Hi Rich, great photos and the new hinges are fantastic, very impressive. Do you own a Lathe?
Hobart Unhinged
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Robert,
Thanks. Today I defrosted the chest freezer and moved it and the fridge over, extended the hoses on the Hobart, put it all back together, and moved it over to its new niche at the end of the countertop. The hoses only needed to be about 7 feet long (stock is five feet) but I made them eight feet just in case (about 1.5 feet is used up inside the machine to loop around the "hose protector"). Sadly, the replacement hot water valve someone installed before I got this is backwards, so the hoses no longer nest inside the machine (although the power cord still will). But I'm content to just let the hoses slip behind the machine when it's not in use. I did a test run and everything seems fine again.
I don't own a lathe. All this work was done after hours at work on a mill - what's called a VMC or vertical machining center. I squared up the blocks using a semi-manual method, and then wrote a program to drill and tap the holes, cut the notches for the springs etc., and put a radius along the upper edge. Actually, three programs ;-). Anyway, I have to thank my employer for letting me do this in their shop. I've been on the prowl to purchase and set up a small lathe and a small manual mill for my own workshop, but a combination of funding, time, and getting rid of clutter have put that on hold.
None of this needed to be done on a CNC mill, it could all be done on a manual mill. The advantage for me was that I could write the program at night at home, and then run it at work and produce the parts quicker than I could if I did it manually. Plus once the first one is done and minor adjustments made as needed, the second one is pretty much unattended, aside from having to turn it in the vice for the various features/programs and manually add some special cutting oil for cutting the threads in the mounting holes on the underside of the hinges.
But if I had a mill at home I would have done it there. I just didn't have all the time I would have liked to do it that way at work.
Thanks. Today I defrosted the chest freezer and moved it and the fridge over, extended the hoses on the Hobart, put it all back together, and moved it over to its new niche at the end of the countertop. The hoses only needed to be about 7 feet long (stock is five feet) but I made them eight feet just in case (about 1.5 feet is used up inside the machine to loop around the "hose protector"). Sadly, the replacement hot water valve someone installed before I got this is backwards, so the hoses no longer nest inside the machine (although the power cord still will). But I'm content to just let the hoses slip behind the machine when it's not in use. I did a test run and everything seems fine again.
I don't own a lathe. All this work was done after hours at work on a mill - what's called a VMC or vertical machining center. I squared up the blocks using a semi-manual method, and then wrote a program to drill and tap the holes, cut the notches for the springs etc., and put a radius along the upper edge. Actually, three programs ;-). Anyway, I have to thank my employer for letting me do this in their shop. I've been on the prowl to purchase and set up a small lathe and a small manual mill for my own workshop, but a combination of funding, time, and getting rid of clutter have put that on hold.
None of this needed to be done on a CNC mill, it could all be done on a manual mill. The advantage for me was that I could write the program at night at home, and then run it at work and produce the parts quicker than I could if I did it manually. Plus once the first one is done and minor adjustments made as needed, the second one is pretty much unattended, aside from having to turn it in the vice for the various features/programs and manually add some special cutting oil for cutting the threads in the mounting holes on the underside of the hinges.
But if I had a mill at home I would have done it there. I just didn't have all the time I would have liked to do it that way at work.
Machining Primer
In a typical traditional machine shop there are two primary types of machine tools: the lathe and the mill.
A metal cutting lathe is laid out similar to a wood cutting lathe, with a motor and spindle on the left, and a tailstock t the right. There, the similarity more or less ends. But the primary task of a lathe is to produce cylindrical parts that are symmetric around their axis of rotation. In a lathe, the workpiece rotates, and the cutting tool is held stationary and brought to bear against the workpiece in a controlled manner to remove material.
The typical mill in a machine shop is a vertical knee mill. The knee part means that the X-Y table can move up and down. A vertical mill bears a superficial resemblance to a drill press, and some cheaper mills are really just drill presses with X-Y tables grafted on. In a mill, the cutting tool (usually an "end mill") rotates, while the workpiece is held stationary (usually in a vice) and is brought to bear in a controlled manner against the rotating cutting tool. If you want to machine a part that is largely flat, like these hinges, then what you want is a mill.
