Shopsmith Forums

charlese wrote: Instead, I grabbed my Shopsmith lathe skew and went to work on the brass. To my surprise - it peeled off the ind quite well!

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Chuck,
Much watch and clock work is done on lathes with hand gravers and a T rest. It isn't that different than turning wood and you can cut both brass and steel. Leaded brass is easier to machine.

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Troy

Guys sorry this is off topic but Troy, I found a watch lathe like you are showing but not too sure who made it. It is missing the locking bar on the tale stock that holds it to the body, Any idea where to find a part for it.
Thanks and sorry for being off topic but sure would like to get this working.
Bill

Thanks for the thread, Troy! Not knowing a thing about metal and alloys, I have to ask a couple questions.

You mentioned that leaded brass is easier to turn.. When I ordered the brass I ordered C464 Naval Brass rather than C360 Free Machining brass. http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cf ... top_cat=79
Would the C360 rod been easier to turn? Can you tell us the gross differences between the two? Maybe I should have ordered the C360.

Like I said, I was not successful in making decorative grooves in the brass.

P.S. EDIT- - Just went back to the site and found brass bar comparisons. Looking for the amount of lead - the Naval brass has up to 1% lead while the Free Machining has 2.5% to 3.7% . http://www.onlinemetals.com/brassguide.cfm
Do you think that's enough to make a difference?

PP.SS. EDIT NEXT DAY- - Just read the post on the bowl saw and it dawned on me that I could have used a hack saw on the lathe to cut the decorative grooves.

charlese wrote:Thanks for the thread, Troy! Not knowing a thing about metal and alloys, I have to ask a couple questions.

You mentioned that leaded brass is easier to turn.. When I ordered the brass I ordered C464 Naval Brass rather than C360 Free Machining brass. http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cf ... top_cat=79
Would the C360 rod been easier to turn? Can you tell us the gross differences between the two? Maybe I should have ordered the C360.

Like I said, I was not successful in making decorative grooves in the brass.

P.S. EDIT- - Just went back to the site and found brass bar comparisons. Looking for the amount of lead - the Naval brass has up to 1% lead while the Free Machining has 2.5% to 3.7% . http://www.onlinemetals.com/brassguide.cfm
Do you think that's enough to make a difference?

PP.SS. EDIT NEXT DAY- - Just read the post on the bowl saw and it dawned on me that I could have used a hack saw on the lathe to cut the decorative grooves.

Definitely. The lead is added for machinability.

wlhayesmfs wrote:Guys sorry this is off topic but Troy, I found a watch lathe like you are showing but not too sure who made it. It is missing the locking bar on the tale stock that holds it to the body, Any idea where to find a part for it.
Thanks and sorry for being off topic but sure would like to get this working.
Bill

Bill,
Post some photos and I may be able to ID your lathe. For lathes, parts, and accessories I would recommend Harvey Schmidt:

http://www.toolpin.com/

Chuck,

As Dick mentioned the lead is added to improve machinability. Having never knowingly worked with C464 I can offer no comparison. Most of the brass I work with is of unknown composition. I can say that the C360 is nice stuff and works very well.

The hacksaw is a quick way of parting sections off the bar but leaves a rough surface. You will probably not be happy with the results if you try to cut decorative grooves this way. If you do try it be sure to first score a groove with the corner of a file edge to give the hacksaw a start. Otherwise the saw will likely skip along the surface of the bar, leaving deep scratches. Don't ask.

Troy

horologist wrote:Chuck,
... If you do try it be sure to first score a groove with the corner of a file edge to give the hacksaw a start. Otherwise the saw will likely skip along the surface of the bar, leaving deep scratches. Don't ask.
Troy

Thanks for the info, Troy! I fully understand your tip!!:)

I have one of the watchmakers' lathes I would part with. My email is in profile, but, jetobeyatmsn.com

Thanks, but unless you have some interesting accessories with the lathe I don't need another as I already have four of these lathes.

Troy