[minton]

I would like to repair some large paint chips on a Bridgeport mill. The chipped areas look like they may have been filled with a Bondo like metal filler (to smooth out the casting) at the factory then painted.

If anyone could point me in the right direction to solve this problem it would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Bob

[tc429]

its just bondo...grind it out(it will be peeling back under the edges of the chiped area), clean it best you can to remove any oils(get a quality wax and grease remover) I always brush a coat of 'ospho' on any bare metal before priming(phosphoric acid- etches the bare metal, converts ANY microscopic rust into iron phosphate that wont ever start to rust/blister under the paint- plus it gives incredible bite to the paint), then prime, fill, sand, paint...its a PITA, mostly because most of the chips will be on the bottom of the apron, and you end up sitting cramped up on the floor sanding...

I had a freebie manual bridgeport in the garage before I got the CNC, stripped/refilled the entire base, looked like new...ran out of room, ended up giving it away to make room for the CNC.
the CNC one I got looked fair(was another freebie saved from the scrap pile- control was gutted, took some $ to put back together), i just touched it up after reassembling, but we moved, so needs it again as I scraped it up again moving it... taking one down with just a cherrypicker and pickup truck its about impossible not to skin it up a bit. I was able to lay the base down by just using a 8' 4x4 thru the top round hole- was suprised how easy it was to lay down/stand up by hand with simple leverage(stripped completely of course). laying the base on its side skinned it up a bit, then dummy me after reassembling decided to move it again intact, my cherrypicker is only 'almost' wide enough, so the legs chipped the bottom front corners as it bumped around...with the head/table/knee assembled, these things are pretty darn heavy
I was able to haul my 17x48 leblond lathe(was another freebie/scrap machine- was nice and tight, but had a busted transmission- jury-rigged a belt around the chuck to drive well enough to make new shaft for the headstock) with just a floor jack and pickup...pull the tailgate, jack up the headstock end, remove those legs, back under, ratchetstrap to slide it on the chippan into the truck, jack the tailstock, remove those legs, pull it the rest of the way in...that thing HAS to go well over a ton, but its easy to ship anyways...getting it thru the 3' doorway into the 8'wide workshop at the old house was a bear, the lathe was 8' but 3'wide, swinging it was tight...had to roll it on a cribbed up dolly and floorjack, but never even scratched it...
jeez, sorry for writing a book...

[minton]

TC429:
Many thanks for the excellent information, greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Bob

[tc429]

just stumbled on this- you could always have these guys stop over to touch it up

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFVUhrISYBE&feature=relmfu]Bridgeport Milling Machine Rebuild Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[minton]

TC429:

Thanks for the video. Now I know how it's done, I just need to get going.

Best Wishes,

Bob