# Hardinge HLV-H Restoring



## [email protected]

Hello, firs I want to apologies to every one reading this post, for eventual mistakes in my english, as it is not my native language.
I am about to start Hardinge HLV-H restoring. I decided to post my progress for few reasons. First Hardinge is probably the best lathe to bay as second hand machine, second these lathes are becoming more and more available to model engineers. Unfortunately machines that apear on second hand market are 20-30 year old. Some of them are in great tolerance holding condition but cosmetically look very bad. My harding is produced around 1980 and holds near factory cutting tolerances. Here is the machine in all it`s glory.


----------



## maverick

Welcome to the forum Yankov. You are lucky to have such a nice lathe to restore. I had the pleasure of running a
brand new HLV-H about 20 years ago. They are sweet and I will follow this rebuild with much interest.
Don't worry about your english as my knowledge of any other language is non existent.


----------



## [email protected]

First to go under the knife is the tail stock. As it can be seen from pictures it is in a bad shape, at some places paint is missing to the point where bare metal shows. This condition is probably because of a very aggressive cutting fluid.


----------



## krv3000

HI I served my time with them lathes screw cutting on them was a dream  can't Waite to see it back OT all its Glory


----------



## [email protected]

Plan for the tail stock is as follows:
1. Strip the paint to the point where only filler and primer are left. It is possible to strip also the filler to bare metal but this is not really necessary as filler is very firmly attached to the metal. Stripping is done with ABT paint remover, expensive stuff, but it dose the job perfectly. I made some experiments, to figure out how long striper should stay applied to dissolve only the paint, 2-3 minutes is the answer. After this I jut wipe it with a clean towel and wash it with water. I did not take any pictures of this process as I forgot the camera. My bad.
2. Fill all the nik`s and dings whit polyester filler. This stuff is used on car body repair. It sands very easy with 120-200 sand paper.


----------



## [email protected]

Hi, I changed my name from Yankov to engine man.
Just for information


----------



## BillTodd

BTDT  Mine's 50 years old this year.

(http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/showthread.php/566-Renovating-a-Hardinge-HLV-H)

They are a fabulous lathe both in looks and performance; well worth all the work.

One warning: careful with the paint stripper: in can soak into the cast iron and then leach out later, ruining the new paint. Clean it off carefully after use.

Looking forward to seeing the work progress so keep posting the photos.

Regards,

Bill


----------



## [email protected]

Thank you for the advice. Paint stripper that i am using is water base
So i just washed it. So far no problem whit it.


----------



## rleete

I worked for Hardinge many years ago. Nice to see these old beasts restored.


----------



## [email protected]

Thank you all for your support. I don't know how long this project is going to take but I am determined to finish it.
BillTodd you did outstanding job with your machine. I hope you will provide me with some advice on difficult points during this rebuild.
Now third thing that I managed to do on the tail stock: I sprayed on some epoxy filler made by the company named SELEMIX. Here are the pictures. One picture worth a thousand words!


----------



## [email protected]

I have to wait 6-8 hours for the epoxy filler to set. So I hope tomorrow to spray on some epoxy primer on top. This two coats will give the desire strength that is needed for such a job. I will post some more pictures after I am done.


----------



## Allthumbz

Beautiful job on the restoration and finish, Engine Man.  You will get a lot of good service out of that machine. Enjoy it!

Nelson
***************.com


----------



## b.lindsey

That is going to look like it just came from the factory Engine man. Nice job so far!!!

Bill


----------



## [email protected]

Here is the wheel polished and painted. There is a lot off glare due to oil applied.


----------



## Twmaster

*That is going to look like it just came from the factory Engine man. Nice job so far!!!*

My wager is it will look better than new!

Nice machine. I'll be following this thread.


----------



## [email protected]

Just finished priming the tail stock. I think finish is OK ;D


----------



## [email protected]

Tomorrow I will spray paint some samples. Unfortunately I can not get the original Hardinge Gray 7B color. After much research around the internet the closest color match that I figure out is BS4800 18B25 Dark Admiralty Grey, another possibility is BS4800 18B21 Squirrel Grey which is not as dark as the first one. If any one reading this post can sugest some RAL equivalent to Hardinge Gray 7B please post it.


----------



## [email protected]

Long time no post, my bad. I took very long to determine the color that matches closely the original one.
Finally with a little help of friend of mine I figure out the color is some where between 18B25 and 18B21. If some one is interested with exact recipe I can provide it. Paint is Selemix two component for industrial machinery, gloss grade, oil and mar resistant.

Sorry for the lousy photos took them with phone camera.


----------



## Allthumbz

Your finish is excellent- looks factory new to me. Great work.

Nelson
***************.com


----------



## steamer

Looks good from here!

Keep em coming!

Dave


----------



## [email protected]

Here some more pictures. Bezel restoration. All numbers and graduations repainted.


----------



## Swede

Wow, you are going to LOVE this lathe. The electric motor carriage and cross-slide power feed system is magic... you can set it up to creep along at 1 cm per minute, or slower, if needed, everything is independent of the spindle. And the thread-cutting system is wonderfully engineered... it has automatic kick-out, you never disengage the half nuts, but instead, "move" the carriage right or left with the upper lever. You can thread right up to a massive shoulder and the tool tip[ will automatically stop inside a 1mm wide thread relief.

