Monster Cane Mill Restoration: Some Interesting History of the Mill and Painting

[@johnvanantwerp2791]

You may not like painting, but you do a really good job.

[@paulkinzer7661]

The black base, and, especially, the yellow lettering, just make the mill look fantastic. When it was all red, it just didn't seem to sparkle. Now it looks like something I imagine machines like this looked when they were new more than a century ago. Like something you could pull on a wagon in a parade down Main Street!

[@mattrich680]

My first real job was in a steel stamping shop in Ohio when I was 15. These were 100 ton - 1,000 pound presses that required a 10' ladder to reach the top. My first task: clean them and paint them. Grease 30 years old and an inch thick. Gallons of solvent and rags later, I used a brush to paint them green. Can't say they turned out great, but I earned $2.15/hr so they probably got what they expected. Anyway it was a huge influence on my life, and I still love big machines. Great video!

[@jimfiles3307]

Good morning Keith, Having worked on large construction equipment for twenty years, we often source parts from whoever has them available the quickest. I suspect that is the case here. This mill looks beautiful and shows the love that you have put into restoring it. Well done Keith.

[@RinoaL]

I like brush painting cast iron because the resulting paint seems thicker with just one pass.

[@paulhopkins1905]

It really looks great in red

[@davidc6510]

Amazing transformation Keith. Thanks for sharing!

[@bobtorrence3461]

Beautiful job Keith. Interesting background on the history of the machine and manufacturers.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Looks wonderful Keith.

[@sheph7]

Wow, very interesting background. I wish I had some inkling of it when I lived in Albany GA for a few years, would've done some exploring. I did learn a lot about peanuts and pecans.

[@JeffRzesz]

Looks awesome! You ought to get one of the HP Handy Paint Pails with the plastic liner inserts. It really saves the wrist when you have to use a brush to get into tight spaces or cut in on ceilings.

[@jeffreyspilker2209]

The history on that kind of stuff is fun to learn. Painting looks great 👍. Thank you for all the hard work and knowledge you share

[@MrKotBonifacy]

"Watching paint dry" somehow jumped into my mind after watching this... ;-)

[@jackmaxcy]

Another great video! Thanks for the history lesson on cane mills.

[@petegraham1458]

I like the red you picked , it really look right for the age of the machine.

[@hughdanaher2758]

Those small diameter 6” paint rollers that look like tiger tails are a great alternative to brushes only painting. The rollers with fuzzy ends enable painting right into corners make quick work of many projects and with a brush to follow up on the more difficult areas can make a good finish.

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

I would like to arrange to go round the large sugar cane factory at Ellerton, Barbados, when I go there in two weeks time. This is near my sister-in-law's house. Her husband before he retired at one time owned Doorly's rum and the family owned two plantations, so he will know the management and hopefully can arrange it for me. At this time of year, they are just getting the mill ready for cane cutting season, which starts in February. I have been meaning to go round a big sugar mill for years but to date have only gone round the very small one at St Nicholas Abbey, which has been restored to run on steam power. This only produces enough cane juice for their own boutique rum distillery I will email you some photos Keith, if I manage to arrange the Ellerton visit.

[@richardsurber8226]

Nice video Keith. Thanks to all who keep history alive. Keep AM Radio in cars

[@repete2362]

i have a FM tuner add on for my old car with an AM radio. i would guess if if AM is discontinued the same thing will be made just much more advanced than the manual FM tuner i use.

[@PaulSt-h2f]

Wow keith, that was amazing. I love the way you took the time to lift up and put plastic underneath, that is so proffesional, i love your mannerisms, the was a great video, it's nice to see all your hard work paying off, well done, and have a great day Keith.

[@MrChevelle83]

history is my favorite subject! one of the big reasons i love this channel! thanks keith!!

[@masteruniverse3506]

Pretty Monster.

[@patrickcolahan7499]

What a transformation. Great job. Thanks for sharing.

[@randallcarpenter5313]

Keith, I like your style of being retired. You take the work you want to do and take your time doing it.

