Dull Finish on 510 way tubes

[printone2]

I just found this site about a week ago. I have owned my 500 about 25 years and now I can get some answers to all those questions that have bothered me over the years.

I recently bought a 510 ( born 1991) and I find that the way tubes are not the bright brushed finish that I see on my 500 (born 1981). The 510 is still a brushed finish but not mirror-like as on my 500. The bench tubes look like they have a different finish than any of the other tubes too. They look like they have been chromed and do not have a brushed finish. Did they change the way that the way and bench tubes are prepared?

All of the tubes are relatively free of rust and discoloration, but the sanding and polishing on my 510 does not look as good as the 500.

Also, is there any special treatment to polish the chromed table tubes on the 510 tables. Is their finish chrome like the bench tubes? If so, is a standard chrome polish the recommended solution. I have been using the green scratch pads with paste wax for the brushed surfaces and aluminum table surfaces. It seems to work great, but I have hesitated on the chrome like finished surfaces.

Thanks.

[billmayo]

The way tubes have always had a different harder wearing finish than the cheaper finish bench tubes. I have not seen any factory chrome plated bench tubes. I find that the finish on the bench tubes takes a lot more effort to clean/shine than the way tubes. I try to keep any rust off the tubes by cleaning and polishing often as the tubes will rust if not cared for. Not a real answer as to how to clean your specific tubes. I use Naval Jelly, different grades of steel wool and finer grades of sand paper for cleaning and polishing the tubes.

The 510/520 connector tubes chrome finish seems to wear and/or chip off quite easy. I have not found any way to preserve the chrome finish on the connector tubes when they are used quite often. I believe this is a cheaper finish due to cost of doing them. I end up wire brushing the bad spots and waxing them often.

[printone2]

Then I just have not put enough effort into the way tube cleaning. They will look as bright as the 500's if I just keep at it?

The bench tubes on the 510 look very similar to the table connecting tubes. I noticed that my belt sander also has that same chrome finish on the tubes that are the same size as the bench tubes. I had not noticed that the sander had tubes until I took the platen off to adjust the idler assembly. My older sander has the bright brushed finish on its tubes that the 500 has. I will give them some more effort. Thanks.

[charlese]

My 510 has a hard, brushed type finish on the way tubes and a chrome finish on the lower bench tubes. I've never waxed, shined, or done anything with the bench tubes other than vacuum them.

The outside of the table tubes are also chromed.

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[dusty]

I consider my Mark V to be well cared for and to be in "excellent" condition but my tubes are not near as well kept as charlese' seem to be. I think this is evidence that 1) the tubes are not all the same and 2) not everyone cares for them the manner.

I wax regularly and I have no rust but I do not have the chromium appearance that charlese' tubes present.

[charlese]

Ah Geeze! As I searched through my shop photos to find any pics of the machine tubes - found they were really scarce. The subjects of the pics are usually made of wood and the machine is incidental.

The photos make the way tubes seem shinier than they really are. My waxing schedule is once a month, or when they develop a little resistance, whichever comes sooner. (usually the resistance thing)

As said earlier, the bench tubes have never had any care other than vacuuming. They have a chromium finish.

I seriously doubt Dusty's way tubes have ever suffered any abuse. A photo would probably make them look quite shiny.

[ddvann79]

Gentlemen,

I recently acquired my dad's 1962-63 Brownie and hope to return it to service. It's been sitting for 20+ years in a humid garage and the way tubes are covered in rust and have sustained pitting along their entire length (see attached photo). There is some surface rust and limited pitting on the bench tubes. I'm concerned about removing too much material during rust removal and I doubt I will be able to maintain the original dimensions.

My question: Especially for the way tubes, must they be replated in chrome to maintain their original diameter or will buffing compound and paste wax suffice? Most people on the forum appear to use a wire brush and sand paper on the way tubes but wouldn't that affect the tolerances and how well the headstock slides along them?

I want to keep as many parts original on this machine as possible, including the tubes, especially since it has sentimental value to me. But I'm also wondering if it may not be better to simply pick up a set of tubes in good condition from eBay.

[mickyd]

Gentlemen,

I recently acquired my dad's 1962-63 Brownie and hope to return it to service. It's been sitting for 20+ years in a humid garage and the way tubes are covered in rust and have sustained pitting along their entire length (see attached photo). There is some surface rust and limited pitting on the bench tubes. I'm concerned about removing too much material during rust removal and I doubt I will be able to maintain the original dimensions.

My question: Especially for the way tubes, must they be replated in chrome to maintain their original diameter or will buffing compound and paste wax suffice? Most people on the forum appear to use a wire brush and sand paper on the way tubes but wouldn't that affect the tolerances and how well the headstock slides along them?

I want to keep as many parts original on this machine as possible, including the tubes, especially since it has sentimental value to me. But I'm also wondering if it may not be better to simply pick up a set of tubes in good condition from eBay.

Welcome the forum ddvann79. I wouldn't be concerned about the dimensional change of the tubes after rust removal. The dimensional change after rust removal will be negligible. At most, you'll loose a couple of thousandths of an inch. When locking down the headstock, the wedge locks press against both tubes, making the OD of the tubes less important.

You may want to consider using electrolysis on your tubes to cut down on the physical labor. If so, I can direct you to a few posts that deal with it.

[JPG]

Welcome the forum ddvann79. I wouldn't be concerned about the dimensional change of the tubes after rust removal. The dimensional change after rust removal will be negligible. At most, you'll loose a couple of thousandths of an inch. When locking down the headstock, the wedge locks press against both tubes, making the OD of the tubes less important.

You may want to consider using electrolysis on your tubes to cut down on the physical labor. If so, I can direct you to a few posts that deal with it.

Mickyd likes electrolysis for way/bench tubes, I prefer evaporust for all tubes. The evaporust will also clean up the inside of the tubes. Evaporust is good for derusting small parts(toss em in a bowl/jar overnight).

Both electrolysis and evaporust stop after all the iron oxide has been eliminated so excess time is not a problem(start it and come back when yer good and ready).

The electrolysis is a good method for sheet metal and any really really badly rusted parts(it does a good job of removing paint at the same time).

Citrusstrip works well on aluminum parts.

Sanding/grinding/naval jelly will also attack the 'good' material that remains. Save the sanding for 'polishing' step.

[billmayo]

[quote="mickyd"]Welcome the forum ddvann79. I wouldn't be concerned about the dimensional change of the tubes after rust removal. The dimensional change after rust removal will be negligible. At most, you'll loose a couple of thousandths of an inch. When locking down the headstock, the wedge locks press against both tubes, making the OD of the tubes less important.

QUOTE]

No problem with smaller way tube sizes. The Shopsmith headstock way tubes are 1.75" OD. The Total Shop and Master Craft clone way tubes are 1.675" OD. Since there is no current manufacture or source for parts for these clones, I found it cheaper to switch to the Shopsmith headstock than to machine parts for the clones. The .075" difference in the way tube sizes has no effect when locking the Shopsmith headstock on the clone way tubes. I found this is a good use for the clone frames I have acquired reather than selling them for junk. All Clone and Shopsmith SPTs and attachments still fit the clone frame and Shopsmith headstock combination.