Home Forums General Discussion Forum New owner of a Wolf Jahn 8 mm lathe

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  • #49809
    its time
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      I recently bought a lathe on ebay, there was not a lot of description but when I received it after cleaning found it is stamped with Wolf Jahn and a common number on several different places of 88.

      I have several questions so please any assistance would help.

      1 The spindle of the lathe looks like it has oil holes in the top portion on the headstock, what kind of oil do I need for this little lathe. Also while looking at other lathes they look to have a cover ring over the holes, can I buy the covers and if so where?

      2 A belt for it is needed, where is the best place to get that.

      The lathe looks to be in good shape, it has had a hard life with some pliers marks dent and dings. The pic shows it on ebay with what came with it.

      #63808
      Bob Tascione
      Moderator

        Congratulations on your Wolf Jahn find Ncollar!

        For lubricating the cone bearings I use Velocite 6 light spindle oil which I get form Enco. Here’s the link: http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/45208-100848-mobil-no-6-light-spindle-velocite-machine-oil.html

        As for the oil covers I don’t know of anyplace to buy them. You could probably make a decent looking set to do the job though now that you have a lathe! :D
        I usually use fusible textured belting for my lathes and pulley run machines. I like the versatility they offer. I’ll provide a link to one on the bay below. Other people prefer the leather belts over these plastic belts. The leather belts are great too and aesthetically pleasing and true to the era of most of these machines. David Pierce discovered another very good and inexpensive alternative to the belts I mention above. He uses o-rings which can be purchased in just about any size and for very little cost. These offer the advantage of a continuous non-bumpy smooth run and good longevity. They’re not adjustible like the other two belts mentioned so if the setup needs to be changed then you will need another belt but at those prices one could easily stock up on an assortment of sizes to keep on hand. All of the above are good choices and each come with it’s list of advantages and disadvantages.

        Heres a link to the plastic belting. They come in different sizes, lengths and two common colors, green and red as well as clear. Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fusible-4mm-Belting-for-Watchmaker-Lathe-TEXTURED-4-mm-Jewelers-Belt-Levin-/231973300610?hash=item3602afa982:g:~BMAAMXQBNlRhVvY

        O-rings are sold everywhere so you can just put O-Rings into Goog. search, ebay or amazon.

        Randy had a good place to buy leather belting but I can’t remember where it was. I’ll check my emails from him to see if I can find the URL.

        Hope this helps,
        Bob

        #63809
        its time
        Participant

          Bob
          Thank you for your reply and the leads. I have enjoyed the site with all the fine folks out there. I am enjoying the journey.

          #63810
          dave booth
          Participant

            The weld in fusible belts can be made a little less bumpy by judiciously trimming around the weld with a pair of cuticle nippers. I Have a pair made by Revelon, that I picked up for less than twenty dollars at my local Target. They ae in the ladies’ makeup section, along with such other handy items as nail varnish, orangewood cuticle sticks, emery boards, and fingernail buffs. I keep both yellow and red nail varnish on hand for painting file handles and drill bit shanks. Red is for tools used on ferrous materials, and yellow is used to denote tools used on non-ferrous materials.

            #63811
            its time
            Participant

              Dave
              Thank you so much for the good pointers. I loved the idea of the bit and polish. One question on that comes to mind is do you work the edge for the brass drill bits?
              I know I have a lot to learn and I will. I’ve got a few clocks to work on and one that will wait till my confidence is there. I got a Seth Thomas from my wifes grandfather when he passed. It works and I just love it’s bells but they do not strike like they should, I’ll learn all about that when it comes time to tackle it.

              Again thanks for all the great tips.
              Nelson Collar

              #63812
              willofiam
              Moderator

                Hey Nelson, great to have you aboard. Looks like your having some fun, very exciting! I use the same spindle oil Bob mentioned, and also use the fusable belting, takes some practice welding them together and like Dave mentions about taking some time to dress the welded area they work great. One thing I found out while welding them together is NOT to push the ends together too hard, if you do then you can “squeeze out” the melted material which will leave a unmelted, non sticky area in the center of the belt. It will appear to be fused together but upon closer inspection it will not be welded throughout and will fail alot sooner. Hope that makes sense. William

                #63813
                its time
                Participant

                  William
                  Thanks for all the good suggestions. I’ve read almost everything you have done and I would like to follow in your footsteps. I thought about clocks for a long time and being disabled and not working it would be nice to be able to do something when I feel good enough. Maybe it will be therapeutic at the same time. You are very inspiring.
                  Nelson

                  #63814
                  willofiam
                  Moderator

                    Nelson, thank you very much….your costing me money, now 😆 I need to buy a bigger hat. 😯 ..I also have a disability…though I always forget to put in the “dis” part of that word, maybe I am in denial… BUT when it is painful I find that focusing on something else keeps my mind off of it. Having a goal can be difficult to accomplish, (I am going thru some of that right now), the reward is enjoying the journey to it…next thing yah know…your there. ;)
                    Well. anyway, I hope you feel good today!!! William

                    #63815
                    its time
                    Participant

                      William
                      Thank you for the kind words and yes sometimes to just get our minds off what bothers me most. I’ve read almost everything I get my eyes on and trying to take it all in. The videos will help out a whole bunch and in the meantime I am setting up my lathe. I scored a flip top tool post, it is starting to look like a lathe now. I will be able to start soon. I am looking for a clock I can practice on and maybe get it working. Again love all you have done, you are an inspiration.
                      Nelson

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