# Wolf Grinder Full Restoration



## Rhyolith (10 Mar 2018)

Because obviously I don't have enough restoration projects on...

(A lot rambling, sorry! theres one important question at the bottom.)

I have been intending to give this grinder a full aesthetic make over for a while, just because of how good it will look with fresh paint and a polish name plate. (only have picture of it from just before i started using it, only difference is the switch has been fixed and wheels).



Untitled by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I have been using it for a few months and have had issues with vibration, its not awful but enough for me to want to fix it. Bit of investigating (mainly testing wheels on my hand powered grinder) revealed the worst of it was from the cheapo silver line wheels I was foolishly using, one of them was notably off centre :shock: They should not be aloud to sell these as thats actually dangerous in my opinion... always trust the 1950s machine over the modern disposables! Will be getting some better wheels in due course.

A bit of testing with a very long flat screwdriver as a lever to exaggerated the up down movement of the spindle did reveal a slight wander on one side. I have managed to improve it with some carful bending with a bug spanner, but unsurprisingly getting it perfect is proving very difficult.

This is already a frankingrinder of two identical broken/imcomplete machines. So I have dug out the other one again and it looks like its spindle is perfect.



Motor Dismantling by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I can't see any reason not to try and install this one in the other. 

Are there any electrical reasons this won't work?


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## Blockplane (10 Mar 2018)

Re. your grinding wheels - no offense, but you did dress them after fitting?

Newly fitted wheels should be trued up with a wheel dressing tool.


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## Rhyolith (12 Mar 2018)

Is that one of those wheel ones or something else? I remeber someone at the IBTC using someting that looked like a small oil stone for dressing the wheels lr their grinder (didn’t think that it did more than remove the surface muck).

I would still like to correct the wander in the spindle.


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## pcb1962 (12 Mar 2018)

I use one of these on my wheels, very quick and easy to square up and clean the wheel.


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## AndyT (12 Mar 2018)

This bit from "The Practical Metalworker" may help:

_Wheels should be mounted on adequately sized spindles between heavy and large flanges at least one half of the wheel diameter. The clamping flanges should be relieved so that pressure is distributed round their outer edges only. The inner flange should be firmly fixed on the spindle. Blotting paper or thin rubber washers should be mounted between the flanges and the wheel. The holes in the lead bushes (which may require slightly scraping out to fit the spindle) should be an easy fit on the spindle to avoid cramping and wheel stress. The flanges need only to be tightened sufficiently to drive the wheel. The tightening of the nut should be gradual and not effected by striking the spanner with a hammer._

A later section makes it clear that the lead bushing lines the centre hole in the wheel and extends slightly onto the sides of the wheel. The book says that you can drill shallow holes in the lead, where it shows on the wheel's side, so as to balance the wheel - though this can only be done when it is not mounted on the spindle.


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## Rhyolith (12 Mar 2018)

Quick question, what are flanges?


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## AndyT (12 Mar 2018)

In this context, the big dish shaped discs hanging loose on the shaft in this picture


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## Rhyolith (14 Mar 2018)

Well the flags were a complete pain to get off... one in particular. This was the only way in the end:



Motor Dismantling by Rhyolith, on Flickr

So the motor came apart. 

I have stripped and cleaned the whole thing with the spindle removed to make it easier.



R0000001 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Its now sitting in the warm with its first coat of paint drying (its already had 2 of red oxide).

I was wondering what lub to use on these bearings when the time comes? They sit against a lump of material which is in turn soaked in lubricant from a nipple on the outside. 



R0000001 by Rhyolith, on Flickr


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## TFrench (14 Mar 2018)

I stuck some modern sealed bearings in this recently when I finished doing it up:


RJH grinder
The old ones were a bit rough so I swapped them. I think the felt washers are mainly to keep dust from getting in the bearings. I'd just pump some grease in yours if the bearing is ok?


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## Rhyolith (16 Mar 2018)

Wolf bearings seem to be interstuctable, so yes they are in good nick. Because this an combination of two grinders I also have 2 spares. 

As per usaul though the painting is not going well  Its meant to be touch dry after 10 hours and re-coatable after 24. After 24 its still stinky... looking at the tin its 6 mouths past use by date, which is annoying considering I literally just bought it. I’ll give it another 24 and see, but not got my hopes up.


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## nabs (16 Mar 2018)

out of curiosity Rhyolith, what kind of paint do you prefer for your restos? Is the red oxide a primer?


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## Rhyolith (17 Mar 2018)

Honestly I prefer not to paint at all. Mainly becasue somehing like this always seems to happen...

