oil all over my drill press?

[rabidsheeep]

well, went out to sears today... course was checking out the tool section... came home with a drill press

the thing i cant understand is why it is COATED in oil... i mean, theres this dirty black grease all over EVERYTHING

it was obviously repackaged (got a discount for it cause of the packaging) but everything *seemed* there

is this just horrible packing? is this normal? can i just clean it off?

i personally wouldn't mind going back and trading it for a better one cause its kinda a sickening grease...

 

[vjp]

That's how a lot of heavy machine tools imported from China are. There's a name for the stuff, I can't think of it, but it's sprayed all over everything so that it doesn't corrode during the lengthy sea voyage on container ships.

It stinks too, doesn't it?

 

[wwattles]

The one I got from Harbor Freight was very similar - spent about an hour with the degreaser cleaning everything up before I could assemble it.

WW

 

[rbeckey]

I suggest aerosol brake cleaner or a product called "Gun Scrubber." Either can be found at WalMart. Some plastics don't like them, and ventilation is REQUIRED, but it will disolved that grease instantly, and dry quickly.

 

[KenParker]

hmmm... and that grease that it is covered in... would that be.... cosmoline? Nasty smelling stuff, but a very good protectant of metal parts and equipment. And sticky... oh my... yes.

Lots of military stuff is packed in cosmoline.

 

[SwingWing]

Yep, sounds like cosmoline. Mineral spirits will take it off.

 

[sandman]

About 35 years ago I used to work for a VW dealership and all the beetles came off the boat covered in cosmolile.

Everytime we got a load of cars in we had to "de-grease" them.

PIA!

It won't hurt anything...don't take it all off otherwise your nice new drill press will start to rust.

Leave something on it...a thim film anyway.

 

[Micromeister]

Yeap! don't use a thinner, simply wipe off with rags or paper towels.
I just got my mini metal lathe de-gunked, but the stuff makes a great lub

 

[BHP]

Nice lathe. Where did you get that? I'm sorta thinking of getting something like that.

Pete

 

[Micromeister]

www.harborfreight.com #33684-1VGA
Self centering chuck with 5/8" pass thru Oh! is that sweet! An added bonus shipping was FREE! Dang I sound like a commerical

 

[rstaff3]

Micro: How much was the lathe? Never mind just saw your previous answer...

General comment about stinkin tools: I recently got a Harbor Freight drill press. It is covered in prolly that same stuff. It doesn't smell nice but isn't that bad. What *really* stunk out my whole basement is the pair of rubber loop wrenches I got. Smells like you have your head stuck in a new car tire. And they are so small. Pewee!

 

[rabidsheeep]

i got most of the grease off (not all of it like sandman said) but enough so i could touch it without fear im absorbing some sort of disease through my hands

btw, for anyone who is on the lookout, there was an 8 inch drill press that was originally 89.99 for 29.99 at the sears nearby (i missed this one... dang.)

edit:

mkay... now that i have the drill press and a vague understanding on how to make a nosecone appear from a chunk of wood with it, could somone elaborate on circle cutters? i searched on harbor freight but no circle cutters came up (or they did, i just have no idea what im looking at)

also, ive heard somewhere on using a drill press to slot body tubes somehow... anyone wanna elaborate on that?

and one more thing, what drill bits are close to the od 29mm mmt's?

i got the thing, i might as well have an idea of how to use it

thanks a bunch

--sheeepy

 

[AlexM]

29 is 1 and 1/8 inches

 

[wyldbill]

FYI, most folks in the Lathes groups recommend kerosene for cleaning the packing grease off. Not quite as nasty as some other solvents and won't attack the paint or plastic.

FWIW,
-bill

 

[wyldbill]

oh yah, here's your circle cutter....

https://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G8964

Make SURE to run it at 250 rpm or LESS, no matter how much you tighten the knives, or they could fly off; one of them shattering the windshield of your Honda S2000 (which sucks, but is better than gouging a trough in the aluminum hood) and the other hitting you smack in the chest leaving contusions that last for a few weeks.

Don't ask me how I know....

-bill

 

[SwingWing]

sears circle cutter:
https://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/pro...0&vertical=TOOL&pid=00925293000&bidsite=CRAFT

 

[Stymye]

sounds like a nice drill press Rabid!

kroil brand oil also dissolves the cosmoline very nicely.

Micro, I have the 7 X 10 lathe also,, I've been doing centering rings up to 4" on it... there are some really good mods that can be done to it to make it much more versatile..

if you haven't already,check out varmint al's site
https://www.varmintal.com/alath.htm

 

[Micromeister]

Kewl! I sure will Andy Thanks!

 

[rabidsheeep]

well then i got some balsa and had to buy another 1/2 bit cause mom lost mine but i finally got started on a nosecone]

i wanted to start off making one for a small diameter 24mmt rocket i have that has a rolled paper nosecone but i had spun and sanded alittle too much and ended up moving to a smaller tube

so its not PERFECTLY even, and the shoulder doesn't fit exactly, but heck, its my first try, and it was kinda fun being surrounded in a pile of sawdust

i now have more of a restpect than ever to anyone that can make these things beautifully. and to the guy who invented those little paper paint/dust masks

 

[amtraktrekker]

Best way I've found to slot body tube is to stack five thin dremel cut-off wheels in the mandrel. This equals about 1/8" with just enough slop to make it easy. I cradle the tube in a homemade wooden V-block and slide the tube back and forth while holding the Dremel with my other hand. Works sorta like a dado head on a table saw, only less dangerous. Works great, try it!