How to rebuilding older machines using the hand scraping method ? 

I'm a retired toolmaker and was for 46 years. At the company I worked for there were 12 of us in the tool room and of necessity and in addition to our normal work producing jigs and fixtures for the main machine shops we worked closely with the adjoining maintenance department replacing and refurbishing production machine parts. The maintenance department consisted of a further 10 mechanical and electrical staff. But then one day it got an additional team member,and a very special one at that. He was in his early 40s and was skilled at bed scraping. To the company this guy was like gold,and was treated accordingly. He was given his own corner of the department replete with special benches of his own design. I got to know him pretty well over the years and had nothing but admiration for his skills and painstaking albeit lengthy methods. His tools were all hand made by himself and the results of his efforts were something to see.He could bring a machine back to good as new condition and as such saved the company hundreds of thousands of pounds in new plant. Toolmakers rarely bow down to anyone,but watching this guy work I knew I was out classed. I couldn't have done it. But where are they all now?

The only way to stop commercial trend of producing single use products is to support companies like this

I was into machine tool reconditioning in Bangalore for almost 20 years, mostly refurbishing Cylindrical Grinders. I was myselves a specialist Hand scraper, trained from HMT Watch factory. Watch machines required 0.002 mm in geometry and upto 25 highpoints per square inch area. The technique we used was to push the scraping tool with your waist. Now I am the R&D head of a German MNC in Bangalore

My father in-law who just passed spent the last twenty years of his working life as a machinist scraping in a machine repair shop in Montreal. A machinist who apprenticed at Pratt and Whitney who under some of the best aero machinists (Germans) who emigrated after the war did exactly what’s shown above. Myself a diesel mechanic was lucky enough enjoy a trip with him to the shop to see and understand this process thinking the only way to true up a surface was to ré machine it. I remember the engine in his car about fifteen years ago blew a cylinder head gasket and he pulled the head and put the high spot dye to it and hand scrapped it flat and reassembled the engine soling the issue . Miss you Viateur, --KTMCandog!

Glad to see you people give credit to experience, workmanship and dedication.

I love how Jim brought us closer into seeing how older machines are rebuilt using the hand scraping method

We had an old scraper hand who was under five feet tall and less than 100 lbs. And as you know, scraping can require a lot of physical strength. He had his own custom made scraper that would go against his hip and he used his entire body. It was quite funny to watch but his results were amazing. When he was finished you could move a five ton slide with very little effort. It just glided on the oil film and would last decades. He was a virtuoso for sure.

There are very few in this seemingly mystical field. It's something I've always loved. Thanks for a rare peek into the art of machine rebuilding.

This was a very enjoyable thank you. I love old tools and old machinery and its really great to see people still appreciate them and breath new life into them. Restoring an old piece of machinery is something I would really like to do.

Thanks Don for the video. Thank you Jim for your time spent with Don to show us how the MASTERS do it! Love that old iron, CJ

Sir, This is one of the most enjoyable video's I have seen. Fantastic how the quality of the rebuilds show through. You are a true blessing to our industry.

Superb demo of the process - indeed, way more involved than many folks would imagine

There's a lot of real love here. Which I feel myself for old and really well made machines. Brilliant video

They are doing a good job! And you are doing great job passing that knowledge Doug! Thank you!

Thanks Don for putting this video together. I have been through most of Connelly's book and it is nice to see it all in action. Could be Academy Award material!

That scraping takes me back to my apprentice days at Ferranti engineering when I had to make my own surface plate, it took a lot of scraping from the rough cast to final finish and a lot of blue dye. The plate is on my workbench here in front of me despite being nearly half a century since I made it. As are most of the tools I made in those days as well come to think of it, C clamps, G clamps, Scribers, Inside and Outside calipers and my old toolbox covered in its original silver hammerite paint as well that we had to make to hold every thing in.

This is one facet of our trade I hope never dies. At the age of 61, I am finally trying to teach myself how to scrape. I've been a toolmaker all my adult life, but never have I been exposed to this. I love this video, Don! Thank you!

I had never heard of precision 'scrapping' before or any of this hardware & stuffs… Men & their machines have built the world we all take for granted!

Brilliant video. It's great to see how older well made machine tools are kept in service.

As someone who works in the machine refurbishment business, I'm glad you guys did this shout out! What we and companies like us do is an art.

Those dedicated people, amazing vintage technique, high quality result and high durability.. What a living legend..

You're right Don, I really do love these videos. I look forward to them each week.

Those guys are some amazing craftsman. I love to see the “old ways” still being used.

Seeing the mirror image of the shop wall reflect on the surface grinder table with optical stability as the table traversed back and forth really shows the quality of their work.