The Hardinge taper nose is proprietary, and tooling can be expensive, but it's available. I'd get a 3 or 6 jaw adjust-true chuck right away, along with a nice set of 5C collets.

Maybe 15 years ago, I restored a really worn HLV-B, not as nice as what you are doing. The paint wasn't the problem, but bed wear was. The good news is that you can detach the entire dovetailed way from the base casting, and have it reground if necessary... it is VERY hard steel. I had to do this, and the dimensional change of the way caused me all sorts of grief, but in the end, it now turns true and is a joy to use.

If you can afford it, NOW is the time to add DRO, which makes it even better. The lathe's accuracy calls for an X-axis resolution of at least 0.0001" or even better. If you have to wait to add a DRO, it'll be a tougher job.

Good luck!


----------



## [email protected]

Thank you for your advice regarding the DRO, I plan to install one just not decided what brand and what type of scale to use magnetic or optical, it seems my bed is ok, but i will be shore after I make some cuts and measure the results. My lathe came with inspection sheet which sate its condition but who knows.


----------



## [email protected]

Unfortunately it took me more than I planned. Finally finished the tail stock. Thing turn very good from my point of view.


----------



## [email protected]

And some more pictures


----------



## maverick

How is the rebuild coming along? The paint looks as good as factory. I'd love to see some more of 
your project.

Regards,
Mike


----------



## steamer

An HLV is a wonderful machine! I miss using one!  

Dave


----------



## [email protected]

It has been a little slow this days, bu I am done cleaning the multi fix and repainting it.
I will post some pictures


----------



## [email protected]

Back on track. Long time no posts . I was abroad for some time but I am back on the project.


----------



## [email protected]

I completely disassembled the appron, cross feed, motor clutches etc. Every thing was in a bad shape old oil and stuff.


----------



## [email protected]

After disassembling the clutches I found out that the bearings are completely rusted.


----------



## [email protected]

They came apart. One of the bearings is 5202 with snap ring on it very expensive stuff angle contact double row bearing 69,99$ and I need two.
Overal shape of the gear wheels is ok they show some wear but they will last for som 20 years at least.


----------



## [email protected]

Clutch handle housing ready for painting.


----------



## [email protected]

Tool post slide took me a while to disassemble, but finally


----------



## [email protected]

The next thing is the carriage motor. It is in a very bad shape cosmetically, I will see how it is inside.


----------



## maverick

Yankov,
It's nice to see you back at your project. The rebuild is looking good.
All of the effort will be repaid when you get to run your "new" machine.

Regards,
Maverick


----------



## steamin

Yes sir, you will truly enjoy the fruits of your labor when the project is completed. I did a similar restoration on a 1977 vintage HLV-H. It was a complete tear down, clean, repaint and a lot of new parts. the folks at Hardinge were great to work with on getting new parts and helping with technical information. 
Awesome job,
Larry


----------



## [email protected]

Well, I have been trying to contact Hardinge for new parts for 3 weeks, until now no replay :wall:. May be they are on holidays or some thing.


----------



## [email protected]

Disassembled the carriage feed motor looks ok inside. Bearings are ok. Just painting for this one.
Will post pictures later on.


----------



## steamin

I will dig out my old receipts and notes and pass on the contact info I used. There was always someone there on the other end whenever I called.
Larry


----------



## steamin

Here is the phone numbers we used to make contact with Hardinge.
607-734-2281
For sales 800-843-8801

Dad did all the ordering of the parts needed. He usually talked with Dawn.

Good luck,
Larry


----------



## [email protected]

Thank you for the support much appreciated.


----------



## [email protected]

Parts of the feed motor prep for painting


----------



## [email protected]

Carrige motor disassembled


----------



## [email protected]

Some painted parts. 1 picture = 1000 words


----------



## [email protected]

Progress on appron


----------



## [email protected]

Appron is ready for assembly.


----------



## [email protected]

more pictures


----------



## [email protected]

Icing of the cake, lathes lamp


----------



## steamin

I can tell you are having way to much fun with this rebuild 
It is looking awesome and better than when new from the factory.
Larry


----------



## [email protected]

Yes, it is very nice to work on this project, but 
it is coming together very slow. Hard work will pay at the end I hope.


----------



## [email protected]

Some more pictures. Appron control box ready for painting.


----------



## [email protected]

Lathe almost ready for paint stripper.


----------



## [email protected]

Well, I ran on some problems with the carriage.
Some kind of teflon between the bed and carriage, all tear off.


----------



## [email protected]

Need some help please. I am trying to figure out what was the thickness of the material before wearing out.
Hardinge sell this thing for around 250$!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## [email protected]

First coat of the sppron control box.


----------



## alchr

[email protected] said:


> Need some help please. I am trying to figure out what was the thickness of the material before wearing out.
> Hardinge sell this thing for around 250$!!!!!!!!!!!!



