Home Forums General Discussion Forum material for beginner lathe practice

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #49500
    cusimano
    Participant

      Hello,
      I have recently purchased a “favorite No.3” lathe. I am most defiantly a novice looking to become a proficient lathe operator. I have purchased the books by Perkins and de Carle. I have also acquired some hand gravers to start working with.
      Question,
      Could someone point me in a direction of lathe material suppliers, I’m looking for Brass Turning Rod to start building my skills.
      I have been looking around the net, but would like to know where watchmakers are acquiring their metal stock supplies from.

      Thank you in advance for any direction anyone could offer.
      Chris

      #62082
      david pierce
      Participant

        Chris,
        A Favorite #3 is a rare find. Where did you purchase it?
        The best place to purchase metal rod is generally from a metal supply or and industrial supply. If you are in the USA you might try Enco, MSC, McMaster Carr or check the internet for metal suppliers.
        david

        #62083
        chris mabbott
        Participant

          Welcome to the forum Chris.

          As David mentions, there are many online supply houses to choose from and depending where in the world you’re located, you can usually find cheap brass/aluminum rod in a curtain shop or hardware stores..
          Cousins UK also sells small stock.

          #62084
          bernie weishapl
          Participant

            Welcome Chris and nice find on the lathe. I find and get a lot of my brass from our local hardware stores. Other than that I order from Enco, MSC, etc here in the states.

            #62085
            brianw
            Participant

              Macc Models in the UK is good for metal.

              Home

              #62086
              cusimano
              Participant

                Hi All,
                Thank you for the information, I will put it to good use.
                I got the “Favorite No.3” from an NAWCC member who purchased it from the estate sale of Janos Weinberger, a watchmaker from NY City, who purchased the lathe new in 1975. I even have the original receipt and Randy, the guy I bought the lathe from, came across the complete Favorite catalog
                in another box from the estate and he is passing that on to me also. I am a novice to Horology, but am vested into becoming a skilled watchmaker.
                When I saw the lathe sitting in the corner of his garage I knew it was something nice and of quality. The lathe is mounted on a metal factory platform with a
                drawer full of accessories, which pretty much solidified the purchase for me. The motor also has a built-in counter shaft assembly and the attachments for
                powering a milling attachment. I don’t that attachment, nor do I have the slide. But the tail stock is levered and the headstock has a triple set of ball bearing.
                It was pretty obviously well taken care of I feel fortunate to have came across it. If anyone has more info on the “favorite” please pass it on.
                Thank you again everyone for your information.
                Chris
                … I’m in Northern California by the way …

                #62087
                willofiam
                Moderator

                  Hey Chris, Welcome to the forum. If you haven’t yet, take a look at “lathes UK” there is a whole section there on the Favorite lathe. would love to see your set-up. William

                  #62088
                  cusimano
                  Participant

                    I’ll add some pic’s as soon as figure out how to do it on the forum…
                    Cc

                    #62089
                    david pierce
                    Participant

                      Chris,
                      You struck the mother load on that purchase. The design is along the lines of a Bergeon 50. The reason for the double pedistal and extra strong bed was to provide stability for gear cutting. You may also want to order a copy of a book called THE WATCHMAKER AND HIS LATHE by H. Jendritzki. It has a lot of information about lathe accessories and lathes.
                      I don’t know what the Favorite 3 sold for in 1975. I would guess back then it was probably around $2000.00. Otto Frei has the Bergeon 50 listed on their web page. Make sure you are sitting down when you see what they sell for now.
                      david

                      #62090
                      cusimano
                      Participant

                        Hi David,
                        Thank you for re-enforcing my untrained purchasing instinct. Holy crap, You weren’t kindling about the cost of the Bergeon 50 Lathe 40K wow … and your right it looks a lot like what I got, but I have a lot more extras … I do know how much it cost in 1975, I have the original receipt. The total 9,500 Frs. which is 1975 exchange rates comes to around $2,200.00. Funny thing, the Ford Mustang cost 4,000.00 in 1975, the Chevy Malibu was 3,500.00. Now all I need to do is learn how to drive it… lol.

                        #62091
                        david pierce
                        Participant

                          Chris,
                          The headstock in your machine should have ball bearings. This actually makes it a better machine than the Bergeon 50. Before running it, turn it by hand and feel for any crunching or other vibrations that should not be there. If it turns smoothly then you are in good shape and can start running it. The reason for checking this is the lubrication in the ball bearings can dry out over time and should not be run until they are cleaned out and relubricated. I like to use hydraulic oil as a cleaning fluid and bearing grease as a lubricant. If the bearings are shot or unrepairable they can be replaced with ABEC 7 or ABEC 9 bearings. Put the probe of a dial indicator in the spindle and check for any runout. That lathe should have almost no noticeable runout. It should hold concentricity to about 50,000,000ths of an inch or about 1/2 of 1/10,000ths of an inch.

                          The physical size of your machine is somewhat larger than a standard watchmaker lathe which almost puts it in the category of an instrument lathe; but it uses 8mm collets. If you have not done so go to Chris Marbot’s post titled PRODUCT REVIEWS and take a look at my LEVIN. That is a full blown instrument lathe which uses larger 3C collets and is powered by a large motor. When I bought it I first checked the spindle with a dial indicator. I could not see the dial move at all which meant that the runout was in millionths of an inch. Your lathe should be close to that. The LEVIN is also quite heavy and it was all I could do to lift it up onto the bench where it now sits.
                          david

                        Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
                        • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.