Restoring a FAMCO 5C Arbor Press: Part 1

This is the first part of restoring a new to me FAMCO 5C Arbor Press, including disassembly, cleaning, and painting.
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[@motolaortega5608]

*Works perfectly for my use as a heated press **MyBest.Tools** Space between the ram jack and the base is a little tight. Make sure you set the ram jack arm so that it's in a position for you to get maximum leverage on whatever you're pressing. You may have to unbolt the front plate of the press and realign the ram in the teeth so that the arm is not at an awkward angle when fully cranked down.Other than aligning the ram in the teeth with the crank arm this .5 ton arbor press comes out of the box pretty much ready to use.*

[@ROBRENZ]

Enjoyed Keith! ATB, Robin

[@1963Franksworld]

Hi Keith, i was fortunate to broke my greeness on that model 5c when i was a mechanic for NABISCO Brands when they closed the plant I was able to buy it. Its been in storage for 20 years, maybe your video will motivate me to get it home. There are more parts than just the daisy, there is a basket that sets over the cut out on the table to support sprockets and pulleys also. The head compounds depending how the pins are pushed in, It will shear 5/8 shafting in a Vee block if set in low low position. Ask my buddy Terry how that worked out when the part sheared and flew past him one night😂. It looks like the shift pins are missing on your new one.

[@granterwin2531]

The Famco arbor press parts document shows the same part number for the "bolster plate" (which you called a daisy wheel) for the 4C, 5C, 6C and 25C arbor presses. So dimensions from any of those should work. Some guys make up plates that stack, so you can have lots of sizes of slots to work with.

[@BULLDOGG]

Wow that looks awesome.

[@dananelson5434]

Nice score Keith. Thanks for sharing the teardown with us. The hammer tone paint looks nice.

[@drapakdave]

Wonderful! I love the care with which you bring machines back to glory.

[@robertmccracken72]

Really neat old press. I always love to see an old machine come back to life, It is almost as much fun to tear it apart and see how it is put together, as it is to use it in the end! Love your video's, keep up the good work!

[@ron827]

Keith is slowly working his way toward a hydraulic press.

[@jd60palouse95]

I have never had an opportunity to do any machine work but really enjoy your videos.

[@mftmachining]

top-notch job, keith

[@kevinmartin7760]

That ratchet that holds the lower table up is probably not coming off its shaft because of the scar from the setscrew. You can probably remove the scar using a drill that just fits the minor diameter of the threaded setscrew hole. Shine a flashlight in there first to make sure the hole is still in line with the scar. Once you get it apart enlarge the divot in the shaft where you drilled off the scar so the setscrew end fits into the divot. You can pull on the shaft using paired wedges like those used to remove a Jacobs chuck from a Jacobs taper arbor.

[@BMWDCK75]

Can't wait to see the Dake restore.

[@SeanRagan]

Thanks Keith for another inspirational video.

[@Joe___R]

You can use a gear puller to remove the counterweight for the table ratchet. To remove the shafts a slide hammer or a puller pushing off the body would help remove the shaft.

[@drbahb1]

I love your restoration videos. Disassembly shows how everything works together. I'm looking forward to the next episode.

[@iancox8041]

It's always nice watching you're channel thank you

[@nitehawk1224]

Awesome job Keith!

[@argee55]

Great addition to the shop.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

The old Iron patch keeps growing. Nice find. That will be one handy press.

[@AlwaysSunnyintheShop]

Very jealous!! Looking great so far.

[@fiorevitola880]

Good video of an old time Arbor press. I have a small press in my home shop, good tool to have.

[@billandrew8134]

Boy like watching a old friend , used one in our shop for 30 years , very handy tool ! Bill

[@phildcrow]

Looks great so far! I'm looking forward to the machine repair video.

[@RagsdaleCreek]

👍👍👍👍👍 Nice piece of equipment for the shop we had a 20 ton at the place i used to work it was awesome. We used it to press pins in and our of blanking dies. Some had 3" pins. Pressed in with 680 loctite. Watching in Alabama!

[@bcbloc02]

That sure is a nice press! It must have gotten cold in Keith's shop this winter I see insulation on the garage door now. :-)

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Probably got down to 70.

