Cantek 1440, Birmingham, Wilton CT 1440, and others Rebuild

[turbo711]

Well I had a chance to do some more on the lathe. This time, the tailstock. I would consider it's condition to be bad. This must be one of those models that has a tailstock/anvil option where you can drill/center parts, but also hammer out a horseshoe on it if you need to...



There are cracks on both sides where the side adjustment bolts are as well as the center of the back. I ordered a product called EZ weld tig wire, specifically designed to weld cast iron. I thought I would start at the back because it is easily accessible.




The only thing that worked well is this diamond grinding/cutoff disk from banggood. Cheap and good; rare these days. Anyway, I "welded" the crack from both sides and also welded some parts on the forward/off/reverse lever to tighten it up a bit
.



See how pretty it looks. Now grind it. Mr. Tig doesn't show you that part...




In the case of the switch casting, I think it will be okay, and the holes will hold more oil!
But, I think I will leave the bolt hole cracks alone, because it is a difficult area and the "welds" are sponge toffee.




Here is a way to remove those little hammer rivets:




And the same method for a broken stop pin:





And here are some more issues with the anvil...
A worn quill slide...




Welded lever...



This won't affect operation, but look at the quality of the cam casting...



There is also a missing gib although I think it is just square stock instead of tapered in this case. I would say the tailstock is in poor condition to say the least, but due to the costs adding up, I will not be replacing it.

I also worked on the headstock. But before I did, I had to contend with the Medusa...



Which isn't as bad as it looks. I think only the 3 contactors will need to be replaced. The transformer, thermal overload relay, and all the fuse blocks look okay. The insulating base plate and box are a different story.

Here are some pics.





Production shortcut (not machining middle holes in lid).



And the bad news is the gears that the speed (1350rpm) was left on for 16 years are chewed.



Everything else seems to be okay including the spindle and bearings.



Now I have to locate contactors and gears. I could throw it back together and listen to the humming, or choose a different speed, but it would always be a splinter in my mind driving me mad...
That's all for now.