Great video. It's good to know someone is still doing machine work the good old-fashioned way. Back in the '70's I worked as a machine erector at the G. A. Gray Co. in Cincinnati. It was almost like stepping a century into the past. We built giant machine tools with castings sometimes surpassing 60 tons that were planed into shape, scraped to fit together precisely, and then further scraped to allow for displacement of the ways due to the weight of the travelling heads, etc. I was amazed that such machines could be assembled with such tolerances, but I soon learned to do such work myself. Indeed, that job shaped my future career in so many ways, in instilling in me the love of attention to detail that I still follow today. Sadly, during the time I worked there Gray was dragged into the 20th century, as planed and scraped gray iron castings were replaced by milled steel weldments, laser guided feedback replaced precision ways and feed drives, and the need for skilled machinists was replaced by CNC controls. Within ten years Gray was no more. A company called Dynamic Industries owns Gray's building now, and they still have the biggest machines that were installed there, including a planer mill I worked on, big enough to machine a bus. You can see this wonderful machine at the bottom left on the following page: www.dynamicindustries.com/profile_article.htm

The people at Plason Scraping are absolutely the best. We have used them many times and it's always a pleasure doing business with them. Great quality and value!

Great video Don and the team, really enjoyed this, and all your other videos, big thank you to all the people at Plason scraping for sharing, long may they keep going. Regards Ed.

Just incredible. Thank you Don & Co. for the spectacular videos.

Thanks for sharing this info. My dad was a machinist for sixty years. I always wanted to learn from him because I admired his skills, but we never had the opportunity to work together. I finally got a three way mill, drillpress, lathe machine and installed it in my garage, but he passed away a short time later. I inherited his tools, and am just getting an inkling of what to do with them. Videos like yours answer important questions for knowledge seekers. I intend to watch them all. :)

A very admirable and impressive tour, after all, these machines are the root and basis of how we as mankind can progress and manufacture the necessities we all need to survive. Thanks to Suburban for taking us on the tour, and thanks to all the people making this all happen, this has been a great insight into what it takes to rebuild these machines that so many take for granted.

Very cool. Thanks for taking the time to document and share the work that these folks do!

Wow that's cool Don, thank you for another great video. I'm an novice / teaching myself how to be a machinist, and with so many of you RU-vidr's out here my skills have improved greatly. So thanks again for another educational video.

I use to work for Bridgeport Machines Bridgeport C. USA from 86 to 92 while I was going to school for Electro Mechanical engineering, I use to scrape the heads for the cnc machines to make the pots sit as close to concentric as possible, 3 ten thousandth's. Now I'm a computer engineer. I love this stuff.

Thank you for the video. I grew up next to a machinee shop in the early 70s. Old metal has a different tone and resonance. The video brings back the smell of machining oil and fluids. Awesome thanx. I need to go find an old machine museum. Thank you again

awesome video,,, this for sure is one very educational video you made,, my grandpa used to scrape,, havent seen it done since then,,, i been around machine work for 35yrs but i always learn something from your videos,,, keep'em coming !!!!

I've seen the end result and heard about the folks that do it, but I've never seen precision scraping actually being done. Thanks for this video and for the peek into the world of breathing new life into these grand machines of old. As a country how quick we were to cast them aside not knowing what treasures we were sending to the scrap bin.

Grateful for this video, I have been doing this for 35 years,yes very few people want to do this.And yes there is no comparison to the throw away machines with hardened ways.A Grand Rapids grinder is three times the cost of a Asian grinder,but will outlast it by many many years.And proper lubrication is what keeps them that way.Most failures are caused by not maintaining it.A oiler in the shop is worth his weight in gold.

Some Beautiful work being done, I LOVE these old Mattison, Blanchard & Hanchett Grinders

I've spent many years on all those machines , great job on the rebuild !

Class A video, Class A company. I love the explanation of using 3 points and scraping. It's cool to see him push hand scrape the Moore way, 1/2 moon scraping. Thanks Don for showing everyone this "Art". Richard King

AMAZING WORK!!!!!!!. A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE MEN THAT STILL DO THIS KIND OF WORK

How impressive ... this is a lesson in what can be accomplished when you have passion and pride in what you do.

Excellent tour of the rebuild shop. Thanks for your videos.

Slightly disappointed your camera operator didn't get closer shots. I wanted to see more detail in the scraping -- the shots were almost there but with reflections and the lack of sharpness in the zoom it just didn't get there. Interesting video no less! I love seeing the human touch.

Excellent video, thanks to Jim for showing us his operation. True craftsmanship :-)

Great video Don! Love the finished surface grinder, looks and sounds like new.

