Well not that I needed another tool rescue project but at $20 I couldn’t turn down this drill press I found on Craigslist. It’s a Craftsman 15-1/2" model 113.21371 drill press with a 1/2 hp motor. probably dates to the late 70s. The guy I got it from was cleaning out the garage from his recently deceased father and just wanted the stuff gone. Runs and the bearings seem fine; will need a new belt though.
Was actually right down the street from harbour freight, when I picked up the drill press, so I stopped in and got a wire cup brush for my angle grinder. Should hopefully make the rust removal go a bit faster. Got an obligatory free tarp as well
Thanks for the suggestion. Nice restorations by the way.
Will probably use vinegar for the smaller parts. Acetic acid reacts with Iron oxide (Rust) to form water and ferric acetate, citric acid might be better since it’s a strong chelator (binds up metal ions). Would try some evapo-rust but it’s a little on the expensive side.
Naval Jelly uses the mineral acid Phosphoric acid. Which is good at dissolving rust as it’s a strong counter ion and a strong acid. Definitely will be a stronger derusting agent then vinegar. So you would just have to watch out how long you leave it on as it could also eat into the underlying metal a bit if left on too long.
Recently purchased a set of wire bushes for my rotary tool from Amazon. I think these will end up coming in handy for the restoration. Great price with decent quality.
Needs to be smooth as reasonably possible to help minimize corrosion potential. Did some grinding to get rid of a lot of the pitting, sanded with various grit sandpaper and then buffed with some polishing compound.
Hmmm, maybe I can just use my corded electric drill to power this. Would have plenty of torque and would just be a temp one off thing. Would also allow me to eliminate the pulleys and belt all together by chucking the drive axis in the drill.
That’s a thought. Would have to keep good grip with sanding and polishing pressure applied. Rubber tires maybe? Also seems like it might be more complicated than what I was thinking. I would want to keep this cheap and easy.
one could always use sand cloth and work that like a cable saw, or maybe a belt sander belt with a spindle driven by a motor that’s handheld? invert the belt, slide over the pole and spindle, and run it up and down the pole whilst rotating it? think belt sander belt with a paint roller-style motor mad scientist style
