Watchmakers Lathe, Repair help!

[james1983]

Hello All,

I am taking possession of a nice lathe made here in Canada in the late 1930’s. Its in great shape bearings wise and is intact other then missing its head stock.
However the pulley wheel has major chunks and gouges. Is there a cheap way to re-mold the wheel with some kind of model puddy? or can i dissemble it and get a replacement pulley?
Its a WW stye lathe. btw.

Thank you for any info you can give.

James

[pkamargo]

Well, if you were here in Brazil I would say to you use “durepoxi”… I don’t know what equivalent product you have, it is a bicomponent epoxi that adheres very well and after cure gets very hard but at same time can be easily machined. Would be a cheap and good repair until you get another pulley to replace the damaged one.

[arutha]

There are a few 2 part epoxy puttys knocking about that should do the job just like Pkamargo has listed. Just clean the chips up making sure you the rough the edges so the putty gets a good grip. It can the be filed and sanded to shape once it has set. I use the black for repairing black slate clock cases and it does set quite hard but is still easily sanded. Dont be tempted to shape it while the putty is setting, it goes through a stage where you can carve it easily but this could weaken the join, let it set hard before sanding to shape.
Hope this helps.
Paul.

[james1983]

Ah, thanks guys. I will check some local hardware stores for it.

[willofiam]

Hi James, I have seen pulleys on ebay in the past. Have fun!!! William

[Bob Tascione]

Hi All,
I did a little hunting online to see if that Durapoxi that pkamargo mentioned might be available under another name. It looks like it may be JB Weld and possibly even made by them and sold under a different name. Not absolutely sure though.
Bob

[pkamargo]

Hi Bob,

I know JB Weld, and it is not the same Durepoxi – although both are epoxi based products.

JB comes in tubes and the components are kind of a toothpaste consistency. Durepoxi comes in bars, the components are like clay.

Here is a YT link of someone using it to make a craftwork (owl pendant):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPR3HgK9Guk

[Bob Tascione]

Thanks Pkamargo,
I see what you mean now. I didn’t notice the two bars sticking out of the box in your pic! That’s entirely different than what I was thinking. I can see how that stuff could be used for many applications. Looks very useful. Would like to find out if there’s something like that here or in the US that’s comparable.
Bob

[pkamargo]

Yes, Bob, it is that kind of thing that has 1001 utilities.

Search in english for “epoxy clay”.

Here is an example of where to buy it, “decore” brand (maybe you can find cheaper options):
http://www.beadaholique.com/c-63996-decore-epoxy-clay.aspx

A video shows a woman using it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdSFIAjVn9Q

[arutha]

I belive you can get “Milliput” In the US.
Plumbers use the same sort of stuff as it even goes off under water and is great for stopping leaks, I even used it on my car radiator once and a core plug, sealed the leaks right up and you can also use it for sealing leaks in pond liners.
Paul.

[Bob Tascione]

Thanks guys,
After Paul posted his last post about setting up under water I realized that I had not only seen something similar to this stuff but have actually used it once in an emergency on our boat! Among boaters it’s called “Splash Zone” and is a must have for anyone who spends time sailing offshore. It’s a 2 part puddy/clay like epoxy used for emergency leaks and will set quickly underwater once in place and IT WILL stay there. It will stick to almost anything. I have a gallon of each part on the boat!
I think pkamargo is right. It should work great for repairing that pulley!
Bob

[james1983]

Amazing, I will have to get my hands on some.

Thanks for your help everyone, its greatly appreciated!

James

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