Diamond Machine Tool Co (Los Angeles) B-12 and 22-M Horizontal Mills

[comstockfriend]

Last November an old high school buddy (Class of 1969) tempted me with some machine pictures on Facebook. I gave him a call and I went down to San Diego to take a look at his dad's old machines that he had to depose of. These were a South Bend 9" Model A UMD and a Diamond 22-M with a Rusnok 70 head mounted. With five South Bend's 8" to 13" I needed another like a hole in the head. I also had a Diamond B-12 accumulating dust that I got from my boss 30 years ago. I gave him an idea of how much to sell them for (he was planning a garage sale). Before I left he asked if I'd take them both for $800; he was motivated to be rid of them. With trepidation of what SWMBO would say, I said OK and arranged the following week to fetch them. In addition to the machines I also picked up a garage full of machinist boxes with tools (Starrett, B&S, Compact, Moore & Wright - no China crap), cutting tools, vices, anvils, clamps, fixtures, hardware, stocks of tool steel, brass, aluminum.

Hauled everything up to the vacation house north of LA in the Angeles Forest. On the 22-M I've taken the Rusnok off for now (I have a BP J head and Index 55 vertical mills in town). Now it's spring and with the house open I've started to do some work on them. The horizontal spindle was tight and wouldn't turn. I got the power feed pulley off and after a fight with the take up nut set screw got the take up nut off. The spindle then turned with no resistance and after re-installing the take up nut I'm thinking I can get by without pulling the spindle. Then I got reading about bearing damage from hardened grease and thinking about modern equivalents of Gargoyle Grease BRB #3. Any wisdom about care and feeding of these Timken roller bearings???

Thanks to Bruce Johnson, Brice Erickson, etard and others who have posted Diamond stuff on PM. Tony's UK Lathe is helpful, Neal Draper on Vintage Machinery, HSM and such other such boards. There is some info out there.

I got an ebay lot with three DTCo sales brochures, the B-12 four pager is here at Vintage Machinery Diamond Machine Tool Co. - Publication Reprints - Diamond Machine Tool Co B-12 Milling Machine | VintageMachinery.org

Here is a photo walk around to end for now:

As found:


Nametag:


Backend of frozen spindle:


Table feed detail:


As of this weekend:

 

[cncFireman]

Looks like it is in great shape. I picked one of the larger diamonds last year. Do you no longer have the smaller B12?

 

[comstockfriend]

cncFireman, no, the B-12 is in Sun Valley. I got this one and a Atlas 10" from my boss when he did one of his moves in Glendale, CA. It sat for years on a wooden bench with a strange chopped up vertical head. He had made three fine pendulum clocks with these two machines. I have found out the head was a Fray type B. Since the Fray was made in Glendale, and the Diamond in downtown LA, I don't think think the parts have moved more than 20 miles from where they were made!

For some reason, the boss likes orange machinery; in the last two weeks I've got a coat of Corotech 'battleship gray' on the B-12, and yesterday I got four 12" x 12" x 1/4" carbon panels to try out some electrolysis rust removal for the table. Here is the B-12:

 

[comstockfriend]

With some irony I found that the overarm arbor support that I got with the 22-M was too small for the 22-M's dovetail. Perfect fit for the B-12! These were a standard Diamond option (in both the 22-M and B-12 brochures) but I haven't seen any photos of one on anybody's machine. They are massive in relation to the machine's size.



John

 

[cncFireman]

Always nice when you can put those spare parts that come with a machine to use. I still have not used my Diamond much yet. I would like to find a vertical head someday. I believe mine is a M24 or M25 or whatever not sure how they rated the slightly larger mills.

 

[BuffDan]

Nice score

That Diamond is a nice little mill.
I just finished making a X-axis feed nut for mine

Thanks for sharing.

Dan

 

[comstockfriend]

That Diamond is a nice little mill.
I just finished making a X-axis feed nut for mine

The 22-M or B-12 Dan? The 22-M is a little bigger: 14" X, 5.5" Y and 15" of Z, the table is 5.75" x 24", the B-12 is 12" X, 6" Y and 9" of Z, the table 5.125" x 20".

