restoring a powermatic 15HH

[Thomas Crawford]

They were completely rusted, the inside kind of just disintegrated with the Allen key.

I have a tap and die set, and in reality I think theses socket set screws are redundant - there are 8 total top and bottom that lock the bottom base and top body onto the 4 posts. Already jacked up the threads on one so I'll either leave it out or drill an M12.

I've pretty much ground them smooth inside, so I'll try the left handed bit, maybe I can pound something at it to get something it can bite into.

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Otherwise, trying to figure out how to get the thing totally apart so I can derust the posts properly. I'm thinking of getting a mini bottle jack like this:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...1735_200641735

I have 6.5" available if I move the table all the way to top.

[Matt Day]

You could also leave it on to clean the posts. Raise the bed as high as it will go, clean the exposed part below, lower the bed all the way then clean the rest. A brass wore wheel should do it.

[Thomas Crawford]

Ordered the replacement parts I need plus found a cheaper jack. I figure worst case I end up with one post stuck to the bottom and one to the top. I can work with that from a weight perspective. I really want to get the table off because there is definitely grime and grit between the table and the posts.

Also I want to repaint it which will be much easier in pieces.

[Thomas Crawford]

Update: Got some wire wheel brushes and they worked wonders on the posts. The table moves much more smoothly. Unfortunately I tried my method of putting the bottle jack in there to push it apart and one post wouldn't give. So I had three pop up and one stay on. I was expecting the 4th one to pop out of the bottom but it stuck. So I dropped the jack and pounded the top back down, but on two of the posts I have a little gap. It's hard to know if that was there to start or not. As near as I can tell I'm probably off by 1/32 at most side to side, which I'm thinking will not be hard to adjust for with the table.

Question is, do I continue to try to drill out the set screw that caused that issue or just put everything back together and level the table? Looks like it will be at least another week until I get my replacement parts so I have some time to think about it.


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[Thomas Crawford]

Well I finally got it apart with 2 jacks, this is going to make it much easier to do the final derusting and paint. With some grease on the posts should go back together reasonably easy.

Got most of the replacement parts in - they messed up my order and didn’t sent the items I ordered two of.

[Thomas Crawford]

Pics. Now I'm figuring out what paint to use. I'm thinking something I can roll on rather than spray. There are so many holes everywhere. Hoping I can clean up where necessary and then paint on top of the current yellow.

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[Jim Becker]

When you get to your finishing, the biggest key to the job is surface preparation including thorough cleaning. There can be no grease or other contaminants nor can there be any oxidation that hasn't been dealt with. Prime with something compatible with your intended color product. There are a number of "machine" type paints available that are readily applied by brushing and rolling in a variety of colors.

[Mike Kees]

I have used an auto part store several times that mixes colors to match in spray cans, it costs me about $25 a can but works very well and matches original color exactly.

[Thomas Crawford]

When you get to your finishing, the biggest key to the job is surface preparation including thorough cleaning. There can be no grease or other contaminants nor can there be any oxidation that hasn't been dealt with. Prime with something compatible with your intended color product. There are a number of "machine" type paints available that are readily applied by brushing and rolling in a variety of colors.

Thanks - I'm thinking with it being apart and actually manageable to move around easily by myself I should be able to get it done properly.

Do you know off-hand if its possible to paint over the existing paint? My thought was to wire brush/sand/etc all the rusting areas, give it a thorough cleaning and then get a coat of primer on it as fast as possible once dried.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks - I'm thinking with it being apart and actually manageable to move around easily by myself I should be able to get it done properly.

Do you know off-hand if its possible to paint over the existing paint? My thought was to wire brush/sand/etc all the rusting areas, give it a thorough cleaning and then get a coat of primer on it as fast as possible once dried.

You do not need to remove the existing paint, but you'll want to prepare the surface well...light abrasion to give "tooth" and remove anything not "permanent" and then proper cleaning. Primer from there will finish the preparation before you put on your color. The better you prep, the better the results. And with machinery, the cleaning thing is critical.

[Bill Dufour]

Where the old paint is firmly attached it can be left to act as primer. This will cause an aligator effect as the old paint film is thicker then the bare metal. You have to feather the edges down with a wire brush or fill the missing areas with body filler or high build primer if you want a gloss smooth final appearance. If you want a as cast factory paint job don't bother with excess time on fillers etc.
Bil lD

[Matt Day]

For holes: threaded ones just screw in a bolt of the same thread pitch/diameter and paint it. Open holes without threads I’ve used strips of rosin paper or construction paper rolled up.

I’m getting ready to brush on some Sherwin Williams DTM to my planer which is totally stripped down to bare metal.

[Thomas Crawford]

Questions

- for cleaning before paint is soap and water sufficient or do I need some kind of toxic degreaser?

- for drying quickly and well, should I use compressed air, blowdryer, something else? A torch seems like overkill and that I could screw something up.

[Matt Day]

I use Super Clean. It’s nasty stuff but does the job. Will eat away paint if left on too long. After wiping it off with a towel, any residue left behind will dry by itself. It’s a must have for my restorations.

[Kris Cook]

Just read this through. I bought one of these new so if you can get it done for around $1,500 it seems like a good deal. Also as others have noted the experience is worth something as well. Looks like it isn't too late to go with the Deere green...

Thanks for sharing.