Most of our vintage appliances were manufactured using a combination of techniques. There's the sheet metal of the cabinetry, which is bent in large hydraulic presses and brakes. Then there's various brackets, knobs, and decorations, which are usually made of cast metal because that's the cheapest way to produce parts for high production numbers. When a high degree of precision fitting is required, the casting may be further machined (in a lathe or mill) to produce a part with closer tolerances than the casting process can achieve. Pumps, motors, and valves may fit into this category.
Naturally, a manufacturer will seek to use the least costly method to produce a product that still has acceptable appearance and performance. Machining tends to be among the higher cost methods of producing parts; however, for manufacture of "one-off" restoration or prototype parts, it can be the most efficient. The expense of machining also means that machined parts often have a certain cachet that stamped or cast parts lack. A classic example of this is the "machined" swirled finish on the instrument panels of expensive vintage luxury automobiles. Which makes me wonder if anyone has ever produced a "machined" panel for a classic washer or other appliance.
Machining is perhaps the most versitile and flexible of various fabrication methods. While it's theorectically possible to machine all metal parts for an appliance or other product like an automobile, the cost would be tremendous and the performance would not be much better than a product assembled from a combination of stamped, cast, and machined parts.
Additionally, many of the cast accoutrements of vintage appliance show the sculpter's touch, especially Art Deco styling. Some of these would be quite challenging to reproduce with a machine tool, even a CNC machine. But such forms and shapes are relatively easy to create using clay, wax, or wood from which molds are made for casting in metal. There are also methods for reproducing decorative parts by using an existing part as a template; in this way the "original" look of the product can be maintained.
In a typical traditional machine shop there are two primary types of machine tools: the lathe and the mill.
A metal cutting lathe is laid out similar to a wood cutting lathe, with a motor and spindle on the left, and a tailstock t the right. There, the similarity more or less ends. But the primary task of a lathe is to produce cylindrical parts that are symmetric around their axis of rotation. In a lathe, the workpiece rotates, and the cutting tool is held stationary and brought to bear against the workpiece in a controlled manner to remove material.
The typical mill in a machine shop is a vertical knee mill. The knee part means that the X-Y table can move up and down. A vertical mill bears a superficial resemblance to a drill press, and some cheaper mills are really just drill presses with X-Y tables grafted on. In a mill, the cutting tool (usually an "end mill") rotates, while the workpiece is held stationary (usually in a vice) and is brought to bear in a controlled manner against the rotating cutting tool. If you want to machine a part that is largely flat, like these hinges, then what you want is a mill.
Most of our vintage appliances were manufactured using a combination of techniques. There's the sheet metal of the cabinetry, which is bent in large hydraulic presses and brakes. Then there's various brackets, knobs, and decorations, which are usually made of cast metal because that's the cheapest way to produce parts for high production numbers. When a high degree of precision fitting is required, the casting may be further machined (in a lathe or mill) to produce a part with closer tolerances than the casting process can achieve. Pumps, motors, and valves may fit into this category.
Naturally, a manufacturer will seek to use the least costly method to produce a product that still has acceptable appearance and performance. Machining tends to be among the higher cost methods of producing parts; however, for manufacture of "one-off" restoration or prototype parts, it can be the most efficient. The expense of machining also means that machined parts often have a certain cachet that stamped or cast parts lack. A classic example of this is the "machined" swirled finish on the instrument panels of expensive vintage luxury automobiles. Which makes me wonder if anyone has ever produced a "machined" panel for a classic washer or other appliance.
Machining is perhaps the most versitile and flexible of various fabrication methods. While it's theorectically possible to machine all metal parts for an appliance or other product like an automobile, the cost would be tremendous and the performance would not be much better than a product assembled from a combination of stamped, cast, and machined parts.
Additionally, many of the cast accoutrements of vintage appliance show the sculpter's touch, especially Art Deco styling. Some of these would be quite challenging to reproduce with a machine tool, even a CNC machine. But such forms and shapes are relatively easy to create using clay, wax, or wood from which molds are made for casting in metal. There are also methods for reproducing decorative parts by using an existing part as a template; in this way the "original" look of the product can be maintained.
