Heron K24 lathe Repairs . Completed !

The repairs are completed on the Heron 24 x 10' lathe .
Test cuts done to make sure the thing works !

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday Max, bloody ripper, the headstock looked to be in good nick and it’s cutting alright, big mission in the end to get it up and going but well worth it mate, great job, cheers

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers Matty . It was a big push to get it going while i had a few days break from moving ! 👍

[@outsidescrewball]

Awesome…from the graveyard to the play yard 🏆👏👏👏👏

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

That's the ticket Chuck ! 👍

[@tomsing6384]

Max Grant ,The Swan Valley Machine Shop. The Heron K24 Lathe Repairs, Completed “Almost”. What a Beautiful Shivering Mass of Iron and Steel, They are definitely not making them like that anymore, and where are all the casting foundries and the men who worked in them. But I am sure the old manual lathes will never really go completely away, these old behemoths can still do some jobs better than CNC I think. And you are doing a great service in saving these old giant paper weights from being melted down and turned into Cyber Trucks and CNC Machines. You referred to yourself as a 3rd generation fitter, Machinist, and that you were manufactured in the mid sixties, an interesting way to characterize yourself almost like you were a............... well By the way is the Horizonal Boring Machine on the restoration list for 2023, or has it been pushed forward like the Boeing 777X which is the replacement for the 747,-- into the year 2025? I used to hear the HBM mumbling over there in the corner asking for help, now I wonder if it is thinking `Nobody loves me anymore '' I can’t wait to see what you are going to do with the HBM’s ways, and for that matter all the broken paces, it will be more of a resurrection, than a restitution. Also you are posting faster than I can commit, wow! The Man in Black is getting it done.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

I had to push the Herron through in a hurry to do a small job . It was a good excuse ! Early 2024 for the HBM if all goes well . 👍

[@bid6413]

Like rising from the ashes… I look forward to the real resurrection of this old beast. Always a pleasure watching you work on your equipment. Best Wishes for the New Year.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@acmemachining]

Thanks for another great video. Love how you explain everything. Good to see old iron not going to the scrap bin.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks Todd 👍

[@bostedtap8399]

Same here on the Dickson toolpost, great design. Normally theres a spigot on the lower part to radially locate. Good idea on the ATF for flushing, suspends any contaminants, as opposed to machine lils. 😀 Quick way to check if a steel is medium carbon (>0.4%), is to blob a bit of weld on it, then file it. Good size lathe. Thanks for sharing.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

I did not know ATF suspended particulates & machine oils didn't . Cheers 👍

[@bostedtap8399]

@@swanvalleymachineshopnearly all modern automotive oils do, then the filter traps them.

[@melgross]

It was fun watching g you pour all that oil into the headstock. My South Bend FOURTEEN uses about a gallon for the headstock and transmission together.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thirsty thing it is . I will need shares in an oil company . I have not done the feed box yet , but on a quick check it looked clean . But i think someone has put gear oil in it ! 👍

[@jasonhull5712]

The transmission fluid will help to clean it up really well. Just don’t leave it in there too long. I ran mine for about 30-40 hours and drained it, flushed it once real good with a kerosene flush and man what a difference that made ! It’s like brand new in that headstock now. Not sure what was in it but it so so sticky and it stunk to all hell. Whatever it was it ruined my solvent in my parts washer, coated the inside of the washer sink. The solvent in the tank wouldn’t even touch it. It just ran right off it and the only way to get it all out was to scrub the crap out of it. It was even clogging up my Scotch Brite. But that transmission fluid cut right through it and cleaned everything up so nice. My machine is much newer than any of the ones I’ve seen in your shop. those old Iron giants are far better than my little Clausing Metosa. But I don’t miss changing gears, mine cuts metric or imperial with just a flick of a couple levers. But it takes a whole lot more passes lol. Very cool machine Max. 🫵🪄

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks . I will leave it in there & change it the first sign of it darkening up . Never tried ATF for that use before . 👍

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

She looks like a keeper.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Looking that way ! 👍

[@RJ99729]

Old machine sounds great man nice work good luck with it and thanks for the knowledge. I can't imagine anyone scrapping that thing

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@garthdaddy7438]

Nice job Max, did not think such an old machine would preform well. looks like you need to get the locking pin fitted in the tool post if you do heavy cuts.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@Darkrif1957]