[@sandrammer]

Nice project and I am looking forward to watching the upcoming videos. Love the hammered paint. Not only does it protect the metal from rusting but it also makes the surface look as if the metal was peened. In case your audience doesn't know, peening was used to work harden the metal making the skin of the metal more resistant to wear and helped it resist rusting due to the hardness developed by the peening process.

[@literoadie3502]

I love that thing!

[@billwilson7782]

This is a real man size arbor press. I did the same thing you are doing to one of these . We had do beat on it a bit to get it apart but thy are so heavy duty it is impossible to hurt them. Fun project.

[@electricman5010]

Famco arbor presses are TOP quality,extremely well built,have one myself and have used many of them over the years. You will enjoy it Keith

[@OldIronMachineWorks]

Keith, cool press. Looking forward to watching how you do the repair.Gary

[@ScottandTera]

Looking awesome

[@MaturePatriot]

Very nice press. I love the Gray Hammertone.

[@ronaldcrowder404]

I want to try to build one of these scaled down to fit my purpose probably 1/2 scale . Awesome piece to aquire

[@larrysmurthwaite773]

Nice color choice!

[@assembler01]

“I have a lathe, I’ll just make one”. I love that attitude.

[@AttilaAsztalos]

The opposite of which is "if I had a lathe I could just MAKE one! $@%#$% my life!!!"

[@AtomicReverend]

I love restoration videos of classic iron and hand tools that still have practical purposes in the modern world... I just wish I could afford a bigger garage to house all of this cool stuff in.

[@binderstem31]

Looks great.I have a similar one. I too am missing the daisy plate and I am looking forward to see what dimensions you will be using. I have an eight inch diameter by one inch thick steel disc. I’m trying to figure the holes and slots sizes. I am also having trouble with the ratcheting mechanisms so these videos will be very helpful. I love this machine and I use it a lot. Thank you for featuring the Famco Press.

[@granterwin2531]

I like the contrasting colors around the raised lettering! I have a FAMCO document which calls out the thickness of the daisy wheel as 1.5 inches. Also, I believe the pin that slides horizontally through the compound mechanism actually switches between ratcheting and compound leverage. That pin should slide left and right fairly easily. On my Famco compound arbor press I can whack it left or right with the palm of my hand. It's like a two-speed gearbox. Dude, you need a sandblaster!

[@rtkville]

You should have a sand blaster (not just a small hand held one) it would do all that and de-paint in very short order, but be sure to tape off machined surfaces. Good video, thank you!

[@richardhester6877]

Nice work Keith. Blind holes are the work of the devil. Drill through and knock those pins out.

[@500yardsplus]

Maybe a slide hammer?

[@millwrightrick1]

Weld a rod to the top of the pin and use a slide hammer to remove.

[@richardwhite180]

Wedges !

[@AttilaAsztalos]

Anything! Just don't leave it in there...

[@Bobbywolf64]

I would have drilled/milled through the blind end, smaller diameter than the pin, and then driven it out. You could have then brazed over the hole to close it up if you wanted. However, to each their own.

[@railfan439]

Keith, a normal gear puller pulls on the gear, pushes on the shaft. What you need to pull that pawl is a modified puller that pulls on the gear but pushes on the CASTING. It would take the normal "grabs" for the gear, but two bolts to push on the casting. BTDT and it works. See you at the Bar-Z. Jon

[@riccroft710]

Keith, that piece that you're repairing on the Famco looks like it is meant to be removed by grinding out the weld. It might be easier to get a piece of plate the same thickness water jet cut to the right size and weld it back in. Looks like a great project.

[@outsidescrewball]

Awesome unit...simple smart table lock

[@jockbeems4798]

You're getting so many new machines to fix you don't have time to use them when they're done! 😂 I wish I had that problem.

[@piccilos]

The best part about buying something old is taking it apart.

Yellow/orange trump all shades of grey---hammered or sober....! Still, this beast is an excellent choice for restoration/preservation!!

[@Blackcountrysteam]

Looking good Keith !!!

[@RaysGarage]

Very cool arbor press Keith, its sure going to sweet when finished!

