Recent content by toolsd

For what it's worth, I just finished the conversion of an old Miller CP-200 with wirefeed and consumables I had $250 invested in using Dave's method, wire for wire. It took two hours, cost $18 and works PERFECT. It loafs along melting 1/4" steel together on a 20A 220V circuit effortlessly...

I can't imagine a manifold being cast steel, that's reserved for things like anvils, crankshafts, stuff like that. Notwithstanding, there isn't a reason to harden it for a manifold, so it shouldn't be. The steel can be either hard or relatively soft, depending on how it's treated. Get it real...

Heat the middle to cherry red, the area about the size of a quarter, and quench it. Work in an expanding circle, until it's flat enough. Slow and tedious, but it should work. You are correct about the welding having caused the bow to begin with, most likely. Tools

Going from oval back to round, and needing it a certain size, and in the right place, I believe the ONLY way to do it is a boring bar in a mill or lathe. A horizontal mill is going to be the easiest. With a twist drill, you could easily wind up 20 thou over sized, and 3 or 4 times that in a...

About 17 years ago I bought a 36 drawer unit. It came with some organizers like shown, and started researching getting some more. At $1 ea, didn't seem bad until I realized I needed FIFTEEN HUNDRED of them! I use the bottoms of all sorts of things. For really small stuff, I use ice cube...

Here's my take. Kerosene. Works pretty good, dries very slow, the dirt eventually settles out so it's reusable and lasts forever. Not horribly flammable. Mineral spirits. Leaves NO residue. Otherwise about the same as above but more expensive. Citrus water based cleaners. Work GREAT...

1) the seriously underrated wire wheel, with the blade on the bench! 2) a few oz. of auto trans fluid and a scotchbrite pad. This works amazingly well. Tools

I agree, there's something else going on there. I'd check and make sure all the sheet metal is tight. Grease up the spline. Take the belt off and run the press, the motor alone should be dead quiet. A pulley could be loose, causing the vibration that is causing the sheet metal to vibrate. Tools

I'd get a fractional/wire gage/letter set that you can afford, and replace the common bits (that you'll wear out fast) with nice american ones. Tools

SweetD and 48James, Go to owwm.org (a bulletin board) and owwm.com (repository of info, including pics of similar drills owned by members, some owners manuals and such) and start nosing around. You'll find all the info you need for them. Tools

That sure looks like it. Thanks! Should start disassembly tomorrow. Tools

I happened to be in Narita during the quake. I was on the jet, one of the pilots flying it to San Francisco. We were about to board passengers. It's a mess. Ironically, due to Japan being so well prepared for a quake, the quake itself was the least of the problems. However, the quake caused...

Here's a few I've had, or have, or want... This one weighed in at around 9K lbs, and cost around $30! This one was given to me by a friend: Here's another Powermatic: Here's a 17" Rockwell I restored: Here's the before pic of one of my most notable restorations. Looks and functions...

Here's my next candidate for restoration. It's a gimme I spotted where my son works, just laying outside in the weather, waiting for it's turn to go to the scrapyard. It's a 2 ton jack, welded steel sides, welded steel handle, mostly cast iron workings. No ID tags anywhere. The handles...

Furthering the discussion, keep an eye on your coolant level. Unexplained loss and white smoke (actually steam) indicates head gasket, possible intake manifold gasket or cracked head. Check spark plugs. One REALLY clean also indicates water going through that cylinder (the plug gets steam...