Both of them look pretty similar when the B-12 is mounted on the optional base (I think the 22-M has the base as standard).

John

 

[BuffDan]

22-M
Im still working on putting it back together.
It ran really nice when I bought it, but thought I'd spend some time cleaning, tweaking.
So bearings go in next.
dan

The 22-M or B-12 Dan? The 22-M is a little bigger: 14" X, 5.5" Y and 15" of Z, the table is 5.75" x 24", the B-12 is 12" X, 6" Y and 9" of Z, the table 5.125" x 20".

Both of them look pretty similar when the B-12 is mounted on the optional base (I think the 22-M has the base as standard).

John

 

[comstockfriend]

The spindle bearings seem to be stock Timken, currently used on Ford trucks and such, the cones are #2585 on the spindle nose and #2580 at the rear. The cups both seem to be #2523. Is there a preload technique to use other than the automotive 'tighten until a slight drag is detected, then back off 1/4 turn'??? The threads on the spindle are 1-1/4"-12, so that 1/4 turn is about 0.021". I found that my 9" South Bend spindle nose protector pin spanner works on the Diamond spindle nut.

John

 

[BuffDan]

Those are the bearings/cups I have, except I seem to have misplaced the 2580.
Not aware of a specific preload, but I guess I was going to snug and feel and take it from there.
I would have thought they would have used more "precision" bearings.. But that's what my original are too.

Dan

The spindle bearings seem to be stock Timken, currently used on Ford trucks and such, the cones are #2585 on the spindle nose and #2580 at the rear. The cups both seem to be #2523. Is there a preload technique to use other than the automotive 'tighten until a slight drag is detected, then back off 1/4 turn'??? The threads on the spindle are 1-1/4"-12, so that 1/4 turn is about 0.021". I found that my 9" South Bend spindle nose protector pin spanner works on the Diamond spindle nut.

John

 

[comstockfriend]

Dan, good, I haven't pulled the 22-M spindle, just the B-12's, but I believe the spindles are identical. Next time up to the cabin I'll measure the 22-M's up to compare with the B-12's. I always see these requests from guys wanting to know certain details of a certain machine; best to document while you have them apart!

John

 

[comstockfriend]

Pulled the 22-M spindle this weekend. The 22-M and B-12 spindles are interchangeable. Same Timken bearings. The 22-M uses commercial National (Timken) shaft seals; two 50054 1.343" shaft diameter, 2.38" OD and two 50183 1.75" shaft diameter, 2.756" OD. Spindle taper is of course B&S #9. According to Mobil, the current recommedation to replace Gargolye Grease BRB No. 3 is Mobilith SHC100. This is a red synthetic grease.



A couple of pieces of 2x4 and a milling clamp to hold the all thread. With the spindle out, the crappy old grease, both dripping and hard as a rock was removed. The spindle with the bearings is the B-12.

Now to figure out the correct orientation of the seals. With the outer shell out, chips can get between the shaft and the seal (the seal tapers to the shaft at the rear).

John

 

[comstockfriend]

Well, my 70 year old Diamond B-12 horizontal made its first chips in about 30 years, and probably the first time in horizontal mode in 50. The PO, my boss, built several clocks on it with a Fray vertical head, not sure if he ever used it as a horizontal. The motor came with a Diamond 22-M and is the proper 3/4 HP for the B-12 (the 22-M is speced as 1 HP). The motor is an old GE and is dual voltage, 220/440, three phase, 50 hertz. Doesn't mind the 240 volt 60 hertz from my RPC. Ran it for an hour and it barely warmed above ambient. For a test piece I squared a block. The gibs were a little loose at first, but surface finish improved as I tightened them down.

Belted up:




First chips:



The 22-M is at the vacation house; have to setup the VFD for that one; I just discovered where the 240 volt in the shop is.

John

 

[BuffDan]

Looks great John !
Any chances for a video?

Still not finished my 22-M.. Side tracked by other projects..

Dan

 

[comstockfriend]

Looks great John !
Any chances for a video?
Dan

No GoPro. I'll have to have my Vanna White (Mrs ComstockFriend) crank the handles as I'll have to hold the camera. (I do have a clip of it running, but the cutter's not doing anything.)

John