Thanks Don that was a very interesting video on machine rebuilding. I have cleaned and painted a lot of my machines but all the scraping work

What a great video! I have seen many scraping demonstrations on RU-vid, but only by hobbyists. It's very interesting to get this glimpse of a commercial operation. I am particularly impressed with the body filler step. My mid century Covel universal grinder has a very rough surface everywhere that isn't a way, gear, or shaft. Part of that is the failed original coating but most of it is the actual casting. It makes it very difficult to keep it clean. I have thought about trying to refinish that (no scraping needed at this point because it's in great mechanical condition) but it would be SO MUCH work to grind or fill it. I imagine that is not a negligible part of the price of their services, and if I were using a machine like that for production it would be well worth the investment.

Thanks Don for showing us a great talent . I would love to walk through his shop for a peak myself.

Great videos. I had no idea this kind of work existed! Amazing. Thank you

This is such a beautiful art. Thank you for sharing!

I've had the opportunity to work with a company that does this kind of work. The skill and knowledge base involved is incredible.

My 3rd job out of high school was at Sundstrand Machine Tool Division in Belvidere, Ill.,, back in 1967. We made our own line of BIG Numerical-Controlled (that's N/C - NOT "C/N/C) machining centers. Speaking as a skilled machinist for 25 years or better, the best reason I can give for this manual method of finishing machined surfaces is, no matter what one does during a grinding operation the grinding wheel will ALWAYS wear down during the process - no matter how small the ares is. The worst part about this wearing process is that the wheel wears down primarily on the leading edge, putting a slight taper on what is the "cutting" edge of the wheel. The longer the operator grinds the surface without touching up (or "dressing") the grinding wheel, the more taper the wheel will develop, and then it wears faster! Some surface grinders DO have wheel dressers that (sort of!) keep up with this wearing process but the end result is VERY hard to keep track of. So even by using a surface grinder it's STILL necessary to hand-scrape the ways if you want the surface precise and dead-flat. With hand scraping, the wearing of the 'tool' is totally eliminated, because the craftsman (scraper) constantly monitors the finished surface by using the dyes and a Master block to see the high and low spots on the surface. In addition to accuracy, the second and equally-important reason for scraping the surface is the retention of lubricating oil. On a lathe or milling machine, if you use a grinder to make the ways flat, they won't hold any oil on them and will eventually develop slight ridges in them because you don't use the full-length, or width of the machine's ways all the time. IE: If a lathe bed will 'travel 48 inches you don't use the machine to cut 48 inch metal on it, all the time, so it's only going to experience wear wherever it is most-often used - usually within 1 foot or so from the chuck.. With scraping you can put some oil on the surface and the machine's seals won't wipe-away the oil! THAT is why you see cheap foreign mills and lathes with rusty ways, but a hand-scraped machine is nice and shiny!!!

It is nice to see good craftmanship kept alive, I've done a little scraping when building replacement lubrication oil pumps for some of the older engine types that were produced where I work, but that was very small parts compared to this, this is quite amazing to say the least:)

I am so glad to see this kind of work still being done in the US. I hope you find some young apprentices to carry it on. If I had the money I'd send you a truckload of projects. I'd start with my old Bridgeport, built in 1963 if I remember correctly. It has had some abuse in its lifetime and I'd love to see it made like new.

Great video. Great way to save these well built machines. Awesome. Thank you for sharing

I enjoyed this video very much. Always wondered what was involved with hand scrapping and flaking was about. Also, I love the enthusiasm and appreciation these guys have for their trade. Thank you for taking the time to make the video!

Thanks so very much for sharing this know how, Plason folks are a class act! Keep doing what you’re doing, wish you all the best of success!

Beautiful work. Very much enjoyed this video. Thanks!

great video showing real hand skills from Australia

In a world of throwaways , great to see quality still survives.

Great Vid on a dieing art. Learned it well over 30 years ago but have not used it much. Might have to start practicing again. Good to see it is still being practice.

Your program is fantastic! You are providing quite the service! You are also a great presenter.

A great video, its good to see proper hands on engineering and for these lads that scrape surfaces its more of an art form as each one has his distinctive pattern, an old chap came into my shop he used to work for Craven Engineering in Reddish Manchester well he stopped the job as he demonstrated his scraping skills I was amazed at his technique for flaking not bad for an 89 year old he said that flaking is like a signature and they could tell who who carried out the work, keep the videos coming thank you Ernie Wright Manchester UK

I apprenticed as a scraper/ mt fitter thirty years ago. The popularity of a job that drove me nuts makes me smile

This is totally awesome! I can’t hit the like button hard enough. How I wish I could send my old 9 inch Åsbrink lathe for scraping and rebuilding to those guys.

Hi mate.Thanks for showing me/us around.Marcel.

