I bought this mill about a year and a half ago, long story a bit shorter.........I am only now getting around to cleaning and re-assembling it. Bought it from a fellow that I don't think really knows what a milling machine is, basically was used as a drill press I think. Came with a ton of tooling, 95% of it is unused, the rest is burned up or broken, and only a drill press vise on it. Mill is pretty much brand new, still has the packing grease all over it, a few bumps and bangs, but overall excellent condition for it's age. Extreamely dirty from sitting in a large, unheated quonset building where he did all kinds of jobs, including woodworking and heavy equipment repairs. Neat cutting oil in the coolant system and the packing grease, mixed with sawdust and regular dust, is making the cleanup challenging to say the least. Thing is, as a non machinist's drill press, it has several marks in the table from drill bits. BTW, when I say marks, some are nearly inch deep, WTF........ as a retired machinist I have to say that holes in the vise, table or fixtures makes my anal self go crazy! My question is, has anyone tried to fix dammage like this? Watched a youtube vid where the guy welded it up and re-machined it, but I would be concerned that the table might warp? I was thinking of trying JB Weld, but I assume that they would still be visible, I did mention that I'm pretty anal didn't I? Any and all suggestions appreciated.
-
Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.
Product Craftex B048 table repair......
- Thread starter Perfesser
- Start date
Product
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
Sorry I sold my B048 with a used, but otherwise perfect table...
I'd be inclined to turn plastic plugs and insert them so they are slightly below the surface, and leave it at that. Metal filled epoxy will also suffice. I would display them - white nylon or delrin, or black JB weld. Why? because they are NOT part of the table and knowing that may be germane to a mounting problem.
Heat from welding, or brazing can cause you more problems than you solve.
I'd be inclined to turn plastic plugs and insert them so they are slightly below the surface, and leave it at that. Metal filled epoxy will also suffice. I would display them - white nylon or delrin, or black JB weld. Why? because they are NOT part of the table and knowing that may be germane to a mounting problem.
Heat from welding, or brazing can cause you more problems than you solve.
I have done repairs like that with epoxy. Nothing wrong with JBWeld, but I'm a Devcon guy. It's expensive but amazing stuff. Slow set Steel Devcon (either liquid or putty) can be mixed with cast iron swarf and yields a very good finish similar to the original. Especially after oil treatment and stoning. Best of all, you can drill it out and try other mixtures if you don't like it.
I'm with Dabbler though, if your repairs are on the edges of the T-Slots, it would be better to have a visible color difference so you can avoid using that particular edge with a T-nut.
That said, repairs in the rest of the bed are zero worry.
Tip 1 - if you do need to repair a T-slot, put modelling clay in there to create a dam to hold the epoxy till it sets. You can use release agent on a T-nut, but that could go really badly if the nut gets glued in by its edges. Clay is easy to use and easy to remove.
Tip 2 - use a putty knife to remove MOST of the excess before it sets. Then let it set a bit before you cut off more of the excess with a razor blade, and then stone when it has fully set. No machining required.
I think you will be impressed and anally happy.
Some good suggestions! Been a while since I used Devcon, but I may even have a couple cans in my stash? I tend to save really good stuff for that very special job.........
One good thing about Devcon is a nice long window where it's soft enough to work easily, but hard enough to stay in place.
Only one goes through a T slot, about 5/16", and luckily is quite far from the edge. May be a good candidate for a threaded plug?
I was thinking a wood spacer, but the clay is probably easier to remove.
I will have to look for my Devcon and see if I still have some, probably should mix a small batch to test it's hardening ability?
Thanks.
One good thing about Devcon is a nice long window where it's soft enough to work easily, but hard enough to stay in place.
Only one goes through a T slot, about 5/16", and luckily is quite far from the edge. May be a good candidate for a threaded plug?
I was thinking a wood spacer, but the clay is probably easier to remove.
I will have to look for my Devcon and see if I still have some, probably should mix a small batch to test it's hardening ability?
Thanks.
Thanks, I also have a guy near me that I have used for years. I'm quite sure that it could be welded but , and a big but, no going back if it distorts the table!
At this point the machine is fully serviceable as the dammage is really only cosmetic.
I am leaning towards the Devcon, it really is a very good product. I have even used it inside the engines of my race bikes without any failures. (of the devcon)
I used the last of a can that was 30 years old just recently. I had been saving it for a job that didn't matter because I had no confidence in it.
The resin had separated and was quite hard. It took a lot of mixing to make it usable.
The hardener had also separated. But it mixed quite easily before using it. I just kneeded the crap out of the little tube until it looked like cream. I suppose one could also put a little stirring device in there too.
The end result wasn't any different than brand new epoxy. It is expensive stuff so I was very happy. I'll never worry about it again. The final performance was great.
Just takes some work to get the resin homogeneous. If that can't be done, you know it before you add the hardener and can just pitch it and buy new.
Edit - a small tip is to use a weigh scale to get the right amounts. The instructions include both volume and weight. It's pretty forgiving, but a weigh scale is perfect. I put a piece of waxy plastic on my scale, zero the scale (press tare), scoop what I want onto the plastic mixing sheet, then calculate the additional weight needed (1/9 th in my case), add that amount of hardener to the resin, and then mix away. A small plastic or wooden forked spatchula works fine for me.
Last edited:
Yes, I have used the scales as well, certainly better for something that you want to come out perfectly. Lid from a plastic container works pretty good as well. Mine is in 2 cans, about a cup in each? I may have some Belzona Molecular around as well? It's the only thing that I have used that I think may be better than Devcon? I think it's a German product?
Not familiar with it at all.
I researched Belzona. It's actually a UK product. But it is sold and manufactured all over the world.
IF YOU BELIEVE their claims, it's about 5x as strong as Devcon.
Comparing Epoxies properly would be a great project. I did see lots of YouTube videos that did this, but none of them seemed to understand what they were really comparing. They remind of myth-busters. Very entertaining but not rigorous or credible.
To be useful, the materials need to be compared properly in tension, in compression, in shear, and for adhesion with other materials.
Regardless of how credible the belzona claims are, it seems to be very highly regarded by its user base.
I wouldn't hesitate to use it.
Drill and tap them. Turn some threaded cast iron plugs. Install with some red locktite. Machine a few thou proud of the table, and lightly peen the edges with a punch. machine /stone flush. They will be pretty much invisible, won't add stress, and won't ever come out.