1940s Delta DP220 Restoration

[Hoorn]

Wanted to share a few pictures of my 1940 Delta DP220. It's taken me several weeks to get to this point, the Delta repulsion motor is still getting worked over.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Slow speed version as well! Great job! I've got the same machine. How are you gonna keep all that metal shiny? ;0)

 

[Hoorn]

I use paste wax, light coat now and again.

 

[Hoorn]

Slow speed version as well! Great job! I've got the same machine. How are you gonna keep all that metal shiny? ;0)

Can you share what about the DP indicated it was a Slo-Speed model without you seeing the pulley? Ive been looking at it and wondering. And yes, it does have that slo speed pulley!

 

[2baditsnotachev]

Very nice, I just picked one up to restore as well.

 

[Davefr]

That's a beautiful restoration!!!

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Can you share what about the DP indicated it was a Slo-Speed model without you seeing the pulley? Ive been looking at it and wondering. And yes, it does have that slo speed pulley!

It's got 5 raised "bands" on the front belt guard. The fast speed DP has 4 raised bands. I didn't know that until I bought a rear guard off ebay and it was obviously not the correct part. The good folks on OWWM (Old WoodWorking Machines) pointed out what was what. FWIW the slow speed is a bit rarer than the fast speed per the OWWM folks.

 

[ndnchf]

Nice work, very clean. I use Boeshield T9 for rust protection of bare steel. It was developed by Boeing for the aerospace industry. Great stuff. Google it for more info.

 

[Hoorn]

It's got 5 raised "bands" on the front belt guard. The fast speed DP has 4 raised bands. I didn't know that until I bought a rear guard off ebay and it was obviously not the correct part. The good folks on OWWM (Old WoodWorking Machines) pointed out what was what. FWIW the slow speed is a bit rarer than the fast speed per the OWWM folks.

Really appreciate that information, that is a fun fact that I would have never learned simply staring at my own machine.

 

[lafester]

My last 220 had the slow speed guard, but a regular pulley behind it.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Beautiful work Hoorn! Interesting factoid about the raised bands on the pulley cover tex.

 

[Hoorn]

Yeah I went on the VM photo index for Delta and noticed that it's not just the five raised bands vs four.

Every slow speed 220 had the flatter type front pulley cover that I have, whereas the "four band" pulley covers were taller and more conical or pointy (I attached an example). I'm sure this is a styling byproduct of the fact that the slow speed pulley has a very large sheave on the bottom. Either way it's an awesome factoid.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Yeah I went on the VM photo index for Delta and noticed that it's not just the five raised bands vs four.

Every slow speed 220 had the flatter type front pulley cover that I have, whereas the "four band" pulley covers were taller and more conical or pointy (I attached an example). I'm sure this is a styling byproduct of the fact that the slow speed pulley has a very large sheave on the bottom. Either way it's an awesome factoid.

Yeah. I didn't think to share those feature differences. I really like the look of mine with the rear belt guard in place.

When was yours manufactured?

 

[Hoorn]

Yeah. I didn't think to share those feature differences. I really like the look of mine with the rear belt guard in place.

When was yours manufactured?

I have an aluminum serial number plate No. 8-5351. I had checked VM to date it, and can't determine. My most logical guess is 1940.

 

[macgee]

Nice job Hoorn,

I like the color you picked and you did a great job on the details, nice restore. The table looks like it's in great shape and no inherited Arc of Shame. I've done total rebuilds on Delta induction motors, you'll love it when its all said and done; tons of torque.

Looking forward to see it complete and how you choose the power switch set up.



PS> I made some brass ball bearing handle ends for my Delta DP, I love using it with them:

 

[Hoorn]

Nice job Hoorn,

I like the color you picked and you did a great job on the details, nice restore. The table looks like it's in great shape and no inherited Arc of Shame. I've done total rebuilds on Delta induction motors, you'll love it when its all said and done; tons of torque.

Looking forward to see it complete and how you choose the power switch set up.



PS> I made some brass ball bearing handle ends for my Delta DP, I love using it with them:

Outstanding job on the handle / brass balls. Rustoleum charcoal gray satin. And yes, Carla was amazing.

 

[wwk68]

Did you repaint the Delta logo yourself, and if so, how did you accomplish that? Mine is completely rubbed off, so I'd like to find out how others do it. Thanks.

