Bed is primed

I got to a coat of primer on the lathe bed today. The hardest part was smoothing the ports. The casting is actually rather rough and the ports are not always even. I used body filler to smooth them out. I ordered some Evercoat Rage Gold and found it much easier to use. I've tried several body fillers including Bondo, Napa lightweight filler, and USC Body Icing. In general, I've learned not to go to an auto parts store to buy body filler. The professional stuff is just so much better. It mixes easier and is much smoother and easier to apply. And, it sands so much easier than the other stuff I used. The USC Body Icing is probably good stuff, but I think the tube I got from Napa was very old. It should be thin, but mine was thicker than Bondo and too hard to use. I bought some Evercoat glaze to use as well. Also much better than the tube of old body icing.

Tailstock pedestal shelves are done

I finished the tailstock pedestal shelves. They are mahogany with quite a few coats of wipe-on polyurethane. I screwed them blind from the bottom so no hardware shows. If I ever have to remove them I'll have to either lift the lathe really high or remove the pedestal. I don't know why they did not originally have a bottom shelf.

I fixed some imperfections in the chip tray finish and re-coated those places. I've found it's best to let the paint dry two whole days before over coating. I've had some problems when I repaint after only one day. So, I'll do the final paint on the chip tray on Sunday. I also worked on the risers. They have a very rough finish on them, so I'm smoothing it with body filler to get a super smooth, shiny finish. Again, I think this will make it easier to keep clean.

Pedestal shelves and painting progress

I have a left-over piece of mahogany and I'm using it to make the shelves in the tailstock pedestal. It originally had two particle board shelves, but they are in poor shape and pretty ugly. Once stained and finished, this will look pretty nice. I'm going to screw them in from underneath so no hardware will show rather than the headless bolts they originally used. I did put a bottom shelf in as well. Not sure why they didn't other than the problem of cutting notches for the bolts, which was pretty easy to deal with.

Aside from that, the door and the bottom of the chip tray are done. I'm flipping the chip tray today to do the top.

More painting: door and chip tray

I've been busy with work and have not gotten as much done lately. I did get another coat of paint on the bottom of the chip tray and the tailstock pedestal door. That door has been my nemesis for some reason. It's the only place I've had problems with paint wanting to wrinkle on me, always when putting the clear coat on. I had to really sand down to remove a bad coat, so I'm giving it extra time between coats. This is hopefully the last pass of the almond. I can't get back to this until Sunday, so that gives it a few days to ensure the almond is completely dry before I try the clear again.

I'm also starting to look at assembling the pedestals. I bought new pads from Enco and I'll try to get them installed pretty soon. I also have a nice piece of mahogany left over that I plan to use for the tailstock pedestal shelves.

Pedestals are in the basement...

For the first time I can declare a major part done. The pedestals are painted a polished and in the basement. I wanted to get a picture that would show the shine, but could not figure out a good way to do so. It's not a mirror, but it's pretty close.

Returning to the project

I was away from the project for a week vacation, then another week to recover from the vacation, but I'm back to it now. I spent some time with body filler getting a nice fillet in the corners by the headstock. The welds there were pretty rough and I figure this looks much nicer and will be easier to keep clean. Here it is with a coat of primer on it.

I also finished the headstock pedestal and I'm about done with the tailstock pedestal. I'm still learning the best process. Here's what I'm doing now for a nice finish:

1. Use body filler to smooth out any major scratches and other issues. I've also done a bit of grinding to smooth out some welds.
2. Prime with the Rust-o-leum industrial primer. I'm usually doing four very light coats a few minutes apart. Wait overnight for this to dry.
3. Sand the primer. This shows any issues pretty well and I can do more body filler and more sanding if needed. I've often had to repeat this process to get a smooth finish.
4. Four coats of the Rust-o-leum industrial almond. Again, very light coats with a few minutes between. Let dry 24 hours.
5. Wet sand the paint with 320 or 400 grit paper. I know this seems course, but I'm putting on another coat.
6. Four more coats of paint. Again, dry overnight.
7. Wet sand with 800 grit paper.
   
8. Four coats of Rust-o-leum industrial crystal clear. Dry overnight.
9. Wet sand with 600, 800, 1000, and 1500 grit paper. I found I had to start with a courser grit to smooth out the clear. It's pretty tough, but you have to be careful not to sand through anywhere. If you sand through, go back to almond and catch up!
10. Rubbing compound, then polish.

I've found this gives me a nice high-gloss finish. It takes a while, but looks really good. The clear is very hard, you can't easily sand it off, so I hope it will better protect the finish from the ravages of machining in the future.

Painting, painting, painting, and the chip tray

I'm working my way up from the floor. The pedestals are both in the painting process. I'm painting, wet sanding, painting, wet sanding and finally will clear coat. It takes a while, but each pass looks nicer. While waiting for paint to dry I'm starting in on the chip tray. It was caked with grime when I got it, but is now down to bare metal everywhere. I'm using body filler to fillet the rough welds under the headstock so they will be easier to clean later. There's a few minor scratches I took care of and only a couple of dents. The rail is very rough so I'm using filler to smooth it out. This is before any sanding. I bent the end a bit dismantling, but have hammered that back flat already.