Restoring an Old Drill Press

[bgeyer]

I enjoyed the rebuild immensely!

I got to the end and thought, "I' spend $1200 for that" and was sad to see that it was sold.

thanks for taking the time to write the post.

[skizzo]

bgeyer said:

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I got to the end and thought, "I' spend $1200 for that"

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Oh? hmmm... we may need to figure out something. I'll pay the shipping.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[EvilTwin]

With the interest in old Arn, thought I would bump this one as well. Hey, its cold outside, spend some quality time with an old piece of machinery in the shop.

[Dogfisher]

Great blog!

[GirchyGirchy]

Great post, and definitely inspirational! I have a nice 1242-16 I picked up last year that I hope to restore sometime soon. It's from the 1953-56 time period, pre-Rockwell acquisition. Had a few questions though, for you and other members:

1) Any known major differences between the 900 and 1200 series that would show up in the dis-/re-assembly?

2) Any ideas on the color for the later Light Heavyweight series machines like mine? It doesn't appear to be green at all, more of a grey with a little tan in it.

3) What should I use to remove paint on textured cast aluminum? The Craftsman bandsaw I just picked up will need to be painted as well, but I'm afraid any type of abrasives will simply wear away the texture.

4) Did you do any particular preparation immediately before painting, or just rub down with mineral spirits and let dry?

5) Any opinions on removing nameplates from the motor and saw, and then reinstalling with either rivets or screws? I'm afraid they'll get damaged when doing the paint removal.

6) Did you repaint the motor, or just clean it up? Any bearing replacement in it, or just repack?

7) For those of us in locations with less than perfect weather (read: humidity!), any differences? I was thinking some light oil for assembly of moving and internal parts, as well as some wax (Johnson's Paste Wax?) on unpainted external parts.

Thanks to everyone for any help!

[jonzz]

Nice work Skizzo!! That DP looks like a well maintained swiss watch!

[KC7CN]

Thank you for sharing - old Walker Turner tools are classics for sure. Great restoration and appreciate the detailed post.

[skizzo]

GirchyGirchy said:

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Great post, and definitely inspirational! I have a nice 1242-16 I picked up last year that I hope to restore sometime soon. It's from the 1953-56 time period, pre-Rockwell acquisition. Had a few questions though, for you and other members:

1) Any known major differences between the 900 and 1200 series that would show up in the dis-/re-assembly?
I have seen 1200s before, but have never worked on one. They are really nice drill presses, beasts of a machine.

2) Any ideas on the color for the later Light Heavyweight series machines like mine? It doesn't appear to be green at all, more of a grey with a little tan in it.
I don't know the original color, but would not be surprised if it's much more of a grey tone if from the 50s Rockwell era.

3) What should I use to remove paint on textured cast aluminum? The Craftsman bandsaw I just picked up will need to be painted as well, but I'm afraid any type of abrasives will simply wear away the texture.
That's a really tough one to decide. Aluminum wears away much faster than steel or cast iron. Textured even more so. I would probably start with a soft wire wheel on a slow speed grinder to see how it goes. A number of times, I've just worked to remove the chippy/flaky paint areas without stripping entirely, in order to reduce problems with the original piece.

4) Did you do any particular preparation immediately before painting, or just rub down with mineral spirits and let dry?
My last step is always a thorough wipedown with mineral spirits on all stripped parts, before taping and painting. I usually do the final wipe a day before painting, let dry for several hours at a minimum, often overnight.

5) Any opinions on removing nameplates from the motor and saw, and then reinstalling with either rivets or screws? I'm afraid they'll get damaged when doing the paint removal.
Best advice is to be careful. If a tag is intact and well-attached, I typically leave it installed and tape it off for painting. If it's beat up or needs its own paint job, I will try to gently pry it off. That almost always causes the aluminum to deform around the drive screw (the little rivet-like piece), rather than pulling the drive screw from the casting. Once the tag is off, it can still be a bear to get the drive screw out even by itself. So when possible, I try to leave things where they are unless they need work.

6) Did you repaint the motor, or just clean it up? Any bearing replacement in it, or just repack?
Restoring an Old Motor

7) For those of us in locations with less than perfect weather (read: humidity!), any differences? I was thinking some light oil for assembly of moving and internal parts, as well as some wax (Johnson's Paste Wax?) on unpainted external parts.
1. Don't leave it unpainted for long. 2. paste wax or clear coat acrylic on parts you don't want to paint.

Thanks to everyone for any help!

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[GirchyGirchy]

Thanks for the response, Bill! I saw you bumped the motor thread, so I've saved that link as well.

Have you ever tried any chemical strippers? I wonder if something along those lines would be better for the aluminum, as long as it's not too harsh it eats the metal.

[Snipe Hunter]

Wow, great work Skiz... I love the WT drill presses... sexy. You nailed it.