Swarf in head of import machines?

[HMF]

Hey Guys,

I have read that, on some of these import machines, an inspection of the head reveals a lot of debris and stray metal swarf necessitating a complete disassembly of the head and cleaning prior to use so as to spare the new bearings. Not to say that this is always the case, I was just wondering: would there be any merit to, immediately upon set-up, draining the head then fill it up with some solvent like kerosene to clean out any major debris and then refilling with a suitable gear oil before turning on the unit?

Thanks,

Nelson

 

[Tony Wells]

I don't own any of the newer import small lathes to say, but I'd be a little concerned that the swarf you see in the bottom of the gearbox is what's left from a factory wash job. It's not really what's in the bottom that concerns me, but what's carried by the oil to the bearings and gears. If there was a drain plug right at the bottom of the gearbox, after draining the factory oil, I'd pour some solvent in and using a small brush like a paint brush, try to get the swarf out. If there wasn't a drain hole, there soon would be. I definitely would not run the machine with the solvent in it at this point, because it could pick up any trash and take it to the bearings or gears. Only after getting the bottom of the gearbox clean would I run the machine with solvent. Then, if more trash showed up in the bottom, I would know that the rest of the geartrain was (getting) clean. Repeat as necessary. Also, stick a magnet somewhere either near the pump pickup (if there is one) or near a large drip point.

 

[rhofer1]

I replaced the head on my Taiwan mill beauty with a high-speed spindle. After I took it all apart, I noticed no real swarf or any other crap in the original head.

 

[Bobby Bailey]

On my mill, I changed out the oil three times. I got a good deal of crud out the first two times. I thought about using kerosene or diesel as a flush, but just went with tractor fluid. Using kero should be fine as that is what John Deere specs for flushing out their older tractor transmissions.
Bobby

 

[pdentrem]

On the Jet that was purchased at the shop about 5 yrs ago, I drained the oil before startup. I filtered it and then ran the lathe for about 30 minutes. Dumped that oil and 2 more times again. Was a bit dirty on the first time but cleaner each time after that.

 

[Loggerhogger]

I have heard of not only having trouble with swarf, but some people have actually found core sand still in the castings for the headstock.