[@aner_bda]

Awesome hearing some of the history. I'm with you, though, Keith, I hate painting, but you did an awesome job with this one.

[@workshop719]

Really enjoyed hearing some back story on the mill Keith. Coming along great!

[@kdenyer1]

Looking good keep up the good work.

[@chrisrhodes5464]

This is coming along very nice and it looks to be close to the finish line I would like to see how things are going with the stoker engine that you have started working on and had others helping you with but it has been moved to the outer shed and has not seen the light of day in so very long

[@ellieprice363]

I suspect the stoker engine project is either impossible or at least impractical to complete with machines and tools available today. It looked impossible to me when I first saw it. Time will tell if it’s permanently retired or will someday be revived. RIP old stoker.

[@bertjankosters]

Turned out very nice!

[@jwaterous224]

That fresh paint looks amazing!

[@Prewarpostwaramdmore]

Looks great, Keith! Can't wait to see the finished product!

[@TheMixmastamike1000]

This Cane mill is truly monstrous. I can't remember is you mentioned anything about seeing the finished mill in action, but I would be excited to watch if possible. Thanks for sharing.

[@CothranMike]

I believe the museum he works with has such an opportunity for viewing, yearly, try planning a trip if that meets with your approval -if not maybe someone could video this for us to watch.

[@Hoaxer51]

If you do make a trip to see it, it might be a good idea to make sure that the train is running during your stay so you’d get a chance to ride it. If you’re interested in something like that.

[@christianmccollum1028]

Use a Purdy paint brush and loose bristles will trouble you no more, Keith. They last a long, long time too.

[@richardbrobeck2384]

Tat paint job really makes that mill look really nice Keith !!

[@paulputnam2305]

What a Great job! Love the lettering contrast!

[@markmonroe7330]

Excellent presentation. Thank you. Looks amazing.

[@russellbertrand3242]

beautiful.

[@davidhudson5452]

Good Morning It will be very nice when done

[@edsmachine93]

Beautiful restoration Keith. I think your paint scheme looks great and Real Americana. Thanks for sharing this one of a kind project. 👍🇺🇸👍

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Hey, You sure did a great restoration of this old squisher beast. When you are all said and done this paintjob will be just simply a good looking piece the owner will be soooo happy to see. YUP, It's a beauty eh, LOLOLOL

[@llapmsp]

Really enjoyed the history you provided. Paint looks awesome. Being a Golden machine, I might have painted the lettering gold. Just a thought for a play on words. Have a great holiday season.

[@charleswelch249]

That's really looking amazing. I'm proud of the work you are doing, Keith. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[@josaonline09]

Love it

[@elmarqo_3448]

That was exciting when the pulley started to tip.

[@P61guy61]

Looking great! Good job on researching the history of the foundries.

[@davidgagnon2849]

That looks awesome, Keith!

[@PatrickPoet]

Man! You kept cutting away right when the most exciting parts were coming. You know how much people like watching paint dry!

[@drstripe]

outstanding Keith! always a pleasure watching the Master at work! many thanks!!

[@lesateliersdubail]

bravo belle restauration belle machine et encore un beau morceau d'histoire sauvé

[@The_HillPeople]

I like to picture the "new tool" excitement in the shop back when it first purchased from the factory.

[@dangodbout7818]

Just sharing my experience on painting these projects. I get small disposable rolling pans and rollers at Home Depot. Rolling the paint on is much faster and it looks better. Obviously you'll still need a brush for tight areas.

[@glencrandall7051]

I hate painting too. You did a really good job. Especially the lettering. That really looks sharp. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@HeidiLandRover]

It must be cold: Keith is wearing long trousers! 😀 The history of the mills was really interesting. Nice bit of research there.

