Walker Turner Belt Sander...what have I got myself into!?

[jimi43]

I really have to get back to work. All this sitting around mending body bits means that I troll FleaBay and can't resist getting new things to do...

Yesterday I noticed a "little" belt sander that usually is from "some town north of Watford" but happened to be just up the road from me so I bid £40 for it and won! 8)

The little sander turned out to be a HUGE Behemoth of good old 30s American engineering...

Unfortunately, someone has painted it fire engine red with Woolies household paint and a cheap brush and then covered the entire machine in concrete!!!!! :lol:

The original badge is there (a plus!)

There is qutie a bit missing....such as the plate on the flat bed...but I have something that will fit that perfectly...

It has a huge Crompton Parkinson motor...

....and another plus...it has 4 spare belts!

....there are a few bent bits....

Anyway...I am off to get some Nitromors tomorrow....and some paint...and a few tins of WD40 and hopefully....just possibly...it might look like this one day....

One day I will learn just to get one from Axminster and be done with it...but where would the fun be in that!

Watch this space for the progress!

Cheers

Jim

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Jimi is the finished one, one of yours? That looks mega! Don't suppose you did a W.I.P, or have more images by any chance?

_Dan.

 

[xy mosian]

Can't think of anything to say. I'm just sitting here with a gentle smile slowly shaking my head

xy

 

[9fingers]

Exactly my reaction too XY!!

BTDIGTTS

I bought a beat up warco belt linisher and disc sander with no fences, tables or disc with a 3 phase motor on ebay.

By the time I had fitted all new bearings, made a static converter for the motor including case for the electrics, made a range of discs for different grits, bought ammunition for it etc, I should have bought new! I still need to make a table for the disc part and a fence for the belt.

Worst still SWMBO decided to come on the trip to Bristol to pick it up and I had to buy her lunch at the pub too!

Still it keeps me off the streets :lol:

Bob

 

[jimi43]

Hi Dan

Alas no...that is one of many in the USA, where the owner has received a piece of junk and turned it into a masterpiece of engineering.

This genius is called David Lopez and his machine looked FAR worse than mine...



Click on the picture to see his other beautiful pictures at the most excellent "Vintage Machinery Website". I have used this website for research over a number of years as I tend to be a bit of a hospital for lost and battered machinery.

I am not quite there yet...although...it is in bits...

....lots of bits....

Now it's just the case of putting it all in a paint stripping bath...clean up the metal...blacken a few bits to prevent corrosion, replace all bearings, repaint and reassemble.

If you don't count sourcing/fabricating missing bits that is!

I forget...who's the "bearing king" amongst our brethren? :wink:

Jim

 

[xy mosian]

Bob, it must be something to do with a technical challenge. I would much prefer a repair to buying new, but that may be something to do with the way I/We were brought up, and the timing of course.

xy

 

[jimi43]

I think with me it is a case of quality requirement. I want the sort of quality common to this era but to buy this today...even if I had the money, would be something I simply couldn't justify.

So getting vintage gear serves two purposes....it gives me the quality I want...at a price I can afford/justify...and it gives me huge satisfaction resurrecting these gems of engineering from the scraphead to fight again for another half a century and beyond.

Jim

 

[9fingers]

Wodja need to know about bearings Jim??

I have been known to talk balls at times :lol: :lol:

Bob

 

[Richard T]

Jimi, I have a horrible notion that you might have to order American bearings - I'm just guessing that it being American, the bearings will be American English sizes. Usually the difference doesn't matter. But for bearings? What think you Bob?

I don't want to be a damp squib about it - looks like a cracking beast. =D>

I was thinking yesterday, as I was spending the umpteenth hour with a piece of emery cloth in my aching mitt ... "what I could really do with is a decent belt grinder ..."

 

[Tusses]

ah ... American / English ...

Cheap feeler gauges ! cut them up and use them for shims and spacers :wink:

 

[jimi43]

Nil desperandum folks....bearings out! They are SKF 6203 metric! 12x17x40 so will be able to get some really nice ones...anyone have a favourite bearing on the situation!? (omg almost a coat moment there!)

AND....I looked down the list from the hospital entitled "Dos and Don'ts after a bypass" and there ain't nuffink there about avoiding pulling bearings so Annie can't complain! :lol:

Anyway...she doesn't know coz she is out getting the Nitromors.... 8)

One bearing came of easily (ain't that the way!?) but the other was stuck on and behind quite a bit of grot and surface corrosion from years of exposure to the elements so it was out with the whole shaft...onto the old Taylor and some Micromesh and Maas later...

..the shaft on the exit route was clean enough....

....to pull the bearing....

..which now came off fine....

So...off to clean under the bearing and get all the other bits sliding as they should...

Awaiting any recommendations for decent bearings...someone who takes PayPal because I have quite a bit in that account...?

Thanks for the offer of help Bob and Richard...the EXACT same thought came over me last time I played with steel...blinkin' hate the stuff! 8) :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[9fingers]

Bearing boys might take paypal but for quality bearings at good prices I use Arc Euro every time

62032RS £2.50 each, £2.00 post all vat inc

Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

Jimi,

I noticed your machine has the same badge/plate as the one you showed of Mr. Lopez. Is it the same model too?

