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#db200 #db200

[email protected]
 

Drove to VA for business this past weekend and got lucky. Picked this up for $340 on craigslst. Even has the original manuals, price list, etc. Bunch of accessories too. Cost back in the day was $169.¡Á¡Á for this one per the paperwork. Wow have the prices changed. Still its a hella of a find IMO! Going to restore it and look it over before using. I plan on keeping this one, though. Does anyone know the details of the motor? Does it still have that 8min shut off cooling feature, or is that only the U90 ones? Familiar with the lathe. Not so much the motor on this one. Also, think it's overdue for a paint job of some sort? It is a cast iron base, but paint is pretty beat up. Any ideas for a color? Original or something different? I'm at a loss on what color. Thanks in advance for the feedback and assistance. Ladies and gentlemen have a great rest of the day!

20230306_133433.jpg
20230306_133406.jpg
20230306_133339.jpg

 

Is that a cast iron base? Looks like an alloy one to me - I don't think the locating pin for the headstock was used on cast iron. As regards paint, the problem many of us have is that we are so used to seeing the hammered green it is hard to imagine anything else, but the early ones were black. I think a high gloss finish white like on the U3 would be good for someone who makes a point of keeping it clean. There are some very hard paints available for home use these days. I don't recognise that motor, but if there are time limits it should say so on the rating plate.
Kevin Groenke @ PersonMakeObject
 

Looks just like my 2)cast iron mk4's
"Unimat Mk. 4: Notable for the introduction of a rounded "step" in front of the headstock through which a simple vertical alignment pin could pass, this was the last version of the Unimat to use a cast-iron base. There was also a slight bevelling of the upper corners of the headstock support - an alteration that would be reflected in the forthcoming die-cast design - and the headstock itself may also have been increased in size slightly but with corners of a tighter radius (measurements are awaited) and its milling post-retaining pin moved to a position parallel to the spindle cartridge."


On Mon, Mar 6, 2023, 10:13 PM Keith S. Angus <keithsangus@...> wrote:
Is that a cast iron base? Looks like an alloy one to me - I don't think the locating pin for the headstock was used on cast iron. As regards paint, the problem many of us have is that we are so used to seeing the hammered green it is hard to imagine anything else, but the early ones were black. I think a high gloss finish white like on the U3 would be good for someone who makes a point of keeping it clean. There are some very hard paints available for home use these days. I don't recognise that motor, but if there are time limits it should say so on the rating plate.

IMG_20210623_093640_964.jpg

 

OK, looking at??I see that the later cast iron base lathes did have the locating pin.
 

We are beating a dead horse again.? Rosemary paint is not made and has not been for some time.? Black is limited to earlier Unimats, and is a crackle finish.? Of the Rustoleum hammered spray paints that can be had today, gray or silver are the closest to any color ever used on Unimats.
If you search for various words about paint in past messages, you can find all of this.
 

Ive just had a thought ! My local paint shop will mix up any shade of paint you like as long as you have the color code. If this service is available in your area you could get a Gloss paint to match the color you require. It would not be hammer finish perhaps but its sorta ugly anyway so... At least it would be the shade of green your after. However I would show some caution as certain paints are poor at resistance to oils and hot swarf etc ! Perhaps a little research into the dyes and chemicals used in hammer finish paints and it may be possible to just mix up your own !

On Tuesday, 7 March 2023 at 16:11:49 GMT, John Hutnick <johnhutnick@...> wrote:


We are beating a dead horse again.? Rosemary paint is not made and has not been for some time.? Black is limited to earlier Unimats, and is a crackle finish.? Of the Rustoleum hammered spray paints that can be had today, gray or silver are the closest to any color ever used on Unimats.
If you search for various words about paint in past messages, you can find all of this.

 


Paint stores like Sherwin Williams will also mix up paint. You want to get a machine enamel.
?Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: clankennedy2004 via groups.io <clankennedy2004@...>
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Tue, Mar 7, 2023 11:48 am
Subject: Re: [Unimat] #db200

Ive just had a thought ! My local paint shop will mix up any shade of paint you like as long as you have the color code. If this service is available in your area you could get a Gloss paint to match the color you require. It would not be hammer finish perhaps but its sorta ugly anyway so... At least it would be the shade of green your after. However I would show some caution as certain paints are poor at resistance to oils and hot swarf etc ! Perhaps a little research into the dyes and chemicals used in hammer finish paints and it may be possible to just mix up your own !

On Tuesday, 7 March 2023 at 16:11:49 GMT, John Hutnick <johnhutnick@...> wrote:


We are beating a dead horse again.? Rosemary paint is not made and has not been for some time.? Black is limited to earlier Unimats, and is a crackle finish.? Of the Rustoleum hammered spray paints that can be had today, gray or silver are the closest to any color ever used on Unimats.
If you search for various words about paint in past messages, you can find all of this.

 

Has anyone actually asked this famous "local paint shop" what they will or won't do?? I did ask, and they cannot do hammered.? To me, that is a significant part of the Unimat appearance.
Otherwise, if someone would like to match just Unimat green as a metallic, go to the auto paint supplier with your lathe, and ask what is the minimum that they can mix.? Also include a can of thinner for that paint.? And do not forget primer.? Please report back the cost.
I think that you may find a dead horse again.
Instead of all this farting around in circles like the dog wanting to find a place too pee, we should be able to take a clean green Uni, and get a paint supplier to tell us a brand and formulation of a metallic green that most closely matches.? Then we will have a paint once and for all.
For example, I took a recommendation from someone in the UK of a formula for Great Western Railway green for my model trains.? I gave this to a US auto paint place.? It came out well.? But with thinner, it was almost $100.
 

Do a web search on "how to make Hammered paint" many web site show how, and if you can do it then so can a good paint supplier.

paintingleader.com/how-to-make-hammered-paint/
https://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=24219.0
https://www.painttalk.com/threads/how-to-get-wrinkle-effect-or-hammer-effect.38546/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hammered-paint-help.720291/
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/hammered-paint-in-a-custom-color.474021/
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=14875

Hammered paint was used on a lot of stuff from antique cars to radio, so there are a lot of people out there matching the color for their needs. And you can still buy "Hammerite Paint"?paint and mix or have it mix to the color that you need.

Because I have several Unimats,?
I got lucky and bought a bunch before Rust-oleum stop making it.?
Jeff


-----Original Message-----
From: John Hutnick <johnhutnick@...>
To: clankennedy2004 <clankennedy2004@...>; [email protected]
Sent: Tue, Mar 7, 2023 1:12 pm
Subject: Re: [Unimat] #db200

Has anyone actually asked this famous "local paint shop" what they will or won't do?? I did ask, and they cannot do hammered.? To me, that is a significant part of the Unimat appearance.
Otherwise, if someone would like to match just Unimat green as a metallic, go to the auto paint supplier with your lathe, and ask what is the minimum that they can mix.? Also include a can of thinner for that paint.? And do not forget primer.? Please report back the cost.
I think that you may find a dead horse again.
Instead of all this farting around in circles like the dog wanting to find a place too pee, we should be able to take a clean green Uni, and get a paint supplier to tell us a brand and formulation of a metallic green that most closely matches.? Then we will have a paint once and for all.
For example, I took a recommendation from someone in the UK of a formula for Great Western Railway green for my model trains.? I gave this to a US auto paint place.? It came out well.? But with thinner, it was almost $100.

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