[@ronwilken5219]

Hi Kieth, in 1965, my brother worked for Tate and Lyle Sugar company at their Chirundu sugar estates in the Zambesi valley, Rhodesia. Theirs was a commercial enterprise processing thousands of tons of cane a week. Their mill was steam powered, and if memory serves, the mill originally came from a debunked estate in Jamaica. The flywheel of the steam engine was some 30 feet in diameter and was rotated in a pit, the crankshaft being at waist height above ground. When I visited, they were just finishing replacing the bronze main bearings and was my first witness of bearing scraping. The mill itself put the cane through three stages of being pressed and required a huge amount of torque from the engine to move it. This huge steam engine did it with ease rotating at a relatively slow speed of maybe 100 rpm or less. I don't know if it's still there, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. I, unfortunately, don't have any photos of the engine inside the mill. Regards from Canada's banana belt. 🤞🇨🇦🍌🥋🇺🇦🕊🇺🇲🪓🏁👍

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Very nice👍

[@Baron3D]

Interesting! The whole series has been interesting. 👍 👏

[@normanbott]

Maybe you need to advertise for volunteer painters ! If I wasn't thousands of miles away in the UK I'd happily donate some time. I actually enjoy painting - yeah, some folks are weird like that. I so enjoy this channel, having served a traditional apprenticeship in the steel industry..

[@BlankBrain]

Next project, set up a webcam so we can watch the paint dry. When my grandmother passed in 1958, she left a small sum of money to my folks. They had some wrought iron railings made for the 3"x11" redwood steps on the house. A couple years ago, I took the steps apart and re-stained the wood with Sherwin-Williams Sequoia stain. The railings were the big job. I took them down to bare metal where I could, and used spray primer. Then I brush-painted the railings upside-down with Sherwin-Williams black enamel. I let it cure in the sun for a week before I turned them right-side-up and painted them again. That paint is great. There was a lot more to the project because the steps are held to concrete stringers with steel bolts. The original square nuts were rusted on, and very difficult to remove. I was afraid of shearing the bolts. I cleaned the bolts up, re-cut the threads, and coated the lower parts with epoxy. I replaced the original square nuts (that looked cool and rustic) with stainless cap nuts and plenty of anti-seize compound. I think maintenance had been put off because the original nuts were thought to be impossible to get off. It felt kind of like I was honoring my grandmother, who I passed when I was too young to remember her well.

[@frankdoner8402]

I can't explain it but I hate painting 😒 as well. Takes some serious dedication and patience. My hat's off to you Keith, thank you again.

[@pdxRetired]

Fresh paint sure makes it look good!

[@stevenclaeys6252]

Thank you for another Great video. Cheers

[@steveparker8723]

Looks awesome Keith.

[@bcdesignco8013]

Another great video Keith! Keep up the good work!

[@johnwenzel9252]

Thank you Keith

[@DarrellCatt]

WOW!! AWESOME JOB!!

[@RrrrMmmm-f2r]

Very interesting thanks Keith. Good to see the makers name highlighted. To speed up the painting I find the small 4" rollers for gloss paint are very useful. If you don't want to clean out the paint tray after use cover it with a loose plastic bag prior to putting the paint in and if wanting to use the roller over two days just seal them up in an airtight plastic bag.

[@bobb819]

You do nice work. 👍👍👍

[@SettledBatches]

6:05 - Bet Thompson danced around the Golden patents. 6:49 - The patents may also have not applied to the gears; they are pretty generic and hard to patent. 10:24 - That's the reason bombing machine works in WWII required repetition. 28:52 - NICE looking job!

[@hank5655]

Keith that looks great you have done a entirely Great Job It pop's

[@janoahuerta]

The red on black base looks clean!

[@frankerceg4349]

Thank you Keith!

[@tonyn3123]

Looks very good! Taking your comments even further, painting for me is like scratching fingernails on a chalkboard. I dislike it so much that when I build something in my woodshop for a friend or family member, I tell them up front that I won't paint it and why.

[@paulputnam2305]

While I was in the Air Force, we painted the shop machines with brushes time and time again. There must have been fifty coats of paint on them after all those years of making sure we were busy!

[@paulelliott2861]

As always Keith. Great work. Your right. That yellow dues pop. 👏👏👏👏👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@timf6916]

Nice looking 👀. Good job

[@barney2633]

Nice work. Interesting commentary.

