Cleaning up a Sedgwick P/T, the proces...

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Hello people,

I aquired a 10" Sedgwick Planer Thicknesser a while ago from a well known auction site and am only now just getting round to cleaning it up and putting it to work. I've not even fired it up yet! :?
My query is, how do I go about cleaning it up properly?
What is the best plan of attack of getting rid of any surface rust, and then treating said surface? What paint to use after cleaning down/ off the old stuff? I'm porbably going to get an engineer friend of mine to have a gander inside to see what's what, but is there anything simple I can do to clean it up inside, or should I leave this to an expert?

I may just flick the switch when I get it into the 'shop tomorrow to see if it's still alive. But they're good bits of kit so I imagine (hope) that it'll be fine.

Can I just rub it down with abrasive paper, & a ROS?

Cheers in advance. _Dan

 

[Karl]

Dan

Check out my thread on WWUK - here. That should answer most of your questions.

HTH - any Q's, just ask.

Cheers

Karl

 

[stev]

Dan,

There's a 'How to' about cleaning cast iron machine tables here on UKW that I've found useful for my used machines.

Cheers
Steve

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Excellent link Karl, I may yet pick your brains on a few things when I get round to it.

Cheers Steve, I knew I'd seen something about it somewhere.

Cheers _Dan.

 

[Chems]

Never seen that before Karl, proper good job. Did you make any profit on it, you should have after all that work.

I did a CT150, no where near the standard of Karls restoration thou.

Before:

After:

 

[kirkpoore1]

Dan:

Welcome to the world of used machine rehabilitation. An excellent resource on general woodworking machinery restoration is http://owwm.org. You won't find much on your specific machine, but there's lots of information on de-rusting, painting, bearings, motors, etc.

For really bad rust on complicated castings, I prefer electrolysis. For most other situations, a knotted wire cup wheel chucked into an angle grinder works very quickly, can get into most areas, and works on most surfaces. For paint, a good quality primer and then a matching type of paint in the color of your choice. For doing a single machine, spray cans are easiest though you may spend a long time taping off machined areas. Brush painting works well on castings, but on sheet metal you have to be careful to keep brush marks minimal. Be prepared to use more than one coat. Two thin coats will dry faster and be less likely to run than one thick coat.

Get a parts diagram if you can. When you start taking stuff apart, have a digital camera handy and take pictures every step of the way. Put loose parts in small plastic bags, then label them so you don't lose anything. If something doesn't want to unbolt, you may need to apply penetrating oil and work on some other piece, or come back later.

Good luck, and post pictures as you go along. Ask questions if you're not sure of something--there are no stupid questions when doing this.

Kirk