She's a beast Max ,Great work on getting the old girl to make some decent chips. Cheers Karl

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@ThePottingShedWorkshop]

I enjoy a good restoration, but thanks for sparing us the hour long chuck derusting. I used to subscribe to that channel, I think that video was the straw that broke the camels back! Look forward to seeing you giving this lathe a proper going over!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks . Lucky , i could not afford the 2 grands worth of evapo rust ! 👍

[@brianstyrczula9466]

Fan (thats me) Tastic, great progress Max :)

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@graedonmunro1793]

good vid Max,, the beast lives!!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Lives to fight another day ! 👍

[@AlmostMachining]

Awesome job Max!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks Phil . 👍

[@kentuckytrapper780]

That's a beast max, looking good,great video, keep'um coming..

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@howder1951]

Great video Max, but I am a little disappointed, I wanted to see what the flush came out like.Looks like this lathe will do a lot of your "heavy lifting" jobs. Enjoyed very much, cheers mate!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Will drain that oil in a few weeks or when it starts to darken . 👍

[@terrycannon570]

Always love seeing the old iron brought back to life. Thanks Max

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

No worries 👍

[@smalltownmachineshop6860]

It sounds really nice, good runner for sure

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Fingers crossed Adam 👍

[@jonsworkshop]

Great job Max, you just took me back 30 years, I could almost smell it! I think you bagged yourself a bargain there mate, I know it needs work but 1/2 thou pre levelled is pretty amazing with the wear you have. Cheers, Jon

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Took me back 30 years as well !!! 👍

[@TrPrecisionMachining]

good video friend Max,,thanks for your time

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍👍👍

[@be007]

thats a good result max. thanks for sharing. cheers ben.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

No worries 👍

[@richardmills5450]

Will make a fabulous lathe Max. Cheers

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

It's old and worn but can do a lot that most other lathes can not do with regards to feeds & pitches . Feeds less than 1 thou per rev and metric threads up to 80 mm pitch , that is about 3/8th's of a thread per inch . All without messing around with change gears . 👍

[@richardmills5450]

@@swanvalleymachineshop Wow. A do anything lathe...

[@TedRoza]

G'day Max.. now that is an excellent not going to repair much on the lathe. It runs & spits out chips better than some used lathes on the market. Be great to see the goodies you make on it. Great Videos keep up the good work

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers Ted 👍

[@johnlee8231]

Congrats on saving another piece of machinery from the salvage yard. She looks like it'll be a fine addition to the shop

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

A very useful one . Cheers 👍

[@alandawson2813]

Another awesome video.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@alasdairhamilton1574]

Max, All she needs is some TLC 🥰🤗.👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

That's what they all need ! Cheers 👍

[@JBFromOZ]

great to see progress mate! thanks for sharing

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

No worries JB . How's the Poclain coming along . 👍

[@JBFromOZ]

looks like I might have picked up another one!! house build still coming first, but hopefully more work on it soon @@swanvalleymachineshop

[@brianmccusker3852]

Wow, what a treat. Three in a row for the weekend. However, your deadline gives us laymen what I call "Accelerated Max" or "Max with a Mohawk!" Glad the operation was a success, cheers.

[@RicktheRecorder]

Max speed.....

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks . I had to push this repair through ! 👍

[@macsmachine]

Glad to see the rescue is off to a great start.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@davidharper4289]

You are my inspiration..............well done.................brother restorer, Mazak . From the ground up. Works out with the hours I have put into it, if I ever sell it, has to be worth $50,000......................haaaahaaaaaaaa Quite a journey though. Cheers Davo Vic.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks . Is it a Mazac manual or CNC . I nearly bought a Mazac centre lathe a few years back , but it had been around the world 3 times already ! Bought the Mazac copy , the JFMT instead . 👍

[@davidharper4289]

@@swanvalleymachineshop "ACE" Made in Japan,,,,,,,,,,,,nice old iron, better than factory now. Cheers, Davo

[@deedeeindustrialsuperprecision]

There is a lot of life left in the machine, good show!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

There is . That was a real surprise on the finish cut ! Cheers 👍

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Woo Hoo it runs, and cuts ! You've been busy Max... Gota be a good feeling having another machine running again 👍👍 ATB.....Cheers...