[@dennisclapp7527]

Thanks Keith

[@bat116]

Looks great!

[@robertlevine2152]

Keith, Like you, I hate to paint. It, however, is fun watching someone else paint. I am always amazed at how beautiful your work is, especially when your work is finished. Have you ever checked with a local auto body shop to see if they'd be willing to paint your projects with an electrostatically charged sprayer? Bob

[@seldendaniel8819]

Painting give us time to think.

[@richardtaylor7199]

Great job.

[@rickeystansifer3486]

Ford Motor Company brush painted the original Ford cars with enamel and air cured the cars in sheds for 90 days or so. They had so many sheds that it was jokingly said that they would eventually have the whole state of Michigan under roof. This has been a wonderful project.

[@KennyP88]

Really enjoyed watching this restoration. Thank you for this channel.

Cat at 19:55 😻

[@organbuilder272]

Looks good, Keith. Fantastic job, as usual. Wonderful to see the highlighting on the name. Sporty, isn't it.

[@RicksterX-92fs]

That paint job would make the manufactures swoon!

[@wackowacko8931]

When prepping cast iron for paint, I have found that you can use a Al's liner 4" nylon cup brush on a 4 in grinder. Its like having a piece of red scotchbrite (120 grit or so) hooked to a grinder, it can prep the majority of a large surface fairly quickly. Its designed to be used to prep truck beds for spray in liner, but works well in other applications and lasts a very long time. There is also a 6 inch brush designed for a 6 in grinder, if you have a large surface to prep. Painting with a brush or spray gun both get the job done, and will both last a long time. Painting with a gun will use less paint and is generally quicker (esp. on parts that are all assembled), unless you have to do a lot of masking. Using a HVLP gun will cut down a lot on overspray, but you still have to be careful if it is close to machine tools. A lot of people use 3 to 6 mil plastic paint drop cloths on the floor and hang it on the walls to capture overspray, if painting in a garage sized area that you want to protect from overspray. It works OK, but will never be as good as a dedicated spray booth.

[@williamdavis7094]

You do wonderful work man that really looks nice you do a good job thanks for the videos

[@ljackson8220]

Looks good

[@wendellsmith5626]

Regarding spraying: You could rig up some plastic film on the gantry frame and run a simple squirrel fan outside. Great job on the mill!

[@DavidKutzler]

13:41 The Bowman 74 Cane Mill produced by Thompson apparently sold for $0.40 per pound.

[@floreswoestenburg9367]

Nice!!

[@Prewarpostwaramdmore]

Wonder if you could make a sheet metal shroud for that medium gear. Could look good.

[@ianmoone2359]

Man talk about boring, that was like watching paint dry! Ohhh - wait a minute, that was watching paint dry! 😜😂😂 Coming up really nice Kieth, keep up the great work. 👍👍👍🇦🇺

[@roscoepatternworks3471]

I found this interesting. Looks like it's missing some parts. I made patterns for western steel for the cane mills in Hawaii. The patterns were called bartow, scraper and pinion gears. The pinion was about 18" high and about 36" at the root diameter. Western steel had a foundry in Seattle and Hawaii.

[@tpobrienjr]

I remember a quote from Reg Murphy that "Watching Jimmy Carter in action was as exciting as watching paint dry". I don't know if he was referring to red paint.

[@alanchamberlin2384]

Great to hear some background information on the mill. It's looking great. Thsnk you

[@theharbinger2573]

I know next to nothing about paints, but is the enamel paint food safe?

[@CothranMike]

After hardening yes. Since these parts were not sprayed with heat-setting enamel 90 days for a food safe cure.

[@Stefan_Boerjesson]

Greate job, nicely presented, as always. Just wonder what it had been like to paint the parts before assembling them the first time.

[@ygaillard38]

Bonjour Keith bonne maitrise de l'usinage et de peinture

[@Kami8705]

Have you considered just doing a sheet metal or expanded metal cage for that gear? A couple circles and a strip the correct width, weld around the edges. It would be far cheaper and quicker than casting something. You might have to clean up the broken edge a little, but thats doable