Red oxide is a general purpose metal primer yes. Its used on machines and locos at the railways I volunteer with and seems to get good results there.

Its this top coat paint I having trouble with.


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## ColeyS1 (17 Mar 2018)

I find circulating fresh air really helps with paint drying issues. I do like the look of old machines,they have a certain character about them.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## Bm101 (17 Mar 2018)

https://craftmaster.myshopify.com/colle ... ry-colours

Might try having a look at this supplier Ryolith?
I used them for my pillar drill and couldn't fault the paint. Obviously there are other options and I'm certainly no expert but there are some helpful tips on their site about successful application here: 

http://www.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/about/hints-tips/

Obviously if your paint is gone off, this won't help but it might help in a broader sense. Sorry, don't mean to sound like I'm handing out advice, it's always a bit tricky on the internet, so forgive me if I'm educating on the sucking of eggs so to speak. But if you're having issues _generally_, I'd suggest you address 4 things. Paint quality, brush quality (have a look at Purdy, not cheap but you'll only need to buy once https://www.purdy.com/products/brushes/xl ) loading and speed of application. Its that balance of getting enough paint on quickly and laying it off evenly before it tacks. The only issues I've ever had with oil based finishes are related to this surface tension when drying. Pretty sure we've all done it at some point while glossing a door or whathaveyou. You take too long or have a bit of a *Moment* and drag your brush back through and curse yourself. As I say... no expert. Probably the best thing I've learnt is knowing when to stop if you know what I mean. 
Of course you might be using a rattlecan, in which case none of these links will help.  
Incidentally the masking tape I tried from there is mustard. Which will help. :wink: 
https://craftmaster.myshopify.com/colle ... -tack-tape
Personally, I wouldn't be painting anything metal down my shed atm 'till its warmer. (Snowing again here). Maybe yours has heating though? Again, apologies if I'm preaching to the choir etc etc.
Got any pictures of the issues? Just clicked on your flickr link. Some amazing photos there! =D> 
Cheers
Chris


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## AES (17 Mar 2018)

Like the previous poster (Bm101) I'm no expert but have done a lot of work with rattle cans. They have many advantages (apart from their high cost!) probably the best two are that very few other tools are needed, and there's virtually no cleaning up afterwards.

BUT, proper prep (of the can) IS needed. Here's a few tricks I've picked up from many people over time:

1. Leave the top cap on and don't touch the spray nozzle, but you MUST rattle the can for a MINIMUM of 2 minutes (time it please, it's much longer than you think!) and that 2 minutes can only begin once you hear the ball start to rattle. And that 2 minutes must be a continuous 2 minutes. During the 2 minutes invert the can (while still shaking) from time to time. Not joking about the 2 minutes, honest!;

2. Once the can has had it's proper 2 minutes it goes straight into a bucket of hot (not boiling) water and stays there until you're ready to start painting (see next steps);

3. Those "triggers" that clip on top of the can are a real BIG help (they're in our DIY places, and I guess in UK too). 2 reasons - on the small spray nozzles your finger can "overflow" into the spray pattern itself (if you've got short, fat, "sausage-y" fingers like me), and the action of the trigger allows a more even downwards pressure onto the nozzle, rather than the more sideways pressure we all naturally tend to give;

4. Have a spare, clean nozzle standing by, again easily available here (probably in UK too), but anyway you soon build up a collection of your own once you learn to keep the spray nozzles off empty cans (store them in a screw top glass jar with some thinners);

5. Once ready (job all masked, dust free, on blocks/lazy susan, etc) remove the can from the bucket, remove the top cap and remove (Yes!) the spray nozzle. Make sure that all water drops are removed from the can, invert the can and refit the spray nozzle plus the "trigger" with the can still inverted (being sure to aim somewhere other than at the job itself)!;

6. Then start spraying, as per the standard 9 to 12 inches away, and making even strokes parallel to the surface being painted, starting the spray before the spray hits the job and only shutting off after the spray has passed the job;

7. Repeat those "straight lines" until the job is fully covered. DO NOT go back and re-cover any bits you've missed (remember where they are and hit them next time around - you'll be doing several LIGHT coats). DO NOT expect to properly cover anything with any type of paint in just 1 coat. If it was a large surface took a little time, invert the can and give a quick spray again (NOT on to the job!);

8. The can goes back into the bucket of hot water until you're ready for the next coat, renewing the hot water if necessary. Because it was a LIGHT coat, it won't take long to be tacky dry (depends on paint type and ambient temps of course - be guided by the info on the can);

9. Repeat for next coat, repeating as necessary until you have the painted surface you want. If any runs on the job, stop spraying immediately (see below) and wait for the whole job to be COMPLETELY dry. Often you can get away with rubbing the runs down with wet and dry then re-spraying just the runs area, being sure to blend the spray pattern into the non-sanded dry area/s;

10. Once the job's finished, invert the can (assuming it's not empty) and spray away from the job until nothing except gas comes out of the nozzle. Remove the nozzle and store in a jar of thinners as above. Store the can upside down.

