Would you take a punt on this bridgeport vari speed milling machine?

[slim_boy_fat]

Doesn’t show much amps on the charger so no idea how that will affect things but it’s bubbling away already so il check it around 9pm and give it a scrub as I don’t want to leave it on all night

If needs be I will turn it back on again once I’m home from work tomorrow

Early bubbling is a good sign I do exactly what you propose, leave until I'm finishing for the day, switch off, then back on again when I'm in the shed next day.

 

[RichardM]

This is what I use for the electrolysis tank,

So is that 12v @5A ?

I am thinking of an old ATX Computer PSU will do the job if the results MK gets are good, chucked the "old"battery charger years ago

 

[M K]

Clean up of the ally quill feed speed change assembly that will stay bare ally

Bit better now than before

 

[Screwdriver]

Nice. What process did you use to clean the quill speed assy? Just paint stripper and wire brush?

 

[M K]

Degrease it, stripped all the parts, small wire wheel in the air die grinder to remove paint on the main ally pieces then a buff on the scotchbrite mop

Grease the little parts and reassembled

 

[Wightsparks]

Don't leave the part in the electrolysis tank without current on. Can't tell you exactly why (it is in the technical link earlier) but it's definitely not recommended.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

So is that 12v @5A ?

Not really sure tbh, it's so long since I got it off the 'Bay that the spec escapes me for the moment. But I must have decided at the time that the output was OK.

But look what I found...... https://www.ebay.it/itm/LOW-VOLTAGE-POWER-SUPPLY-MODEL-EJ-1001-BY-IRWIN-PHYSICS/263412359065?Ah figure, but iirc athat'shash=item3d54999f99:g:XewAAOSwytJaSLeS Still no Ah figure, but iirc that's about what I paid.

 

[Screwdriver]

Not really sure tbh, it's so long since I got it off the 'Bay that the spec escapes me for the moment. But I must have decided at the time that the output was OK.

But look what I found...... https://www.ebay.it/itm/LOW-VOLTAGE-POWER-SUPPLY-MODEL-EJ-1001-BY-IRWIN-PHYSICS/263412359065?Ah figure, but iirc athat'shash=item3d54999f99:g:XewAAOSwytJaSLeS Still no Ah figure, but iirc that's about what I paid.

500mA mate. If it says 500mA max, it probably wont be happy with 500mA for long...

 

[M K]

Well I took the test part out to have a look after 5 hours and it had removed the very slight rising but not touched the paint! No bubbling of the paint or flaking etc probably because it’s very hard enamel soninout it back in and I have left it working overnight and il check it tomorrow morning

I’m up at 5:30 so that’s another 6 hours to see what happens,

When I put it back in I scored all the enamel with a screwdriver to see if that helps at all, no idea but though why not

 

[M K]

Well another 6 hours didn’t make a lot of difference

Think it’s gonna have to have a full 24 hours!

This is after 11 hours and me scoring the paint

 

[Screwdriver]

Remembering that electrolysis works by removing rust, if there ain't no rust under there, it won't lift paint...

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

As above. Wouldn't have expected it to touch that. If most of the paint had been removed first it may have helped loosen some of the arkward bits. I stripped paint before dunking my parts.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

500mA mate. If it says 500mA max, it probably wont be happy with 500mA for long...

I've had it bubbling away for a whole day at a time without melting, setting fire to, or blowing anything up? But as I've said before, elektrickery is generally beyond me....

 

[Screwdriver]

I've had it bubbling away for a whole day at a time without melting, setting fire to, or blowing anything up? But as I've said before, elektrickery is generally beyond me....

I would expect a larger tank to draw 2 -4 amps continually from a 12v source but in truth, anything over an amp is just saving time. Electrolysis will work happily at 0.5A you just have to wait longer and in theory should get better results.

Big heavy duty currents over 4A will rip the surface up and destroy fine detail whereas a lower current is a lot less aggressive. Depends on the part as to what you really want.

I have discovered that using washing powder (Daz in my case because it has a higher percentage of calcium carbonate) aids with the removal of paint because I think** the detergent softens the material over time. But if the paint is firm enough to resist half hearted attempts at removal, I tend to leave it if I am planning on repainting anyway.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I would expect a larger tank to draw 2 -4 amps continually from a 12v source but in truth, anything over an amp is just saving time. Electrolysis will work happily at 0.5A you just have to wait longer and in theory should get better results.

Big heavy duty currents over 4A will rip the surface up and destroy fine detail whereas a lower current is a lot less aggressive. Depends on the part as to what you really want.

I have discovered that using washing powder (Daz in my case because it has a higher percentage of calcium carbonate) aids with the removal of paint because I think** the detergent softens the material over time. But if the paint is firm enough to resist half hearted attempts at removal, I tend to leave it if I am planning on repainting anyway.

I just bought it because a) I needed a 12V source, b) it was cheap & available [the guy had 2 iirc] and c) I didn't want to mess with with wiring in bulbs etc. All for the easy life, me.....

 

[M K]

Ok well the electrolysis was fun to try and handy to know for the future

Thanks for all the helpful hints and comments so far

I decided to go back to mechanical means to strip the part and this time it was an air powered needle scaler and after a solid 35 minutes I have lovely bare cast quill housing,

Before and after pics

 

[M K]

Or shall I say after and before photos lol


Anyway now it come down to what primer and paint to use?

I want an aerosol enamel ideally,

I don’t have a spray gun set up and outside weather is too bad and I don’t want to brush paint the quill housing so can anyone recommend a tough enamel aerosol if there is such a thing?

Thanks
Marc

 

[M K]

Thinking about it we have a heat lamp paint room at work where I can paint this in a decent temperature so just need a decent aerosol

 

[brewdexta]

Given that it is a rough casting and remembering how Steve Lang's cast iron blocks used to look after he had finished with them then I would be tempted to use an epoxy primer first as it seems to fill the casting nicely if you take any mould marks off with a die grinder. Doesn't solve your problem with not having access to a spray gun though. I have had some reasonable success with Rust-Oleum CombiColor Hammertone aerosols but obviously a hammered finish, but I'm guessing a grey smoothrite aerosol if there is one would be similar. The rustoleum works down to a low temp, about 5c.

 

[M K]

I’m not hugely fussed about a car bodywork like finish so not going to be filling and priming then sanding again etc

Is there a brush on epoxy then?