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks Dean 👍

[@ianlangley987]

Well done Max. Your videos are very good and well presented with no b----------t. The lathe has been saved and will be a great addition to your workshop. Being a ex fitter and turner at the Union Steam Ship Company here in Auckland (company wrapped up in the 70's) I don't understand how a lathe chuck can be damaged like that. Some operators are butchers as we all know. Anyway I like your videos so keep the coming. Cheers Ian

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks Ian . I am not into the theatrical or over stating crap either ! 👍

[@THEIRONWORKER]

Looks like a working machine to me. And with a little more to do maybe that oil leak on the head stock was from to much oil in the machine good Luck

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks . We shall have to wait & see . Possibly as you say , too much oil . Some have a housing so they leak back into the headstock . 👍

[@clydedecker765]

A little touch of a 15lb adjustment tool and the scraptonium is looking good. Great job Max.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@heliarcweldandmachine]

good to see the old girl up and running again mate, cant wait to see the video of an 80mm screw pitch at 480rpm !!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Lol , at 12 rpm ! 👍

[@michaelkoch2109]

Gday Max! Good luck, much success and all the best for you and your family! Best regards from Dresden! 👍☀🍀🍀🍀❤🛠🇩🇪❤🇦🇺😎

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍👍👍

[@Horus9339]

Thank you Sir, your descriptions and informative approach to repairs and maintenance is exemplary. Have a great week.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@joell439]

Super nice when even a restrained effort yield fabulous results. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@RicktheRecorder]

These videos are great fun, and you learn a lot.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@JourneymanRandy]

Well done Max. Looks like a very good lathe.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks Randy . Although it has it's knackered bed , it seems to do alright ! 👍

[@jameshicks6753]

WOW! this old Girl may not be Pretty but she strong like bull, and has all her Charms. I will be looking forward to her coming out party😃

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Lol , no worries . 👍

[@MrValhem265]

Ta Max realy interesting mate cheers.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@ianmoone2359]

Knocked that one into shape quickly Max, good work indeed. I’m guessing you can put a few more hours in now that your living on the block & not having to travel so much. Hopefully this one will let you complete the JFMT build, so you can get onto the Dean Smith & Grace Lathe rebuild next. Eventually I guess you will come back to the Italian Stallion in good time for a full rebuild & re-grind the bed-ways etc. If your going to go through every machine in the shop I reckon you’ve probably got a good 2-3 years of machine rebuilding videos content ahead of you. 😂 Hopefully now that you have your 10,000 subscribers - you can make it pay & quit working 4 days a week to go at it full time. 👍👍👍 Was that a hay burner I could hear whinnying in the background? 😳😳😜 And maybe Heidi riding the mower as well? 🤷‍♂️ It’s all go out there by the look. Keep it up, your going great guns.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Lol , yes . Hay burners next door & the Boss on the mower ! 👍

[@colincreedtattoomachines]

Terrific job Max, Congrats!!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@geoffmathieson2643]

Great work Max. What power is the motor on that beast? I was initially disappointed with it choking on the first cut, but that surface finish doesn't look like 1020. Have you been dumpster diving behind Cutting Edge?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

The motor is 10 hp . 415 volt . That steel was like pre hard 4140 or similar . Off camera later i found some known mild steel 90mm dia & it took 400 thou of the dia no problem . 👍

[@steamtrainmaker]

Hi Max, keep the old going I say, on a totally different thing ,watching I think cloud 42 lad he dropped something out about video cameras etc that they are programmed to shut off after 30 minutes. Steve

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Quite possible , maybe to stop them overheating . Cheers 👍

[@DudleyToolwright]

Cool project. I hadn't seen a quick change tool post like that one before. Is it stiff enough? If you are taking a heavy cut all of the cutting forces on the cutter are transferred through that piece in the middle of each side on the post. I over engineer everything, but I wonder?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks Rob . That style , providing the vee slots match properly is as solid as . At least the genuine English Dickson's are , but this one is a copy . 👍

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@Videowatcher2.0]

Problem the old oil was thick,to keep from leaking out the spindle

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

It was like gear oil ! 👍

[@1ginner1]

Hi Max, WTF is that bit of plate stuck in the headstock at 40:30?. Nice work on the pre-refurb, looking forward to the full on refurb. Best wishes, Mal.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Lol , it directs the splash oil from the drive gear to the spindle bearing ! 👍

[@1ginner1]

Silly me shouda seen that one, great design feature. lol@@swanvalleymachineshop

[@troyam6607]

That DSG is living up to its name Damn Straight Gtable......🤣

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Makes a great bench ! 👍

[@warrenjones744]

Holy Cow, what a gearbox! I would love to see you do a video on the gearbox and all the threading combinations you can cut. I have never been a fan of the L style chuck mounts. Especially that rusty ugly one! Cheers

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks . I prefer the Cam lock , but what you've got is what you get ! 👍

[@warrenjones744]

@@swanvalleymachineshop Roger thatMax. way better than a threaded connection.