[@Bookerb2004]

Love these 👍

[@JamesDedmon]

That will be a great addition to your shop. The press is coming together

[@DoRiteFabrication]

Great project and video Keith...thanks for sharing!

[@ActiveAtom]

Hi Keith, thank you for the share Lance & Patrick.

[@billandrew8134]

actually Keith , If I remember right by shifting a pin on the head changes the travel to a more course travel , called a compound rachet head basically gives you two settings BIll

[@KD-lq1sr]

You are correct. We had a big Dake at work and the pin let's you switch between simple leverage (going just thru the ratchet mechanism) and compound leverage where the gearbox is used.

[@udowillkomm1173]

Thanks for sharing. I didn´t know, that they exist in this size. I thought, beyond 4-5 to, they are all hydraulic. What a monster.

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

Nice score.

[@63256325N]

Nice tool, good score! Thanks for the video.

[@wayfastwhitie455]

I just picked up a Atlas no 1 bench top. Gotta love the old iron. Very nice one you picked up.

[@OldIronLover]

Now that's an arbor press!

[@SeanBZA]

Hammered finish is very nice, and as well you can with the genuine Hammerite spray paint the machine, and use the brush on on parts, and still have them look the same when assembled. Only drawback is the paint has to have consecutive coats applied within 8 hours, or else you have to wait 2 weeks for the paint to fully cure before painting again, it tends to react funny in the intervening time. However heat cure at high temperature really makes this paint tough, and it wears quite well.

[@elsdp-4560]

THANK YOU...for sharing. Looking good.

[@akfarmboy49]

I like it, I never saw one that tall, I'd like one.

[@barrycass2820]

Hi Keith, I seen one of thoughts on another video of your`s. it was same thing but the daisy wheel was there.IT was that shop were you step back in time and they had a hole bunch of old machinery and the lathe was use so much that there was foot prints in the floor.

[@E-Glide]

Keith, I can't even remember the model arbor press we had at work, but I DO know the ratchet had two "power" settings via a left/right sliding pin

[@charlesconley1847]

I may be wrong, but that handle looks just like the one that came with my Bridgeport mill vice.

[@gunslinger3577]

Keith, I don't know just who Miles is, but it is 'bout time you got someone to help you out. Keep him around. He might learn a whole hell of a lot from you!!

[@surplusneo]

I have a Famco 3r that I will be restoring this summer. Please take the time to explain how to properly adjust the tension on the ram when you put it back together. M.Brozak

[@kennethgilbertdds7249]

How is that done? What do you mean? I may be picking up a smaller unit here soon.

[@surplusneo]

@@kennethgilbertdds7249 There are screws with locking nuts that control how much drag is on the ram. I would like him to explain how to adjust these and just how much drag is a proper amount.

[@bigun447]

That Harbor Freight engine hoist sure comes in handy even if it is made with Chinese steel in China. I have a lot of HF junk stuff and the neat thing is I do not cry if it wears out.

[@lencost1]

@ 7:39. Finally someone on KZbin uses the word tension correctly while describing a procedure. I halve observed the word tension used in place of compression, and torsion. P.S. Keith when do you sleep?

[@Cromwell648]

An excellent video 👍

[@JRD77VET]

Keith , I emailed you thru the OWWM forum from my Gmail account. I have dimensions of a FAMCO 6C arbor plate. It's 14" in diameter so either use it as drawn or scale it to your needs. Jeff in PA on OWWM

[@raincoast2396]

Keith's old machine shop hospital! lol Anymore machines and an extension is called for Keith. lol

[@CraftedChannel]

Drill and tap shafts. Pull them out. Or drill small pocket hole for driver in blind hole. Fill with oiler. The rare oiler version. The hole in the base makes me wonder if it was used on a 12-24" base??? The hole doesn't do much otherwise.

[@precisionmachineshed]

I have a 3 1/2C 8 ton press and have the same wear as yours does on the lever cam. Wondering what your thoughts are on repairing it?

[@joopterwijn]

Keith, guess you could make the shipswheel!

[@e9999qwe]

Looks great. Enjoying a lot this kind of resto vids. (Couldn't you put a gear puller on that yellow handle, maybe?)