Dead impressive restoration.

E.

 

[jimi43]

Thanks Bob...I will investigate..the bearings currently on the machine are in remarkably good nick but it is always best practice replacing them anyway...last thing I want is to find a bearing failure occur after reassembly. It's only a few bob after all.

Thanks Eric....yes it is exactly the same model...but modifications have been made to put the motor on the bench with the sander..a British one not the original...and a cowling was made to cover the belt...very professionally welded too! I intend to mount the sander on a stand and put the motor underneath as it should be.

The missing part at the front is obviously the disc part...I have enough disc sanders to last me a lifetime so I probably won't be installing one on this machine...but I might change my mind on that score...and keep this machine for metal only. Not sure yet.

The Nitromors has arrived so its out with the bowl and brush....

Later guys

Jim

 

[jimi43]

Strange thing...modern products...

The new "Nitromors" does not produce those fumes...even smells nice....looks totally ineffectual.....but here we go...acres of that horrible red!

You will have to wait until tomorrow to see the results but suffice to say....this is one hell of an improvement over the old product! =D>

We mentioned earlier about the reasons behind buying and restoring these old monsters over buying an Axminster special....and I sometimes feel that I might have it wrong...but....

Tonight...following the fettling of the rear roller, shaft, pulley and bearing assembly...I concluded that this is definitely the way to go...

THIS is that assembly...

Built like a brick effluent establishment...cleans up like new after about 80 years of use and misuse...and makes you want to launch it into space to start the "Starwars" Programme! :mrgreen:

And...amazingly heavy...and this is only one tiny bit of the machine...this section alone weighs as much as a standard belt sander.... :shock:

Boy this is FUN!

BTW Bob...I sussed out what "BTDIGTTS" means now....HA! And I got some SKF bearings...since it's what it says on the metal label...to be technically accurate...seemed reasonable...IYKWIM! :mrgreen:

 

[jimi43]

Ok...as promised..how did the paint stripper work...the "new-fangled Health and Safety approved...doesn't smell like it would work"...paint stripper?

Well...I'm impressed...it really does work! And in spades...

So...before it rusts away again..a quick coat of red primer...

Now it's just a case of deciding on what topcoat colour to use.

Clearly the old original colour is one option but it is this really horrendous green puke colour...and I really like the restored one above but is that going to be practical in anything other than a museum?

Or should I just go for Myford/Startrite type green...industrial like...or bright yellow! :shock:

Some research indicates that this is one of the very first models...1939/40 so I am thinking...why would it be over here...would it be the war? Came over on a Liberator or something? Why paint it red?

Also....if you look closely it has been modified..the front roller has been extended so that it can take longer belts...presumably because the American ones were not available in the UK...it currently takes R227 belts...whatever they are! More research needed!

Mmm....off to see what the paint man has....

Later...

Jim

 

[9fingers]

I'm surprised that it has metric bearings if it is really '39/40 vintage.


Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

I'd use a shade of red or maroon, to avoid bleed through from your primer. Grey undercoat will help, but to get back to a good light colour now will probably mean primer-->grey u/c-->white u/c-->gloss. Not that that's a bad idea, mind, as it will give good protection, but it's an extra obliterating coat you don't need. It's also a bit big to stove, so you'll wait a while for each coat to dry thoroughly.

If you're being truly dedicated, now's the time too for car body putty on the casting imperfections (if there are any). That was done on machine castings, but not on low-budget items.

It's looking very good, but I suspect I've just pointed you at the bucket of eggs for sucking...

Cheers,

E.

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Some black Japaning... so it will match your pliers..

 

[jimi43]

Hi Bob

I think that the whole thing has been retrofitted at various stages in its life. I am going to do some more research on this machine as there clearly has been modifications in its life. The vintage is correct according to the OWWM site. The serial number tag...

...and logo badge are listed as Type 1 Early 1939/40

As I say....I think this came over to the UK as part of a war effort shipment...on a US base perhaps. It was then modified extensively...see the serial number tag above for instance...cut out to accept the belt out of the side versus below...to take the British motor on the side.

A cowling was then fabricated...of very high quality..it was hard to recognise at first as a modification.

The entire front roller has been extended about 8", as I suspected earlier...to fit a longer belt...and so on.

This is what fascinates me about these old babies...they have so much history!

Hi Eric...it is going to be maroon and cream I think...you know..two-tone Buick colours..befitting don't you think...and won't show the dirt so much. I don't really like the machine greens and since it is not going to end up original there seems little point in being anal about the paint...as long as it is done better than the last job!

HA! Pvt-Ryan! You are officially deemed bonkers!!! :mrgreen: :wink:

This project is great fun! I have all these family members at my beck and call lifting huge iron castings in and out of the workshop...this is the life!! Annie was a bit peeved with me this morning though...having to lift it out with all that paint stripper on having just got her nurses uniform on...hell she had the gloves...what more did she want!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Off to fettle some more metal bits and bobs...it's great to find metal underneath all the crud and rust for once!

Jim