Bronx geared mechanical press brake

[gav0994]

As posted in the "what I aquired today" thread, I've got this handy wee Bronx press brake.

I plan to get it into the workshop and give it a good soaking in plus gas or similar for a few days to get it all loosened off. Once loosened off and everything is free I'll give the top and bottom tooling a good wire brushing. It'll eventually get a paint job on it once I'm happy it's all working correctly.

 

[atconut]

jammy swine like to see it when it's done

 

[gav0994]

jammy swine like to see it when it's done

"recovering" it from the site tomorrow hopefully to my workshop. Then it'll be tackled next weekend with plenty of penetrating fluid to start freeing it off.

 

[atconut]

i'd love to spend some time on that it's a propper bit of kit just the right size for a home shop. give it plenty of diesel and let it sit for a week. wd40 or duck oil evaporates. don't be tempted to move those slides with all that rust on wire brush them off first post some pics

 

[gav0994]

i'd love to spend some time on that it's a propper bit of kit just the right size for a home shop. give it plenty of diesel and let it sit for a week. wd40 or duck oil evaporates. don't be tempted to move those slides with all that rust on wire brush them off first post some pics

Its well seized so nothing will be removed or moved yet. Good shout on the diesel. It'll be going initially to my workshop on my mates farm, so will have plenty of red diesel to hand. Not planning on doing anything to it till its been soaked for about a week.

 

[gav0994]

Today is the day it is getting moved. Speaking with our project manager at the heritage railway today about it got more info on the Bronx. It came to this site about 25yrs ago - brand new - from the British Rail S&T workshops in Irvine when it was cleared before demolition. At the time this site was run by a now defunct heritage trust and they left it to rust up where i found it.

Bit annoyed at the defunct heritage trust leaving it to rust and seize up, but it can be easily rescued and I've got it for alot less than it would've been new.

 

[awemawson]

Looks like a good candidate for total immersion in Citric Acid for a week or possibly electrolytic de-rusting, but both those options would be BEFORE oil or diesel for them to work effectively.

 

[gav0994]

All loaded up on my mate's trailer, along with a couple of other metalworking machines he is taking. Quite a bit of weight in the Bronx - looks to be 15mm plate it's made with.

My mate, Peter, is also getting a Butler shaper machine from the site that has never been wired up here, when they got the lathe, radial drill and milling machine a few years back.

 

[gav0994]

Had a footer about with the press brake this morning. Gave it a good soak with wd40 and left it for an hour whilst i changed my front brake pads and had a coffee.

Came back to it and worked away getting it moving with a length of round tube on the handle and eventually got it all moving. Lubed it up with some hydraulic oil (all i had to hand) and worked it up and down for a while. Did a few test folds on some 2mm galv steel sheet and it makes a lovely sharp fold. Im confident it'll do up to 3mm steel no bother and possibly short lengths of up to 5mm utilising the ratchet mechsnism on it.

Will get some pics up over the weekend when i get another look at it.

 

[gav0994]

Spent the morning taking the press brake to bits. Surprisingly all the bolts came undone easily. Seems the rust was indeed only heavy surface rust.

the tooling and back stop are going to my mates electrolysis tank for a spot of de rusting.

I'll rub down the rest of the rust spots, and then give her a coat of paint.

Also need to find some goose neck style tooling and wider bottom dies so I can make more use of it. The tooling it has is only good for up to 2mm steel.

 

[gav0994]

Finally got the press brake a new coat today. Went for a change to Boxford smoke grey as Im not so keen on green machinery and I had the Boxford paint anyway.

Hopefully get it all reassembled by the end of the week. Got some new 5/8 Whitworth set screws ordered for it and I need a couple of lengths of threaded bar aswell to fit the springs back on.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Quite a few runs in that paint there... one heavy coat or several light coats? Also I wouldn’t have painted the ratchet wheel as it’s only going to get chipped in use and look ugly, but that’s just me. Nice to see another machine back from the brink of death.