[@codfishknives8526]

Try using a pickle fork to get that handle and shaft off the clapper.

[@vicpatton5286]

Hi Keith I sent you an email with a pic of a 5c which includes the wheel. This pic along with the dimensions Lucas is sending should be all you need. regards vic

[@DAKOTANSHELBY]

Keith, I am very interested in the decision and application of the radiant sheathing you applied to the roll up barn door, as shown in the back drop. Has it been effective and are there any problems staying applied when the door rolls up and down? Appears to be applied with duck tape. Thanks. Carl

[@jimkodysz5404]

You know, Kieth, if you had a 10 ton press you could get those shafts outta there easily! LOL

[@StibIan]

YEA Kenosha,Wisconsin

[@morelenmir]

Even through the video you can see that 'hammerite' type paint does look very cool. The name plate was also a professional touch. I was surprised you went for grey though Keith--don't you usually prefer green for your machines? In regards that stuck component that was being tricky to dissassemble; is it possible there was a taper pin or some such hidden beneath the paint? Or could there be years of paint that are making harder to pull apart? I remember when you were working on the lathe recently you suspended a big casting in a vat of rust and paint remover over night. Would it be worth doing that for the stuck part? Once all the layers of grunge are removed it may practically fall apart it your hands. I totally understand your frustration at not being able to get it in to pieces. Its really impossible to get a satisfying job done when you cannot get in to all the nooks and crannies. Incidentally I love that phrase 'rattle can' for a tin of spry paint!!! I am going to use that myself now!!!

[@ElectricGears]

When you fix the part of the lever that has been worn away I suggest you mill the undamaged side of the channel a little wider so that you can fit a bronze bushing over the rod that it scrapes against.

[@jonanderson5137]

Nope, just needs periodic cleaning and daily lubrication.

[@sanho1988]

Oh, restoration project..How many video parts there will be? I guess about 90

[@jimhumphrey]

It would not surprise me if a pilot wheel for that machine comes to you in some way! Just one advantage of being famous on KZbin :)

[@kennethgilbertdds7249]

I tried searching briefly but could not see one except it was attached to another machine already.

[@glennmoreland6457]

I just picked up a small Arbour press yesterday... Bench mounted...I'd say 2-3 ton yield...

[@DIRTYTHUNDERCUSTOMS]

Adam Booth just had someone give him some very nice daisy wheels, mabe you could scale his up in size or make yourself some veriations for al kinds of cool press options!

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

You can get a lot of exercise pulling down on the lever on that machine. The paint looks great.

[@TheSkipinatorVids]

Let my kid play with that table/clapper you couldn't disassemble. It will be in pieces in no time.

[@dukecamilo2041]

I guess it is quite randomly asking but do anyone know of a good website to stream new series online?

[@deanroy1747]

@Duke Camilo I use FlixZone. Just search on google for it :)

[@dukecamilo2041]

@Dean Roy thank you, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) Appreciate it!

[@deanroy1747]

@Duke Camilo glad I could help :D

[@Goman1244]

It seems like there is always some kind of machine that follows you home.

[@BigRalphSmith]

Oh, Keith, _another_ one followed you home?

[@matthewkantar5583]

At 4:30, that's no luck, that's strategic hoarding.

[@materialsguy2002]

Great video, Keith. Any idea of the age of that press? Thanks.

[@donpollard9460]

18:50 - primer: Pink? Yes, I've seen the 'little' arbor press that you sold in another video ...

[@wolfiemcwolf6617]

Haha beat me to it Austin. Still loving the content Keith!

[@benhancock1408]

Are you going to add some feet to it so that you can move it around the shop with your pallet jack, like you've done with other machinery?

[@iteerrex8166]

12 tones? Doesn't depend on the lever arm and force applied? For example Abom could make it a 30 tone press hehehe.

[@eovdubsvw8743]

Did an online search Famco is still around and sells you press still. They may sell the part your trying to fix.

[@SeanBZA]

Might be, but Keith will still rather repair that instead, keeping the history of the machine.

[@shanek6582]

Thought my three ton arbor press was big!

[@darrengreenwood8846]

Salvage workshop has got same press with wheel get in touch with him Keith

[@austinwagoncompany]

Number 1 today