 

[Hoorn]

Did you repaint the Delta logo yourself, and if so, how did you accomplish that? Mine is completely rubbed off, so I'd like to find out how others do it. Thanks.

I was lucky in that I still had a lot of color left on the badge. I used McGuire's cleaner wax and a terry cloth to bring back the color. Be careful with red paint on any badge and simple green as it will remove it fairly quickly.

 

[wwk68]

Amazing that you could bring the badge back to the vibrant color. Excellent job.

 

[macgee]

I was lucky in that I still had a lot of color left on the badge. I used McGuire's cleaner wax and a terry cloth to bring back the color. Be careful with red paint on any badge and simple green as it will remove it fairly quickly.

+1 on being very careful with Simple Green on vintage paint and labels, great stuff for cleaning and degreasing, I love using it but unfortunately to my my frustration/massive disappointment its also does a brilliant job quickly fading colors on labels and motor plates.

I really noticed this on nice deep red and deep green colors.

Hard to tell in pic but it happened on this Rockwell label, the circled "R" was effected with just one quick unintentional wipe with Simple Green:

 

[Hoorn]

Macgee, love that Homecraft DP, great job with power switch too. Really well done.

 

[Hoorn]

Way to keep the "vintage look" as much as possible.

 

[macgee]

Thanks for the kind words Hoorn, that's very nice of you but mine doesn't come close to your restoration and how nice yours looks. You did a great job!

I decided to keep the orig. paint and patina as its wasn't quite bad enough to let it go and also did a couple of mods that takes it way from its original classic look, although I did decide to keep the old orig cardboard tube on the column floating above the table to help protect the column from banging things into it and rust. I noticed this was done in some of the old pics I found.

I will say that the vintage repulsion induction motor is comically stronger than what motors are currently rated today at same HP, they're so nice to have. I was recently forced to put it through its paces to put a bunch of large holes in thick steel and did an awesome job. They're great little DP's

You're going to be really happy with your DP220 when it's up and running. One suggestion while waiting for the motor to be rebuilt is to check the runout below the chuck jaws with a dial indicator. Mine ended up being .0025" so I was pretty happy and left the bearings and chuck alone, no point of fixing something that's not broken. However, I've had quite of few of the 220's that needed some help with runout.

Here's the one full pic of the DP. As you can see, it doesn't touch your DP.

 

[Hoorn]

Thank you so much. My point about yours is that you are right in that "sweet spot" of original paint/patina that it would be unseemly to restore it. And you have it set up for complete functionality. You won't fret over every tiny little new scuff. That is what I think is best. Some restorations are so perfect you don't really want to use the tool anymore after that. I have a Reedsman 5183 that I don't dare use lol, it just sits in a protected place and looks cool. My Delta forced me to restore it because somewhere between the 1940s and now, someone thought it would be a good idea to paint it mint green.

That repulsion motor is sure easier to take apart and clean / and put on new bearings than any of my 1950s Craftsman capacitor motors!
Anyway, nice set up you have.

 

[Av8rtrav]

Your 220 looks really good! I just got a bench version, 1941. Works but will need a lot of restoration. Someone threw some paint on it perhaps 30 years ago and did a really bad job. I thought perhaps it was a crack, but is actually a thick paint line. Probly will never look as good as yours but one can try!

 

[driftpin]

I sold this one for $75 a few years ago, well-before COVID. I since found out I could have sold the Aliens hood-belt cover alone for much-more. Note the cast-in date on the underside of the table, just before the Battle of the Bulge.

 

[Hoorn]

@driftpin it's hard to make out, the badge logo on the front of the pulley guard, was it the red Delta logo with three lines through it or was it the Delta Milwaukee with the triangle?

And yes you could have got more than $75 for that rear pulley guard.

 

[driftpin]

@driftpin it's hard to make out, the badge logo on the front of the pulley guard, was it the red Delta logo with three lines through it or was it the Delta Milwaukee with the triangle?

And yes you could have got more than $75 for that rear pulley guard.

Yes the red Delta logo.

I sold the piece to a friend who is Haitian, he lives here, but he ships tools back to Haiti where he has a business set-up to build homes and to remodel them because you can imagine what they desperately. Decent housing. Here he works for Habitat for H.