Sounds like a rigmarole and I guess it is, but it takes a lot longer to read the above than to actually do it.

The main reason why people have problems with aerosol spray cans is A) they haven't made sure the paint is really well mixed, and B) the uneven pressures that aerosol cans often produce. The prep steps above remove/at least reduce those problems to a very large extent.

Sorry to be long-winded, but HTH and isn't teaching dear old Granny again. I assure you the above, if followed carefully, will produce very acceptable results - without any special equipment except that trigger thingy (and spare nozzle/s, which were on standby in case of sudden blockages).

AES


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## Rhyolith (19 Mar 2018)

Good news, the paint finally dried (just took 3 days rather than 24 hours). I don’t understand why, it was in a warm room... I have managed to get on 2 more coats without issue so no idea what happend.

Thanks for the advice about sprayers, however I cannot justify that amount of expediture on painting equipment. I avoid painting whenver i can, indeed this is only my second major project to involve painting (ever) I think. 

My concern now is the bearings and spindle.


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## Rhyolith (21 Mar 2018)

Painting finally complete! Its not perfect, but it will do.



R0000003 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I put the straight spindle (other was slightly bent) off the other other grinder, it fitted and ran fine so thats one less thing to cause vibration. 



R0000004 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Only thing I am uncertain of now is the lubrication for the bearings. Grease seems to he be done thing for these, but what sort? I have some think stuff I used for gears, but it does not feel from for ball races somehow. Also the nipples of this seem to feed into the 'sponges' rather than the bearings directly, not sure how grease will get by those.



R0000003 by Rhyolith, on Flickr


R0000003 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Appreciate any advice of specifically what I should be using.


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## AndyT (21 Mar 2018)

That's a bit bright!
I hope it gets some oily fingermarks on it before too long...


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## Rorschach (21 Mar 2018)

Are you sure it requires grease? Might need oil instead. My lathe has "grease" nipples all over it but you must use oil and I have a special oiler for it.


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## AES (21 Mar 2018)

+1 for oil not grease. I don't KNOW this for sure, but usual practice when there's felt or foam pads n "washers" as you've shown, it's normally oil, "not too thick, not too thin" (!). Yeah, big help I know, but normally the thinner oil you use in such cases (say 3 in 1 or some such) then the more frequently you have to re-oil.

AES


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## Rhyolith (22 Mar 2018)

Its finished! and lubed it up with NUTO 32. 



1950s Wolf TG6 Grinder by Rhyolith, on Flickr


1950s Wolf TG6 Grinder by Rhyolith, on Flickr


1950s Wolf TG6 Grinder by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I decided to use this frame i had lying around as a stand, actually its a big improvement as its not using up space of the bench anymore:


R0000006 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Its a lot smoother than before I think using the other spindle has made the difference. Theres still a bit of vibration as it decelerates, but not much.

Video of it running:


1950s Wolf TG6 Grinder Running by Rhyolith, on Flickr

One thing I am not sure whether it should be worried about is the horizontal play in the spindle, it moves side to side a bit, not sure if this is normal. It likes to ride fully to the right when turned on.



R0000002 by Rhyolith, on Flickr


R0000002 by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I am actually a bit mystified where the play comes from, all the bearings fit quite tightly... must between the housing and the outside of the bearing I think.


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## TFrench (22 Mar 2018)

Looks great! Can you add a couple of washers behind the left wheel to keep it from moving across?


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## Mr Scrofula (11 Nov 2022)

Rhyolith said:


> Its finished! and lubed it up with NUTO 32.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How did you deliver the oil ? I don’t have an oil gun with enough pressure to bypass the ball valve on the oiling point. Or even the right attachment.


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## johnbaz (22 Nov 2022)

That's a smashing resto job! 

I have an old Wolf 1hp buffing machine, Had it for many years, When I was going to use it last year the switch broke, When I looked at the switch on the connection side i'd never seen one like it!, There are two positions for off and two positions for on!!







Up and down are on, both horizontal positions are off!!

I never did get around to bolting it down as I only used it once in a blue moon!!


John


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## disco_monkey79 (29 Nov 2022)

Beautiful. I am cheerfully obsessed with old Wolf stuff.


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