Great video, brings back memories when I did my apprenticeship doing mechanical fitting 12 years ago. Ive since moved into the office but I still miss being on the tools

I was admired your video. before i was start training scraping process, i think it was so hard. but it was 20 years ago.now its so easy to scrape a turret, slide ,including slideway and a small parts gib and guideplate. Im proud because when i watch this video i know im the one who contribute the process of the machine all over the world

I'm speechless at how quiet and smooth that machine was.The cost isnt cheap but you get what you pay for and then some in this case.The quality of the rebuild along with the old iron truly gives you a machine that is better than new. Thanks for making and sharing this video,I enjoyed this one more then most as it's something I've wanted to see for a long time.Also thanks for the guys at Plason,the boss doesnt seem like a man of many words but it was nice to see him acknowledge his employees for their talent.It may not seem like much but it goes a long ways and its something you rarely see these days. I've got 2 machines I want to redo and I think my list of companies to look into has just got really short thanks to this video.

Absolutely beautiful job. Yous guys crap all over cnc to the heart of what's awesome. And how rewarding when the customers receive these gems and I would love to see the customers feedbacks. Thanks Suburban Tool Inc, blown away. old school forever !!!

My brain almost exploded from the wow. My rocks get happy from machinery, tools, and equipment of all kinds but especially the old school machining equipment. I must admit I've always wondered how scraping could be more precise than some of the cutting mills and cnc equipment of today. To see a completely refurbished machine run as quiet and as smooth as a Swiss watch was beautiful! I'm starting to wish I had become a machinist instead of a mechanic!

Man, what a cool video! Lot's of talent/experience under that roof! Thanks for posting.

I spent over 40 years in machine rebuilding. Scraping is a talent learned. It’s hard and tiring, but there is nothing as satisfying as seeing a well done scrape job.

Just. Wow. Never realized how much there is to having older machine tools and what it takes to keep them reliable!

Good to see craftsmanship like this.

Thanks Jim your talent should never be lost

Thanks again Don, really top shelf video production, content and venue. 5 Star. Your interest and willingness to share your experience and network of contacts, like Plason, are invaluable. Thanks

Worth every penny , fantastic job gentlemen. Kudos to all ..

It still boggles my mind how can a person reach such a level of precision on such large surfaces just using his hands and eyes. Truly mindboggling....

I learnt this in school! was a nice and relaxing thing to do, loved it!

Wow what a great video about this shop, these guys are true pros!

this is seriously good work. reference quality machine working is a rare find these days.

awesome video a skill that needs to be kept alive.

I have an old 1946 Reid surface grinder and you're correct. .....wow, what a massive set of castings! Loved seeing the scrapping. Nearly a lost art. I had to fit a large bushing recently by scrapping. The guys I work with looked at me like I was an alien when I told them we would fit it bt scrapping. Hahaha! They had never seen, let alone actually done anything remotely close to that.

These old buggers have such wisdom that is slowly being lost throughout the generations. Truly fascinating.

Let's not forget, Suburban Tool are legends in their own rights. Of course all my Suburban stuff is still well maintained and in perfect condition like it was 30 years ago when I bought it. Great to see you guys are still out there

Nice to see somebody still scrapes bed in etc in. I learned the art of scraping back in the 60's. No carbide scrapers just old flat files or for internal large outer races of bearings split and straightened out slight curve at the end with bearing track down then ground to suit. . scraping tolerance of 24 spots to the inch diameter minimum. then finish with the Seagulls for oil pockets. Hate to think how many hours i've spent scraping Bed's, Slides and Bronze/ White metal bearings etc on various pieces of machinery.

Great video and tour. Thanks!

I´m sure there are still some " NEW ..OLD guys" like me who are getting to see the beauty of scraping . That it will pass on ! The simplicity ...mastercraftship and insaine precision makes it a True mechanical art. Grtzz from the Netherlands Johny geerts

This was AWESOME to watch.

Fascinating company and what a job on the restoration

Awesome visit, thank you guys !

As a young man I worked Dean, Smith & Grace machine tools - one of the finest lathe beds ever to be hand-scraped.

Great video ! Really appreciate you producing it

Thanks. Wonderful documentary. Dave

Awesome old world craftsmanship!

Your camera man Withuis be better off throwing away the tripod. He lost so many opportunities to come in code and show is the amazing machinery.

I was a machinist most all my working life. I was an “old school” Bridgeport man. I sure miss that machine. I loved, LOVED being a machinist! I always went to work with great enthusiasm, and passion for my craft. If you aren’t passionate about what you do, find something else to do!!

Excellent! Thanks for the field trip; those guys are doing amazing work! And I agree, a revived old machine will beat the quality of a new one hands down!