[@Randysshop]

Hi Max So far so good as far as the operation of the lathe goes. The head stock sounds really good. Cheers

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@markpack4494]

Nice lathe.....

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@alanremington8500]

Awesome !!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Thanks 👍

[@colincunningham1902]

Hi Max. Please excuse my ignorance, but would it be better to have a thin coating of your clear oil on the taper and in the threads, when replacing the chuck? Maybe easier to remove when required?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

No , dry on all tapers . Oil can reduce the way they lock . 👍

[@colincunningham1902]

@@swanvalleymachineshop Hi Max - greetings from Townsville. Here in the tropics, a thin coating of oil helps reduce rust, but I understand your answer. Many thanks. Col.

[@hmw-ms3tx]

Congratulations Max, it's up and running. I've never put ATF in my machines before. Does it clean the insides pretty well? My Broadbent Schoflield lathe came with a 24" Pratt chuck (no Burnerd, must pre-date a merger). It was a cast steel chuck and was probably nice in it's day but was so worn out that it was nearly unusable. I replaced it with an (ebay find) 28" steel chuck (Mario Pinto, Italy) and it made me wonder if your machine would have been originally fitted with one when new. (It would be odd if an Italian lathe was supplied with a British chuck when new, and I have seen many Italian lathes for sale with Mario Pinto chucks). You are speaking the truth when you say it takes a lot of hours to put an old machine back into proper condition (and that's without any work on redoing the slideways). My HBM rebuild nearly did me in. Ken

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Hi Ken , possibly the chucks are not original to the machine unless it was an option when ordering . I am hoping the ATF will do a bit of cleaning , never tried it before . I did not want to put in 25 litres of new hyd oil into a grungy headstock & the ATF was a freeby ! 👍

[@Just1GuyMetalworks]

Not too bad, considering it was full of 15w40 🤣. She's a far cry ahead of Lenore when I first got her 😊.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Hi Chris . I will slowly flick the wrinkles out of it ! 👍

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

She is ready for chips. 👍

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

At least i can use it now , until the JFMT is up & running . 👍

[@willemvantsant5105]

Hi Max, she does the job. Can't ask for anymore. Wonder if the lathe came with Pratt Burnerd chucks or were changed out. My Hercus 9a had them and still used regularly by my Brother, still in good condition.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers . Don't know if the chucks were original , probably not . Those 2 old chucks a worth what i paid for the lathe . 👍

[@zvonibab]

Hello Mr Max I wonder if your scraptonian pile have some 40 mill bar approximately 1000 mil long?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Hi John . No , nothing like that . 👍

[@GraemeStephens]

which size Litre bath cleaner did you use for the tool post and parts ?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

15 litre . 👍

[@markedevold1261]

👍👍

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍

[@Warped65er]

👍

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍👍👍

[@simpleman283]

👍

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

👍👍👍 Cheers

[@Paul-FrancisB]

😂 Abom would have made a 2 part series on cleaning a chuck like that in an IBC of Evaporust rather than just a comment. Actually now I think about it........he did

[@tomsing6384]

Abom who?

[@Paul-FrancisB]

@@tomsing6384 🤣😂 abom79 has a small channel on KZbin if you've not heard of him

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

If i bought that same amount of Evap o rust here in Australia , it would work out to double the price i paid for the Heron lathe ! 👍

[@Paul-FrancisB]

@@swanvalleymachineshop elbow grease is a lot cheaper, I've really enjoyed the "will it run" series on the heron. Sounds like you're getting attached to it already, when I heard you start saying "when she gets an overhaul"

[@Frank-bh3cm]

When are you going to treat the HBM?

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

At this stage it will be in the new year , early hopefully . After the JFMT lathe is finished 👍

[@jdmccorful]

Enjoyed watching and learning, thanks Maxxie!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Cheers 👍