The Lathe is Up and Running, Ferrules Here We Come

Slightly less than a year ago, and in one of my early posts on what was then a very new website, I wrote about acquiring a new lathe for my shop, a purchase that had been long overdue. After having made my ferrules and done most of my machining on an old pre-WWI Pratt and Whitney for the better part of the last 25 years I finally took the plunge and bought a Hardinge H-LVH (examples here), a name that probably won’t mean much to most of you but will to those who are into machining.

The long-and-short of the story is that after buying it I ultimately decided to strip down and refinish the machine from the ground up, an act that was either mild OCD or downright lunacy depending on who you asked. This process was a long one and I took a fair share of ribbing for it from many of my rodmaking friends.

This old rodmaker is nothing if not perseverant, however, and after months of tinkering with the machine, Junior and I finally got the last coat of paint on it just before Thanksgiving and I was able to put the last few pieces back together just a few days ago.

I’m more than a little biased here, but I have to say, it was definitely worth it. This is simply a marvellous piece of machinery and I can’t wait to start making ferrules on it.

-Marc

The Hardinge H-LVH with its final coat of paint

All set up and ready to go