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Thread: hercus lathe serial numbers
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10th November 2013, 07:34 PM #1Senior Member
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hercus lathe serial numbers
Hi Guys,
If anyone is willing I would be interested in adding your machine numbers to the website database. It is not my intention to publish this document but it does help me keep track of changes that happened over the years and makes supplying the right generation of part for each individual machine much easier. Apart from this I am curious as to how many are still in circulation. The list I currently have is approaching 2000 machines both living and dead. Please reply by personal message if you don't want your number displayed on the forum.
Mal
Australian Metalworking Hobbyist
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10th November 2013 07:34 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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10th November 2013, 08:19 PM #2Member
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I've got two lathes.
Model A #11011
Model C #9224
Both normal beds, run of the mill units. Imperial. The Model C is a parts lathe and there is no more life in the unit, its just missing too much stuff.
What else do you want to know?
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10th November 2013, 08:28 PM #3Senior Member
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class as wrecked
Thanks for that, I will register the "C" model as wrecked on the database. I will be asking questions of selected owners as to the format of various parts groups as the list gets longer to isolate specify modifications at a later date.
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11th November 2013, 12:32 AM #4Tiptoeturtle Guest
For the Hercus I have given a home to, the Hercus register developed on this forum already has its serial number 1624 (model C) included alongside the other information the register holds, and it lists about 140 different machines. Hence that leaves me wondering just what is the approximately 2000 machine website database that is being improved or enhanced ?
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11th November 2013, 09:22 AM #5Senior Member
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Hi Tiptoe,
This not designed to replace or enhance the existing Hercus register on which I also listed my personal machines. This database is a secure list not accessable to the general public as some owners don't want their information shown. I can however put owners in touch with each other if both parties are agreeable.
As you are probably aware, after having a great deal of trouble finding parts to restore my first Hercus, I set myself the task of remaking as much of the Hercus's parts as possible. In the last couple of years much has been accomplished in the general wearing parts (drive nuts and spindles, half nuts, castings, handles, gears, headstock parts,etc) in total over a hundred pieces of the machine can now be replaced with the help of like minded members of the forum who have a genuine interest in maintaining as many of these machines as possible. As we get into the super expensive area to remake i.e. beds, aprons, gearboxes, headstocks, a knowledge of numbers of machines will help in deciding which direction to take to allocate funds to the areas with the best chance of success. This is designed to see just how many of the 23000 odd machines are still alive and what is the most numeric section of that remaining population.
The usefulness of this project is the tracking of changes that happened in the shape and style of components over the years. Having feedback from owners helps me identify which parts are correct for each generation of individual machine. Knowing who has them means I know who to ask the questions of. Substantial changes took place in the early 1950's and 1960's, with the help of owners the exact number(or as close as possible) of the machine were these changes took place is possible. An example is the enlarging of to the crosslide and compound dials which took place at machine number 10338.
This helps me make sure that when someone orders a part they get the right one for their machine.
Mal
Australian Metalworking Hobbyist
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11th November 2013, 05:26 PM #6Tiptoeturtle Guest
Technological development
Mal,
Thanks for that explanation.
In my limited experience (which only extends back about 5 years), I find this an intriguing subject. I am typing this at a computer in a small museum in Danmark. The museum has about 400 marine engines, made in the most part by one or other of the 140 odd Danish manufacturers of marine engines. Only 5 of these 140 odd manufacturers still operate, so 135 odd are defunct companies. Of the surviving 5 manufacturers, two are merged into one, another one now only makes propellers, the fourth has been bought by the Germans (MAN), and the fifth is still making engines as usual. To Hercus people this may sound familiar.
I am actually not inherently interested in marine engines - I am fundamentally hostile to internal combustion engines of all descriptions. Nevertheless I have found that the marine engines are interesting to me, despite myself. You can learn something from examining them, even while disliking them, and you can learn from the knowledge and experience of some visitors to the museum, and you can even learn from the questions some visitors ask, or the ignorance of many, or hubris of some, other visitors.
I appreciate that you would find it advantageous to have some way of estimating the "demographics" of Hercus lathes, and you can do this by studying the distribution of known machines and their serial numbers. From that you can hopefully figure out where to prioritise your future efforts.
I hope that one day someone creates a more public (web) photographic history of the various phases in the evolution of Hercus lathes.
Sorry, but the rest is in Swedish, to give you a taste (if you get the Swedish automatically translated) of what some retired (wealthy) European engineers get up to:
Tuxham Typ D
SEFFLE 28 BFV
Donald (a.k.a. Tiptoeturtle, Donald is my real name, Tiptoeturtle is just an alias I originally dreamt up 30 years ago in writing letters to the editor of the Samoa Observer newspaper, to disguise my identity - as foreigners like me were not supposed to openly engage in the indigenous Samoan political cut and thrust)
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11th November 2013, 05:37 PM #7Senior Member
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engines
Hi Donald,
Looks like an interesting project restoring those old machines. Fortuneately the only diesel I have to worry about is the Bukh 20 on my boat, which I hope never to have to do that kind of resto on.
