Restore this Pallas Mill or repurpose?

[Colin Heath]

I have picked up a Pallas C horizontal mill. I didn’t need it but was too much fun to leave behind. I am planning on scraping it all back in so running true and a pretty restoration job. I’m wondering if there is any desire for these machines as in collectible or that effort is wasted. (Not the scraping experience as improving a skill is never wasted).

I only paid £200 but if it’s going to worth £800 when done then it would be more use to me modified as a little grinder (these have racks on all axis) maybe some tool grinding etc.

I’m in the UK if that helps. There doesn’t seem to much of a collectors market over here or I can’t find it.

My long term plan is to restore machines for fun but get some money back to fund the hobby.

Any thoughts welcome.

Cheers,

Colin

 

[Limy Sami]

I have picked up a Pallas C horizontal mill. I didn’t need it but was too much fun to leave behind. I am planning on scraping it all back in so running true and a pretty restoration job. I’m wondering if there is any desire for these machines as in collectible or that effort is wasted. (Not the scraping experience as improving a skill is never wasted).

I only paid £200 but if it’s going to worth £800 when done then it would be more use to me modified as a little grinder (these have racks on all axis) maybe some tool grinding etc.

I’m in the UK if that helps. There doesn’t seem to much of a collectors market over here or I can’t find it.

My long term plan is to restore machines for fun but get some money back to fund the hobby.

Any thoughts welcome.

Cheers,

Colin View attachment 388715

I'be very surprised if you make money on it, but IMHO&E a small horizontal can be a very handy bit of kit - especially one that doesn't take up much space.

P.S. Check the taper before you start - if it's a weirdo, tooling may be hard / impossible to find not to mention expensive.

 

[Colin Heath]

I'be very surprised if you make money on it, but IMHO&E a small horizontal can be a very handy bit of kit - especially one that doesn't take up much space.

P.S. Check the taper before you start - if it's a weirdo, tooling may be hard / impossible to find not to mention expensive.

Thanks for the that. I don’t need horizontal as have Deckel FP1 clone so that does it all.

I think I am leaning towards modification but great hear others thoughts

 

[sfriedberg]

I doubt it has value as a collectable, but you could probably count on getting your original purchase price back. After you restore its condition, feel free to adapt it to whatever purpose or function strikes your fancy.

 

[JST]

I have done the refurbish/resell deal.

If you have to do basically any significant re-scraping, your per-hour return is going to be in the toilet. That's just because the market for old stuff pays only so much, and unless it is "factory new old stock", you are not going to get more.

Mostly that seems to be because it is essentially hobby types who buy the older stuff. They do that because it is cheap. If re-scraped and made "like-new" it is no longer cheap, so no sale.

Add to that the fact that they do not know you from Adam. The factory they trust, but you may be a "rattle can hack" as far as refurbishing. Your labor is not worth their risk.

Bottom line is that you are likely better off using it for whatever you want to. If you can do that without making it impossible to turn it back into a mill, that "may be" an advantage.


Generally, money you will not make doing any large amount of work to old machines for resale.

 

[reggie_obe]

The exposed X screw looks like an add-on to a production mill that originally had a rack and pinion drive. Repurposed as a grinding machine, the screw and nut won't have a very long life.

 

[markwesti]

Apparently there was a high speed spindle available , but per Tony's site no way to tell . It would be fun to take apart the spindle . I would clean it up , do your scraping and have fun . Maybe you could set up a line shaft in your shop . Also I think if you need a surface grinder , get a surface grinder .
Mark .

 

[M.B. Naegle]

I'm with the others in the financial viability of restoring such a small machine for resale. Is it worth it? For sure! But only from a historical preservation standpoint, not financial. IMO, converting it to do something else could make it more useful for you, but it'll only hurt it's later resale value, so keep your modifications reversible. Nobody looking to buy a surface grinder would even consider a mill modified to be a surface grinder, unless there was simply nothing else available on the market, or it was dirt cheap. "Avoid permanent solutions to temporary problems."

 

[Colin Heath]

The exposed X screw looks like an add-on to a production mill that originally had a rack and pinion drive. Repurposed as a grinding machine, the screw and nut won't have a very long life.

This already has rack fitted under table so screw would come off.

 

[Colin Heath]

Apparently there was a high speed spindle available , but per Tony's site no way to tell . It would be fun to take apart the spindle . I would clean it up , do your scraping and have fun . Maybe you could set up a line shaft in your shop . Also I think if you need a surface grinder , get a surface grinder .
Mark .

Thanks, whatever I do the add ins will be bolt in and keep machine standard or high speed version (apparently ball bearings for spindle)

 

[Colin Heath]

I'm with the others in the financial viability of restoring such a small machine for resale. Is it worth it? For sure! But only from a historical preservation standpoint, not financial. IMO, converting it to do something else could make it more useful for you, but it'll only hurt its later resale value, so keep your modifications reversible. Nobody looking to buy a surface grinder would even consider a mill modified to be a surface grinder, unless there was simply nothing else available on the market, or it was dirt cheap. "Avoid permanent solutions to temporary problems."

Yeah I think you’re right about financial and I am also pained to ruin a part of history. If I did the mods it would be bolt on additions rather than ruin machine.

I may just restore for the pleasure of bringing it back to former glory.