My new (old) Levin lathe--thoughts on how to clean it up?

[LittleWatchShop]

16 minutes ago, MechanicMike said:

thats crazy! unbelievable. can you make your own? smh grab  a  set of left had thread dies measure the major diameter maybe make your own? geez thats incredible.

We think alike. I spent part of the day searching. This is just an odd diameter for the given thread. I may have to clinch my butt cheeks and give them the money.

[LittleWatchShop]

A guy on the NAWCC forum had a great idea.  Remove the head of the current screw (with a file or turn it with a lathe),  Get another screw with the proper hex head.  Turn it down to the correct diameter and length.  Weld it to the original screw.

I am pondering this idea...give it some time to marinate in my brain.

[MechanicMike]

On 10/24/2022 at 10:36 AM, LittleWatchShop said:

Levin will sell me the screw for $125 plus shipping.

 

On 10/24/2022 at 4:04 PM, nickelsilver said:

Insane

thats being conservative. its ridiculous! 

22 hours ago, LittleWatchShop said:

We think alike. I spent part of the day searching. This is just an odd diameter for the given thread. I may have to clinch my butt cheeks and give them the money.

125 large for a flippin weird screw. smh well, I once heard a fellow member here once said, "In my never ending quest to go bankrupt buying watch stuff...."

the brown truck/uniform guy just delivered two watch stuff packages to me today. rocks at glass houses and all that...

7 hours ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I am pondering this idea...give it some time to marinate in my brain.

uh boy what kind of welding? TIG? silver soldering? brazing? such a tight little spot. I'm letting that marinate myself. 

[LittleWatchShop]

For future generations.  This I believe is the profile of a Levin lathe bed.

That 44.3 is probably 44.5 or 44.25.  I cannot resolve any closer.

If anyone disagrees...I am all ears.

[LittleWatchShop]

I have (almost) found the solution to the screw.  Maprox makes the faceplate and they are happy to sell me the screw for $33.

HOWEVER, (in the 21st century), we are trying to figure out how to get money from Texas to Switzerland!!  They do not accept US CC.

[nickelsilver]

Ah I didn't see that on their site (been on phone only last two weeks), cool!

 

You can go to your bank and they can do a wire transfer, which is how the rest of the world moves money haha. The hitch is it might cost you around 50 bucks to do the transfer. Depends on your bank.

[LittleWatchShop]

2 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

The hitch is it might cost you around 50 bucks to do the transfer. Depends on your bank.

Indeed, that is the hitch.  I have a business associate in Switzerland.  Right now, I am asking him to buy it and then I can send him the money.  They say that CCs are accepted, but I guess not ones from US.

[LittleWatchShop]

My business associate in Switzerland is taking delivery and paying for the screws.  Then sending them to me.  He has US accounts, so it will be easy to send him money at no charge.  I ended up buying four screws.  Maybe I will try to sell the others on ebay to recoup.

[LittleWatchShop]

I received the Levin lathe bed+headstock today.  As you recall, I just wanted the bed.

The bed is in fine shape and when I mounted my headstock and tailstock from the previous purchase, they appear to match as precisely as I have been able to measure so far.

However, unsurprisingly, the headstock that came with this bed (the Levin Hard) does not match.  This is not an issue for me.

[LittleWatchShop]

FINALLY!! I was able to remove the spindle and do a complete cleanup.  Also fixed the collet key that had worn away.

Rust was the culprit holding the pulley on the spindle.

This lathe is ready to go to work.

[nickelsilver]

Awesome! Now you just have to dig up a Levin T-rest, the cheezy Peerless one just doesn't fit with that lathe .

[LittleWatchShop]

1 hour ago, nickelsilver said:

Awesome! Now you just have to dig up a Levin T-rest, the cheezy Peerless one just doesn't fit with that lathe .

You just had to do it to me didn't you!

[nickelsilver]

19 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

You just had to do it to me didn't you!

Yeah, an original Levin T-rest does go for a surprising amount! But they are nice.

[LittleWatchShop]

3 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

Yeah, an original Levin T-rest does go for a surprising amount! But they are nice.

I there is one on ebay, but I do not see a Levin mark. I assume it would be branded

[nickelsilver]

3 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I there is one on ebay, but I do not see a Levin mark. I assume it would be branded

If it's the one they're asking 325 for, yes, that's a real Levin. I don't recall seeing one with the name engraved. But they are distinctive looking compared to others, and the straight black locking lever is a giveaway. And 325 is waaaay too much, they're dreaming!

[LittleWatchShop]

30 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

If it's the one they're asking 325 for, yes, that's a real Levin. I don't recall seeing one with the name engraved. But they are distinctive looking compared to others, and the straight black locking lever is a giveaway. And 325 is waaaay too much, they're dreaming!

Well, maybe I can celebrate.  The one on the left looks like it might be the Levin.

[nickelsilver]

Actually those both look Levin.

 

The one on the right could be Derbyshire though, but they have more ornate levers (can't see it) and are usually signed. Same quality.

Edited November 23, 2022 by nickelsilver

[LittleWatchShop]

Here is a spindle from a different Levin headstock.  The key on the inside of the spindle has either worn off or removed purposely.

I have fixed a few of these in the past, but this one looks different.  The piece as indicated is larger than the collet key slot.  On the inside of the spindle, the hole I can see looks about the right size.  It seems as if the key has a head on it.  Is that possible?

[nickelsilver]

That sounds right. The key isn't nearly as hard as the spindle, and I think the approach is to expand the head with a punch so it is really fixed in place, then file off the excess. On a spindle like this (properly hardened) a file won't bite it.

[LittleWatchShop]

On 11/23/2022 at 11:51 AM, nickelsilver said:

Actually those both look Levin.

 

The one on the right could be Derbyshire though, but they have more ornate levers (can't see it) and are usually signed. Same quality.

I was using the one on the left the other day and was frustrated because it has noticeable side shake.  I switched back to the Peerless.

Looking at the construction, no obvious way to fix this issue.

[LittleWatchShop]

Well, I fixed the wobbley tool rest be removing the pin and inserting a brass washer that I filed down to about 300 microns.