Mal
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11th November 2013, 08:01 PM #8Tiptoeturtle Guest
Bukh is one of the five (no make that four, no no make that three, no no no really just two) surviving Danish marine engine manufacturers, although Bukh has merged with Callesen Diesel, and furthermore Bukh's factory in Kalundborg was closed when Bukh moved in with Callesen in another town Aabenraa.
That Swedish engineer restoring engines for himself has to pay someone else to make wooden patterns so that new metal parts can be cast by yet someone else. The woodworking part is the expensive aspect, compared to the foundry casting. I think it was something like 10 000 kroner for one family of patterns (Tuxham), or about $2 000. That to me is not very cost effective expenditure. The end result will be one nearly as new engine, with some absolutely new parts, which no one will ever use in a vessel again. (A problem with this type of two-stroke semi-diesel is that if you run it slowly in neutral it can change itself into reverse without warning, as the engine rotates either way and works regardless, and there is no way of telling when it does this, without looking at the flywheel or propeller shaft, so if you are in the deckhouse about to dock, engaging the clutch and putting the propeller in reverse can actually have the opposite effect if the engine has reversed behind your back and your vessel then rams the dock. I can speculate this undocumented design feature could have been a contributing factor in the demise of some of the manufacturers 50 years ago.)
Anyway, for the time being you can still buy spares for Bukh engines, which on the whole is not the case with about 135 former Danish manufacturers' engines. As far as I know Bukh engines only spin the one way, the way they are supposed to.
This Hercus forum is something that has no counterpart in the Danish marine engine hemisphere. The people who restore heritage engines or machinery here seem to be mostly small cliques or solo enthusiasts / fanatics. As far as I know there is no such thing as a forum for Tuxham, Hundested, Dan, Grenaa, Søby engines etc.
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11th November 2013, 08:10 PM #9Senior Member
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patterns
fortuneately my patternmaker is a relative by marriage, he still charges but occasionally takes pity on me.
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20th December 2013, 07:07 PM #10New Member
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Serial no. from a new member
Hi all from new Kiwi member.
I have just acquired a Hercus 9" Model A. The machine no. stamped on the gearbox plate is 4782 which I believe dates it to 1954.
I am a woodworker by inclination so my Hercus will have to share workshop space with my Benchsaw, dropsaw, bandsaw, scrollsaw, planner/thicknesser & woodlathe - ooh and my bench pillar drill which has to do double duty.
I learnt the rudiments of metal turning & screw cutting at night school when needed to make the metal components required to build my plywood benchsaw.
The Hercus was auctioned on Trademe and I had it inspected by a friend who happens to be an engineer with relevant skills. After he gave it an enthusiastic nod of approval, he broke it down in to manageable parts for transport from Christchurch to Dunedin.
The purchase included, 3 jaw & 4 jaw chucks both with reverse jaw sets, drive catch plate, live centre, jakobs 3 jaw on M2 arbor, some cutting tools (4 way tool post) and hand fulls of twist drills.
I will post some photos once I have built a bench and reassembled it
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21st December 2013, 07:28 AM #11SENIOR MEMBER
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Clive welcome to the hercus world let the fun begin
plenty of good advice here if you need it
john
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30th March 2014, 05:59 PM #12New Member
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owner = Richard Schurmann
location = Eltham, Vic
Serial number = ARL9153 F
To the right of this is a stamp with three characters in an oval. They could be "RGE" but I am not sure. The lathe is in storage: next time I go to the storage place, I will take a magnifier and a torch.
I am guessing that:
A = A series (has Norton box)
R = roller bearing headstock
L = (I don't know)
F = (I don't know)
can you tell me what L and F are?
thanks,
Richard.
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31st March 2014, 09:44 PM #13
Isn't L for Long? ie the long bed version.
Was there ver a letter designation for the high precision version, F perhaps??
Thx
Jon
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1st April 2014, 03:54 PM #14
There is an RGE in an oval on my drill press, not near the serial number but on another machined part.
Anyone know what what it stands for?
Ew
Sorry, that's wrong, its next to the serial number (B871) and in another place. It's about half the size of my little finger nail.
This explains it https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...476#post8674761915 17"x50" LeBlond heavy duty Lathe, 24" Queen city shaper, 1970's G Vernier FV.3.TO Universal Mill, 1958 Blohm HFS 6 surface grinder, 1942 Rivett 715 Lathe, 14"x40" Antrac Lathe, Startrite H225 Bandsaw, 1949 Hercus Camelback Drill press, 1947 Holbrook C10 Lathe.
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6th April 2014, 11:24 AM #15Senior Member
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This is from the Hercus register thread.
Mine is stamped AR9708 (1965?)
Tailstock stamped 9711
Mostly Blue
Virtually no accessories
Had a hard life, probably in a school - major parts are labeled
Has McPherson's badges and is also stamped BS
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