[Splint]

Hi,
I have a lathe which has considerable ware on the ways near the chuck. I was wondering what options are available to restore the ways to new or near new condition. I do recall seing a product like a paste which is applied to the worn areas and then filed or sanded back after it sets, dose anyone know the name of this stuff or has anyone used it?

Cheers
Splint

[Mcgyver]

as far as i know your options are having it ground and/or scraped. search herein there's a bunch on scraping, althought doing a proper job on the whole bed is not a trivial task

[ViperTX]

moglice....but if the ways are really work you would be better off having them scraped.

[vladdy]

Some lathes can be glue patched, or scraped fairly easily, but if there is a substantial amount of wear, remachining may be required...If it's not a very large or heavy bed [like an small atlas or south bend] you may be able to get the machining done fairly reasonably at a machine shop with a large enough mill or surface grinder. Another place can be an engine rebuilder that has larger equipment for doing flywheels or cylinder heads, especially if it's a flat portion that has the wear..
Another option is that some smaller lathes, due to the way they are made, is that they can be readily 'reversed', as in swapping the head and tailstock portions..sometime the only modifications that need to be made are redrilling of the rack mount bolts, etc..
Obviously this applies more so to older 'simple' constuction lathes..

I also saw one larger lathe that was scrapped because of wear just in front of the headstock, and this one had two feet cut out of the bed, and welded back together, just a bit shorter, it was 'close' but not an accurate machine anymore, this one wound up on a farm shop trimming shafts, brake drums, and other rougher work like that, but it was still useable, rather than being melted down..

enjoy..