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  1. W

    Stinky Vasco 601

    No — not in the sump — freshly mixed! Just got a fresh pail of Vasco 601 and it smells pretty fishy. I mixed it at 10% into a bucket hoping some of the stinky stuff might break down once mixed — but no dice. Smells like stinky stuff diluted in water. What gives?
  2. W

    Hlv-h bijur part number, oil tube removal, functioning pump?

    Does anyone have the part numbers for the bijur units in the saddle? There’s four. Secondly, how do you get them out? I pulled the cover and manifold off the back and now there’s the four ports in the back, but I can’t tell how I’m meant to extract them. Finally, is there a good way to tell...
  3. W

    “Less toxic” machine paints

    I have a beautiful old Riken RTM-2 that’s in great mechanical condition but the paint is a bit sad. I really would like to use urethane but am terrified of the isocyanates, but ultimately if I can’t get that level of chemical resistance I don’t want to go through the work to sand, prep, bondo...
  4. W

    Phonebooth size machine: Practical for job shop work?

    I’m looking at either a speedio S300X2 or a fanuc S size Robodrill, and am wondering if they’re maybe a bit too limiting in size. Has anyone run one with a forth axis with some other fixturing on the table? Ideally I’d have a machine with a tool setter, a Kurt vice, and a 4th axis on the table...
  5. W

    PHASE PERFECT for a Fanuc Robodrill or Brother Speedio -- What Capacity?

    Who is out there running a NEW Phase Perfect, that is with the PTExxx series, phase converter with a Brother Speedio or Fanuc Robodrill? What capacity did you spec? 15 HP or 20 HP? How has it been working?
  6. W

    Is a DNC-only machine livable

    Hi All, I'm looking at a Makino KE-55 for my home shop, but the memory is absolutely tiny. Small enough that DNCing is my only option. What are the drawbacks to DNCing all my programs? If I have a laptop next to the machine with a serial port and fusion 360 installed, it seems like it's fairly...
  7. W

    KE55 Backlash

    Has anyone with a KE55 had one with a bit of backlash that they've been able to remove? Has anyone tried replacing the ball screw support bearings? Is there a way to adjust the preload for the ball nuts or the support bearings without taking the whole thing apart?
  8. W

    Home shop coolant choice

    I’m sticking a VMC in my garage and need to choose a coolant. Simply I don’t want to install a fire suppression system, so neat oil is out. MQL is going to make chip evac a nightmare. So coolant it is. I really want something that won’t eat the paint but also will resist bacterial growth. Are...
  9. W

    WTB: Jones and Shipman 540X

    Looking for a Jones and Shipman 540X surface grinder in the US to be shipped to Colorado.
  10. W

    Speedio vs. Decked out Syil vs. ???

    I'm considering a machine for one-off prototyping of small steel and aluminum parts with some occasional hard milling. A 300 mm^3 work envelope would be adequate, but more X travel is always nice. I will rarely need to make more than five of anything. I like and have put some time in on a super...
  11. W

    Will I miss the handwheels on a VMC?

    I’m a physicist starting a small garage shop that’s for prototyping and ones and twos only. I’m deciding between a haas mini mill and a Trak DPM. I’m quite used to manual machining and have done some CNC work as well. I really like the convenience of handwheels, but a tool changer seems very...
  12. W

    Auction sites to watch

    I've kept my eye on bidspotter and machinesused separately since they don't appear to cross-list, but are there any other sites I should be keeping my eye on for used machinery in the US -- besides the obvious like craigslist, facebook marketplace, and ebay?
  13. W

    Looking for an HLV-EM post 1970

    Looking for a good condition HLV-EM on the east coast of the US built in the 1970s or later. Original paint is crucial.
  14. W

    Hardinge vs. Clone Quality

    I'm considering buying a used HLV-H, a rebuilt one, or a clone. Of the clones, there seem to be two -- one by Sharp and one by Cyclematic. It seems that Babin, South bend, and Eisen sell the Cyclematic, and I've not found any rebadges of the Sharp. How would you compare these two clones, and how...
  15. W

    Favorite toolroom CNC mill

    Looking for a CNC mill suitable for precision work that features handwheels and good conversational control. I like the prototrak bed mills enough. The dream machine would be a Fehlmann but they’re way too expensive. Makino KE55 looks to be built close to how I’d want, but is just a bit too old...
  16. W

    Making highly polished divots

    I have an application that calls for 1/16" +/- 1/64" dia dents with a 1/4" +/- 1/16" radius of curvature in something that I mold silicon into. The dents should have an RMS roughness of less than 0.5 microns. The dents should ideally be close together -- a hexagonal grid would be ideal, but a...
  17. W

    Precision low speed rotary plain bearing

    Let's suppose I want to allow a shaft to rotate and slide with minimal clearance. The shaft won't rotate quickly, maybe 1 RPM maximum, but I can't tolerate much, if any, radial clearance. Let's also say, for fun, that I want to stick with plain bearings. I can think of two solutions -- one in...
  18. W

    Bearing radial stiffness in precision applications

    I’ve been looking at spindle designs and am having a hard time understanding what parts are press fit and which are slip fits. Let’s suppose I have a bearing arrangement where there’s a pair of angular contact bearings pressed onto the end of a shaft with their associated spacers. This is a...
  19. W

    Bore micrometer (Intrimik, holtest) lapping

    I bought some bore gages on eBay and the anvils are pretty horrifically pitted. How are these anvils lapped? Can you just use a cylindrical lap? By this I mean take a cast iron round, drill it and hone it. How do you tension the anvils against the lap? Do you spin the gage or the lap? Do you...
  20. W

    Bore micrometer (Intrimik, holtest) lapping

    I bought some bore gages on eBay and the anvils are pretty horrifically pitted. How are these anvils lapped? Can you just use a cylindrical lap? By this I mean take a cast iron round, drill it and hone it. How do you tension the anvils against the lap? Do you spin the gage or the lap? Do you...

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