. And it's impervious to oil.
Also, not a bad idea to pass the housing half across some wet/dry 220 grit sandpaper. That will quickly show if the housing has warped from over tighten bolts.

Anyway, after reading three pages of replies...It's obvious that there are many correct answers to this issue. I have no doubt many would have fixed this minor seepage of oil.

 

[FOMOGO]

Have traditionally used Hylomar blue on motorcycle crankcases, and gasket-less flanges. Paper gaskets with a light coat of grease works well if the surfaces are flat. I generally run a fine flat file over gasket-ed surfaces to find burrs an high spots, especially around studs and bolt holes. Also found the Ford grey sealant developed for the 7.3 diesel is very good. Have machined a few covers for endless o-ring, which arguably is the best solution. Like said above many ways to skin the cat. Mike

 

[OTmachine]

Back from the days of “How to Repair you VW for the Complete Idiot”, I still like and use Permatex #2 for gasketless cases.