Take a look here for information on the teflon.  

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/bridgeport-hardinge-mills-lathes/turcite-teflon-159382/

There are some comments there from Paul Babin, whose company rebuilds HLV-H machines, he is a true gentleman and will help you with any questions you may have on the Hardinge lathes.  His rebuilds look better than new.

What kind of paint did you use on the white plastic dials after sanding them?

thanks,

Allen


----------



## [email protected]

alchr said:


> Take a look here for information on the teflon.
> 
> http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/bridgeport-hardinge-mills-lathes/turcite-teflon-159382/
> 
> There are some comments there from Paul Babin, whose company rebuilds HLV-H machines, he is a true gentleman and will help you with any questions you may have on the Hardinge lathes.  His rebuilds look better than new.
> 
> What kind of paint did you use on the white plastic dials after sanding them?
> 
> thanks,
> 
> Allen



Hi, for rebuilding the dails I use Selemix paint industrial grade gloss finish.
This is two component epoxy paint for industrial machines.
I think all two component paints will work well.
Firs you have to clean the old paint wery well to make place for the new one.
Then applay 2-3 coats to fill the numbers and marks, then sand off exess paint with 400 then 600 sand paper.


----------



## mgbrv8

[email protected] said:


> Appron is ready for assembly.



All my apron and bare metal parts I took a auto buffer and compound to them and really make them shine. 


Dave


----------



## [email protected]

Well all done with the control box.

Came out a neauti.


----------



## [email protected]

Name plate have to be changed.

Orderd new one


----------



## [email protected]

Work in progress on control box


----------



## [email protected]

I am posting this pictures so you can see the internals before assembley


----------



## alchr

Did you buy a new front panel?  If so, what do they run?


----------



## [email protected]

No I did not. I just made new one in corel draw. 

Manufacturing of the plate is around 50 &euro;.


----------



## [email protected]

If you need i can post the file.


----------



## [email protected]

File for the control box plate.


----------



## [email protected]

Carriage drive


----------



## rake60

Being a Hardinge fan, I'm loving this thread!

I belong to this Yahoo Group that is Hardinge specific.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hardinge-Lathe/?yguid=471838735

You may want to give it a look.

Rick


----------



## [email protected]

At last the new panel came.


----------



## [email protected]

Feed motor is ready


----------



## [email protected]

Moore photos


----------



## kvom

nice job, keep it coming.


----------



## [email protected]

Moore bits ready for assembley


----------



## Rodge

[email protected] said:


> Long time no post, my bad. I took very long to determine the color that matches closely the original one.
> Finally with a little help of friend of mine I figure out the color is some where between 18B25 and 18B21. If some one is interested with exact recipe I can provide it.



Hi Engine man, I hope you are still around, I want to see more of your renovation work. Also I would like to know the mix (recipe) you ended up choosing for your paint as I am about to embark on my own rebuild but my UK built HLV-H is green so I can't even try to match the original as I want it gray. 

Rodger.


----------



## dman

these are fantasitc machines. i need to find one. i've run them before and threading is idiot proof. the spindles are very accurate. my goal is to replace my south bend with a hardinge hlv-h and also get something in the 14-16x40" range for the big jobs. maybe when i win the lotto.


----------



## bb218

Pay close attention to the compound base, I have seen them cracked from the ecentric clamping bolt.  Very thin where the bolt goes through and mine had a hair line crack which caused chatter and vibration when using the machine.   Mike


----------



## [email protected]

Rodge said:


> Hi Engine man, I hope you are still around, I want to see more of your renovation work. Also I would like to know the mix (recipe) you ended up choosing for your paint as I am about to embark on my own rebuild but my UK built HLV-H is green so I can't even try to match the original as I want it gray.
> 
> Rodger.



Hi Long time no post but this will change soon as the whether gets better around  here. I did some job on the machine but relay a minor stuff, I will post some pictures. Regarding the paint, the original color for the machine is *Hardinge Gray 7B*. What I came up is Selemix BS.18B21 plus 100% Black for this color. I will Scan the recipe and post it here. Company that manufactures this pain is called PPG it is well known paint producer you will have no problem to obtain this paint in the UK.


----------



## [email protected]

Here is the formula 

View attachment Selemix.pdf


----------



## Jeffers

Engine Man,

I have just bought a HLV H serial no. 3252, 1967. It is missing the feed motor and worm gear at the end of the armature.

Can you post details of your motor and do you have any spec for the worm gear size and pitch?

Nice job on your restoration.

Best,

Jon


----------



## Bill Pill

Engine man , The tail stock looks great,by the way who makes the Hardinge lathe ,i never heard of one. ?  keep up the good work ,if the tailstock is what the lathe will look like it will be so nice you won't want to get it dirty   . LOL    Bill Pill


----------



## Wilbri

Hi Engine man

I'm an old retired machinist from South Africa who has been following your labour intensive project with great interest.
What a magnificent job you are doing.
Maybe like me you are attempting to live under very limited finacial restraints and therefore limited to what you can afford to achieve due to this restriction?
We really would like to know how things are going with you.

Look forward to your reply.


----------