New parts - Water valve and Wheels
Today I got a new water intake valve for the KD-2P. I took a photograph of the (wrong) existing valve, as well as the Hobart service manual, to the local appliance parts store and the counterman brought out about five valves to choose from. I selected one with a male hose fitting, as it seemed to be the best fit. It's still not original, but with some judicious shimming and careful rotation of the valve assembly, I was able to orient the fill hose in the correct direction so that it can be stowed along with the drain hose inside the machine when not in use. Theoretically, that is. Since I extended the existing hoses by about three feet, using a double ended barb type of fitting, the entire hose assembly won't quite fit in the back of the machine. So it's on my todo list to replace the hoses entirely, so that there is no longer a discontinuity to hang up on things, and also shorten them a bit so that there is no more length than is needed to reach the sink from the dishwasher's more or less permanant location at the end of the counter. I've been putting off that task because it means removing the original plated hose ferrules at the faucet fitting (the "unicouple") and replacing them with prosaic worm-drive hose clamps. But sometimes one must sacrifice for practicality, no?
I also installed the 2-1/2" casters that I picked up on Monday. I shimmed the front ones with about five fender washers, so that the machine is level when in place on the slanted patio brick pavement. The front casters have brakes so there is no chance of it rolling away, and it's now a lot easier to manuver around the patio as needed (the old wheels were only about 1-1/4" diameter).
Of course I ran another empty load in the Hobart just to make sure all the changes didn't break anything. I am still highly entertained by the sound, sight, and vibration of this appliance. When it has no dishes to deflect the water stream, the washer is quite a bit louder, and even emits a low pitched rumble that one can sense at a distance. The whole thing also shakes a little bit, like an energetic clothes washer. What with the plume of steam rising out of the handle vents, it's quite a show.
Sorry, no photos today, but I noticed something interesting as I was disassembling the heater thermostat to write down the part number. On the side of the heater is a little decal, that says "Kitchenaire" in big script, with smaller text stating it's a dish dryer and plate warmer. Kind of amazing this decal survived all these years on the side of a hot heater. Next time I have the machine on its side with the bottom panel off, I'll see if I can snap a photo.
Today I got a new water intake valve for the KD-2P. I took a photograph of the (wrong) existing valve, as well as the Hobart service manual, to the local appliance parts store and the counterman brought out about five valves to choose from. I selected one with a male hose fitting, as it seemed to be the best fit. It's still not original, but with some judicious shimming and careful rotation of the valve assembly, I was able to orient the fill hose in the correct direction so that it can be stowed along with the drain hose inside the machine when not in use. Theoretically, that is. Since I extended the existing hoses by about three feet, using a double ended barb type of fitting, the entire hose assembly won't quite fit in the back of the machine. So it's on my todo list to replace the hoses entirely, so that there is no longer a discontinuity to hang up on things, and also shorten them a bit so that there is no more length than is needed to reach the sink from the dishwasher's more or less permanant location at the end of the counter. I've been putting off that task because it means removing the original plated hose ferrules at the faucet fitting (the "unicouple") and replacing them with prosaic worm-drive hose clamps. But sometimes one must sacrifice for practicality, no?
I also installed the 2-1/2" casters that I picked up on Monday. I shimmed the front ones with about five fender washers, so that the machine is level when in place on the slanted patio brick pavement. The front casters have brakes so there is no chance of it rolling away, and it's now a lot easier to manuver around the patio as needed (the old wheels were only about 1-1/4" diameter).
Of course I ran another empty load in the Hobart just to make sure all the changes didn't break anything. I am still highly entertained by the sound, sight, and vibration of this appliance. When it has no dishes to deflect the water stream, the washer is quite a bit louder, and even emits a low pitched rumble that one can sense at a distance. The whole thing also shakes a little bit, like an energetic clothes washer. What with the plume of steam rising out of the handle vents, it's quite a show.
Sorry, no photos today, but I noticed something interesting as I was disassembling the heater thermostat to write down the part number. On the side of the heater is a little decal, that says "Kitchenaire" in big script, with smaller text stating it's a dish dryer and plate warmer. Kind of amazing this decal survived all these years on the side of a hot heater. Next time I have the machine on its side with the bottom panel off, I'll see if I can snap a photo.
