Model Forum / General / Models / March 2009

I'd think it neither necessary or desirable and quite probable that if you
get the jaws back in the wrong order they'll never grip true again. Give
them a brush out with an old toothbrush or blow them out with an airline,
check for any dings where they've been dropped and remove those with a fine
oilstone and they should be good to go. Check each one with a test bar for
runout and only think about further remedial work if they don't grip true.

I think my set count as about my only ever tool gloat. In the early 90s when
engineering businesses in the UK were struggling (when do they ever not?) I
found a machinery dealer in the Midlands with a couple of s/h sets, I drove
up there, picked the best collets of each size out of both sets to make a
perfect set and got the lot with the correct chuck for my Student for £100
plus vat. They all grip to within a couple of tenths, most actually have no
visible runout at all on a DTI and it was probably the best investment I
ever made for my lathe.

The only thing I find is the foam in the box they came in tends to sort of
'melt' and stick to the collets and I have to brush and scrape it off each
time I use one. Also my crappy damp workshop has created some superficial
rust on the chuck much as it has on every other bloody tool I own but
there's not much I can do about it. If I had one workshop related wish it
would be for a rust free environment but I think that'll mean a new
workshop.

Dave,

You've kind of confirmed what I suspected, that disassembly probabl
isn't a good idea.

I got 5 litres of WD40 and a cheap plastic tank and have the 12 collet
soaking right now. I reckon a 3-4 days immersed in WD should sort the
out.

I keep my garage - sorry, my palatial workshop - rust-free thanks to a
old dehumidifier I found in my Grandad's things after he passed away.
leave it running all winter, emptying it every 2 days or so, and i
seems to do the trick.

Pau

--
paulwilliam