Wadkin MF restoration

[wallace]

I've never done an MF chain and chisel morticer so thought people might like to see it be made all pretty.
These things are pretty heavy lumps weighing in at 850kg

Can I spy brass on that door

This one dates from 1959

On other morticers the motor is counterbalanced by a big lump of cast iron but on this they use a wound spring for each motor. To undo the tension you have to carefully release it a bit at a time, you can imagine the pull on the spring if it lifts up a 50kg motor

 

[Trevanion]

My early Sedgwick morticer is spring-balanced, although the motor is probably barely 25KG if that.

Looks to be in pretty good nick! Anything major need doing or is it just a spruce-up?

 

[wallace]

It will be getting the usual treatment, I tried it before hand and theirs an issue with the chain motor. It wouldn't run up and is very stiff to turn by hand

 

[memzey]

Nice! Does it have the chain sharpening module?

 

[wallace]

Nice! Does it have the chain sharpening module?

Unfortunately not but I might be able to source one

 

[memzey]

Nice! Does it have the chain sharpening module?

Unfortunately not but I might be able to source one

Well done if you can! The term “rocking horse poo” comes to mind!

 

[wallace]

A bit more progress. This has been well cared for with only one green overpaint which was done really well.

Starting to prep for etch primer

Its nice when you see double row self aligning bronze bearings by Hoffman

And even nicer when you still see the hand scraping

Its -2 in the workshop so not good for spraying, may as well do some bling.

Flapper disc in a grinder then rotary in the drill followed by sanding to 1000 grit with the ROS

Polished on a close stitched mop using silverline red compound followed by t-cut

 

[yetloh]

Brilliant, Mark. Now that's what I call bling. Will you lacquer it to preserve the shine?

Jim

 

[wallace]

Probably just leave it as is and let it mellow

 

[Trevanion]

Do you sell these somewhere or do you pretty much already have people in a queue to pick them up?

 

[Fitzroy]

Love the bling!

 

[wallace]

Do you sell these somewhere or do you pretty much already have people in a queue to pick them up?

I sometimes get asked to do a machine, this MF plus another 4 machines are going to a guy in canada who has got bitten by the wadkin bug.
I usually put my own machines on ebay.

 

[Trevanion]

this MF plus another 4 machines are going to a guy in canada who has got bitten by the wadkin bug.

I wouldn't even want to know how much it would cost to ship something like that to Canada, let alone 4 times!

I wish I could get bit by the Wadkin bug, although I've worked with many Wadkin machines there never seems to be any for sale in this area (except an RS recently which is a little richly priced for my liking). Although about 90% of Wadkin machines wouldn't fit into my workshop door without a little butchering... of the building of course.

 

[stuartpaul]

As always Wallace, I enjoy your restoration threads. I love the way you take a seemingly knackered piece of junk and return it to full glory.

=D> =D> =D>

 

[wallace]

Its pretty cold in the workshop which I don't mind apart from my hands which hurt due to white finger. This is my solution a chicken brooding lamp.

The blower nozzle which is aluminium, it would be a shame not to give a bit spit and polish.

One way to clean up parts is to put a rotary flapper sander in a drill in a vice.

Followed by a polish

When doing bolts and little items I wire wheel degrease, then use gun blue. Then I put them in paint can tops and give a liberal coating of wd40. This also helps keep specific bolts with the correct part of he machine.

 

[Ring]

I do love seeing you bring back these machines to their original condition [well actually better] Great to follow your work and thanks for taking the time to photo and explain what and how you do all this fantastic restoration work.

 

[Trevanion]

I saw this and thought of you Wallace: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Morticer-Machine-Stenner-Like-Wadkin

I know the Stenners are stupidly rare.

 

[wallace]

That is so tempting, Is that the same model as Jacks

 

[Trevanion]

That is so tempting, Is that the same model as Jacks

I think it is, although it's not "Jackified". I think Stenner only had a seriously short run of the "small" workshop kit, other than the big resaws I've only ever seen a Stenner Surface Planer with a second block on the fence and this is the 3rd Stenner morticer I've ever seen.

Would look great Wallacified

 

[wallace]

I've seen a couple of stenners version of a dimension saw, the ABM