The motor problem on the 1927 lathe is kicked into touch until Delta deliver the ultimate solution so we move in on the 1950 lathe.

 You'll go many a long weary mile before you see anything like this again.  It's a medallion machine made some time in the 1950s by Johnny Pickles.  I know it must be this date because it can only be used on the double spindle lathe.  It's a copying machine for cameos, medallions or similar objects.  Two identical chucks are mounted on the spindles and the far one carries the original, the near one carries the blank, usually ivory.  The far tool holder carries a follower point and the near an identical cutting point.  The theory is that as the lathe rotates the cutter follows the profile of the original and you end up with a copy.  The first thing to do is get it all cleaned up and properly mounted, I'm making the holding down bolt at the moment.  Then I need an identical chuck to match the one I have.  I'll put a separate pic up of the geared chucks.  One thing that strikes me is that flash photography makes everythin look rustier than it is.  True, all this stuff had a hard life but is actually in better nick than the photo shows. 

Hears the surviving geared chuck mounted on the lathe with its connecting gear wheel which keeps both spindles in synch.  I am short of a 4" Burnerd scroll chuck identical to this one so if you've got one anywhere I'd be very pleased to hear from you.

My dad always taught me that if someone could put something together, he could take it to pieces.  He was right, however, when you're dealing with something which is quite complicated it's a good idea to procede carefully, do some record pics and be as methodical as you can.  Here's the medallion machine partly stripped, I shall do the steel base and pillars first.  The screws are laid out separately because even though some are the same size, they are all hand made and need to go back in the right place.  Once again I'm learning about the way Johnny's mind worked.  Like all good fitters, the finish is all on the top where it can be seen, the bottom is just as it was when it came off the shaping machine, no point filing that up and polishing it.

We've made a start, wonderful what a difference a bit of TLC can make.  My way of recovering something like the original finish on steel is to start with an ordinary stainless steel pan scrub dipped in very thin oil followed by a polish using very fine, well used wet and dry paper soked in thin oil.  Depending on the depth of rusting, in this case not bad, this gets you back close to the original finish without any scratching.  For brass, just very fine wet and dry with oil.  The trick is slow and steady and make sure you miss nothing because it stands out like a sore thumb when you have finished.

Bit further.  The pillars were badly rusted and I had to put them in the lathe and give them a light skim and a polish.  Not quite as good a finish as Johnny but definitely clean and shiny.....  Now for the brass bits.....

We press on.....  First nice thing today was that after doing some reference pics and stripping the medallion machine down, hidden by the dirt, under one of the cutter slides, was this inscription.  Quite imoprtant really in archaeological terms because whilst I was convinced Johnny had made it, here is the proof and the year as well.  Nice thing about this is that it shows the 1950 lathe was indeed made about that year as he had to make the lathe before he could make the medallion machine.

The foundations are clean and on the lathe.

The bench is a litter of parts and screws.....  Nice thing is that when I stripped the first slide I found that all the fulcrum blocks are numbered on the block and the back plate.  Well done Johnny!

About half way there.....  Looking a bit different!

Back from the grave.  The madallion machine is finished and in perfect working order.  They say a thing of beuty is a joy forever.  I reckon that beauty plus utility beats that......  I think Johnny would be pleased.

Thanks Ric, I must admit I'm pleased with it.  Here's the next one...

This elliptical chuck never fitted the 1927 lathe but as it's a re-make not a refurb I can make it to fit.  It's so badly rusted that it can't be brought back but the brass bits are OK.  I think it could be an old Holtzapfel chuck.

This gives an idea of the state of the chuck.  It has been somewhere very wet for a very long time.  Completely rusted up.  This is a re-make not a refurb.

Taking it to bits without damaging the good bits was a bit of a challenge.  The interesting thing is that the nose of the lathe it was made for was threaded one inch Whitworth and the lead screw is five sixteenths, 20TPI so it isn't a Holtzapfel chuck because as far as I know they were metric threads.  Could be a Fenn or a Birch?  It's very old.....

First thing we need is a new boss/chuck back.  Here's the blank roughed out, some proper machining tomorrow.....

Oooooo...I see it too!

And he has a bandana tied around his head....and he keeps saying "Yeah, Baby"....