I spent a few hours doing some lathe work.
The lathe normally lays under a cover to keep it clean. It is a precise machine and I want to prevent fine grit from grinding and such around the shop from getting onto the various components and wearing them unnecessarily. Note the dehumidifier in the lower right.
This was my Dad's lathe, a SouthBend which he bought new in 1948 I believe. He made the bench it is sitting on. The 3 Kennedy machinist tool boxes are ones I bought "preowned" 25 years or so ago from two separate owners and then reconditioned them. A couple needed to be "de-rusted" and some of the drawer slides needed tweaking or replacing, the boxes were missing some hardware and needed paint touch ups. Kennedy makes paint that has a crackle finish just like the original factory paint. It's hard to tell where it's been repainted I am happy to report.
As you'll recall this is what the original shop SouthBend lathe looked like by the time I bought the property. It's almost identical in age as Dad's and is the same model and size.
With so much bare, unprotected metal it's important to keep the humidity in the shop low. I like it under 40%, 30% is even better. Also a light coating of oil on the bare metal when done is helpful. This machine is 63 years old. A little care goes a long, long way.
This is the front axle from the Walker floor jack.
I used the lathe to spin it while polishing which was so much easier and faster. Note the cardboard I put behind the lathe work to catch the material flung off the lathe while polishing. I used WD 40 and various grits of emery cloth, 180, 220 and 400. Most of the time I used 220 or 400.
The right side has been done, the left is untouched as yet.
The axles are slightly worn as you can see from the light under the square but not enough to do anything about at this time. The front wheels have needle bearings so it's not noticeable when reassembled and if they are kept well lubricated (grease from a grease zirk) they will last for many, many years to come.
This is the handle pivot pin. Right side completed as compared to the unsightly

, left side.
All done. The idea is to clean these pieces up "somewhat" I don't want to remove too much material and create too large a clearance. Just a light polish.
The ram attachment pin done.
The lifting arm pivot. That's mostly old hard grease and not rust so no pitting resulted, thankfully.
Before...
...after.
The hole the pins fits in needs to be polished as well. That is much more time consuming but will look like the surface of the pin when done.
More is on the way. Thanks again for all your interest and patience.
Thomas