Bridgeport Series I - Scraping and Flaking

[gnrms]

We've recently acquired a restoration project from one of our clients. Figured we would showcase a little craftsmanship in a small clip we made while we were restoring the column, knee and saddle. This "internet" and "video" thing is fairly new to us so please bare with us in these ameteuresque shots.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQhsDtS--wU"]YouTube- Scraping and Flaking[/nomedia]
(We don't know how to embed on these forums, yet!)

Overview: Basically, our client wanted a complete restore of their knee mill, this gave us the opportunity to really go to town and restore this machine to its former glory (which to us is a much higher value in today's economy). We've pretty much left some wiggle room to compensate for any wear they may put into it, so the column (knee, saddle and table for that matter) doesn't wear-down from the get go.

Hope you enjoy it (even though it's a small snippet!)

Oh and, feel free to provide your feedback. We used Biax for the automatic tools showcased, here. One equipped with a scraping tool, the other with a flaking tool. Biax owns!

[jbeech]

I can't comment on the quality of the work but the quality of the video is fine and the patterns you';re applying look even, which is the point I suspect. Did you ever post before and after photos (and maybe videos of the final product)? How much was the bill presented?

[gnrms]

Did you ever post before and after photos (and maybe videos of the final product)? How much was the bill presented?

Actually no, but we will make sure to post some going forward for these kind of showcases.

By bill we're assuming you mean the final cost? It depends on a few variables; but for a full re-grind, scrape/flake on the X, Y and Z and turcite installation it can vary from 3,900.00USD - 4,600.00 USD.

If you're interested in us making a before/after video, we would definitely be keen on getting our media guys to get something going. We're constantly refurbishing various knee-mills for our clients!

[TarHeelTom]

but for a full re-grind, scrape/flake on the X, Y and Z and turcite installation

What is the "turcite" installation?

Tom

[gnrms]

What is the "turcite" installation?

Tom

Hey Tom,

Turcite installations entail refacing applicable ways and applying a tough material (turcite) along the surface of said ways (with a strong adhesive) to prolong the life of your machine ways, in a nut-shell. I'm not entirely sure if that covers your question. If it doesn't, please feel free to iterate with more detail. Cheers.

-gnrms

[TarHeelTom]

Hey Tom,

Turcite installations entail refacing applicable ways and applying a tough material (turcite) along the surface of said ways (with a strong adhesive) to prolong the life of your machine ways, in a nut-shell. I'm not entirely sure if that covers your question. If it doesn't, please feel free to iterate with more detail. Cheers.

-gnrms

Thanks. I've just never heard that term.

But then, I'm a noob.

Tom

[tc429]

weve used a lot of turcite at work- still do as they seem to like the turnaround time- but personally on machines that can have accurately ground ways, I love the Moglice 'FLP' injectable stuff...I did a bed mill and a large vertical lathe with it, and both ran with no adjustments for years...they had a local machine way specialist come in and do a bunch of bed mills and a couple lathes, but they trowelled/scraped instead of injecting, and they crumbled in months- gave Moglice a seemingly permanent black eye in managements opinion...the ones I did, I even glued shim to both sides of the gibs and injected both sides- zero scraping was required, used the Dapra Biax flaker to bust up the surface a bit, hacked some oil grooves in, and that was all. on the rails I'd added brass tipped jacks, assembled/trammed the whole thing, waxed, sealed and shot it all at once...only scary part about moglice is the separating- but I'd added a couple extra jacking holes for that too- it still lets go with a bang though...

I liked the moglice mostly due to the extreme rigidity it provides- they tend to think 1/8" Turcite is fine at work, but IMO our machines with that thickness might as well be lined with 'NERF' as its just too soft in thick applications...the stuff thats under .030 is fine, but oil grooves are a kinda limited...speaking of oil grooves, ever notice how many people run a straight groove down the center- Oh that Irks me...weve had so many rails with a unworn line from improper oil grooving I could scream sometimes...my buddy just relined one the other day and ran a straight groove instead of a Z, and I know we discussed this a dozen times years ago...

We hadnt used our scrapers in years- saw the little green metal boxes were opened the other day...need to lock them up before they sprout legs, think the pair cost like 4k 15 years ago...they are definitely well made tools. We had a OLD fella at work 20 years ago that would flake by hand, and did a absolutely perfect pattern...its definitely a lost art- even with a Biax, not many folks work with hand fitting iron these days...gotta say, think this is the first time Ive heard of turcite lined Bridgeport...I thought they were all iron on iron, or iron on chrome- bet they sure move nice on the relatively slippery turcite!
the biggest thing I dont care for with the Turcite is the 'waylock' epoxy...the little glass beads that maintain uniform thickness is a pretty smart idea, but the coolant we use seems to always cause separation 5-10 years down the road...many-a-time had to pull a slide in perfect condition and the pads are left behind...even with recommended surface finish/cleaning, the coolant takes its toll...we actually started pocketing the Turcite just to more or less edge lock it in- it works a lot more reliably than just the surface adhesion...
Tim

[tc429]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDrOuPybFEg"]YouTube - Moglice bom vao duong truot dung.wmv[/nomedia]

found a short video of injecting moglice...wish they showed injecting a actual machine- its usually messy, guessing thats why they didnt...still shows the general idea of filling/venting- injecting is a slow process, and you cant stop- it makes for some sore forearms
and they also dont show separating the things afterwards- takes a lot of force to pop the adhesion, even with the release wax...