So Bryan you seem to have the oldest Dalton known of.? Serial number 25 is owned by Jim Veres.? I also? have an early Lot 2 that’s serial number 36.? I believe there is another very early one out there also but right now don’t remember the serial number.? If you look at the one photo of the back of the bed you see a rather odd bolt pattern just bellow the head stock.? The very early Lot 2 lathes came with a rather unique horizontal countershaft that bolted to? these features on the bed. The first picture is what Jim’s lathe looks like today.?

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Good Morning Bryan

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As to Japanning here is what it is.? Jappaning is a process I think we got from the Japan back in the 1700’s.? Its made of two parts pure gum turpentine two parts boiled linseed oil and one part Asfaltom or asfalt which is the black mineral used as a pigment for color.? Other pigments could be used also for different colors.? The thick liquid is brushed on and let air dry over two days.? In that time the coating will lay out very flat covering a lot of the casting grain and flaws.?? Something that pain of any kind does not do.? After the coating has dried it will be baked three times each time at higher temps the last being 350 to 400 degrees.? Between baking the castings or parts will be rubbed with pumes powder using cheese cloth to hold the powder.?? Some companies used a bit of pine tree rosin as a hardener.??? In my restorations I have usually used semi gloss Rustolium paint first brushing on several coats then a final coat with a rattle can.? In my early work I only brushed the paint.? On machines I have restored that are not black I have used a Pittsburge enamel that I have custom mixed.? In later ones I have found a place in town that will put the custom paint in rattle cans for me.? Kind of expensive but works really well. The last two Daltons I restored I did not paint them as I? have found that 65% gloss black powder coat replicates the look and texture of japanning much better than paint.? I do paint the bed as I don’t like to subject the bed to the high temps.? It might be noted that colors were very hard when using japanning.? I have a lathe built by Ames of Chicopee Ma. In 1845 that was japanned with blue on the lathe with a salmon color on the inside of the bed.? The lathe also had red pinstriping on it.? Blue was a very difficult color as the only pigment was kobalt and the only source of it was a mine in Romania up till the early 1890’s when a substatute was found. ?Picture is included in this post is that lathe.? Still looking for someone to do the pinstriping for me. This lathe was found in a antique shop in Boise Idaho two years ago.? It had been sitting in that shop since 2002 when the 91 year old owner passed on and the family took it to the shop.? Its one of five known of.

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As to restoration of your lathe that is up to you and we will help any way we can Bryan.? I always dismantle the lathe then using Mr. Muscle oven cleaner I strip the castings and parts of all old grease oil and paint or japanning.? I use a large soft power brush wheel to buff the castings and parts and only use white scotch bright pad to clean up machined surfaces.? I do any repair work on parts before I start painting. Again using the power brush wheel I buff all the hardware and small parts that are not painted.? If you use a cordless drill you can hold bolts nuts and other round parts to buff them.? Hand wheels and hand cranks I again use the cordless drill and after buffing I then go to my power scotch bright wheel I have on a stand grinder to bring back a nice luster that make things look like new parts.? I also have a large ?(12 inch) cloth polishing wheel that I use to put a high polish on hand cranks and hand wheel rims.

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Glen I think your correct in what the red material is that was used on the collet draw bars.? It’s a fiber or layered material.? I think that is the same material that was used on the trust washers on the spindle.

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So you can see that I did make a back plate for the chuck that in the first picture is just sitting on the end of the spindle thread.? I made the back plate as well as the square head bolts that make it look period correct.? This lathe out of the five known of is the most complete and in the best condition.? This lathe should really go back to CT to the Heritage museum there were they are preserving all our industrial heritage. ?Just trivia but there are features on this lathe that were not seen on other lathes till after the Civil war.? Oh and Ames built cannons for the union army during the civil war.? I will note that ever bolt and nut on this machine is none standard.? You will find they are all an inch dimensions but the threads per inch are all bastard sizes.? Like ?-22 and 5/16-26

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Hope you guys don’t mind me getting off subject at times?? Dennis

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