Versatool Cabinets

[hermetic]

What is this "industrial Hammerite" of which you speak, and where may one obtain it? I share your opinion of the new stuff, it's crap, but I have a couple of machines I want to refinish in their original (or as near as) colours, a Taiwan but good 14" bandsaw, and a Qualters and Smith hacksaw, both in light green hammer finish, which is not part of the "new" hammerite range! swapping an excellent product for a reduced range inferior product is not progress! It is now an Akzo Nobel Product, and I see they are also selling Kurust, which used to be a Kingston paints (Hull) product. Ho hum.

[awemawson]

My usual department store:

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/mdabitec

This is the particular one I used :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5L-Silver-Hammer-Finish-Metal-Paint-Hammered-Coating-Bitec-/381087433694?hash=item58ba94c3de

[awemawson]

While waiting for varnish to dry . . . YAWN . . . I started playing with Inkscape the graphics program. It is amazingly versatile but I find it's human interface rather clunky and non-intuitive.

Casting about for something to experiment with I thought - why not try and copy one of the silver foil labels that originally adorned the doors of these Versatool cabinets.

So, taking a photograph of the one surviving label, and much assistance from YouTube I cleaned up the image, dropped the back ground, adjusted the inevitable distortion and then set the size to that of the original. Then (more YouTube!) surrounded it by a box with rounded corners as cutting guides, and created a full page with four copies evenly distributed - four being the maximum I could get on an A4 sheet.

Success so far, as it printed on paper very nicely, but the original was on 'silver' foil - what's available. Once again eBay came up trumps with full A4 self adhesive laser printable silver foil stock with a fast delivery at a reasonable price. It arrived this morning, and a quick bit of setting up produced four nice labels cut from the sheet by careful application of a scalpel.

The foil print was quite ruckled as it came out of the printer, but the labels flatten down OK when applied.

(I confess that the second label applied to the right hand door was to cover a paint blemish  )

Altogether quite pleasing.

[awemawson]

Then finally, now the varnish is dry, the counter top was replaced

[charadam]

I was going to ask how you ere going to deal with the large paint flaws on the right hand door - but cleaned my screen instead!

[Pete.]

While waiting for varnish to dry . . . YAWN . . . I started playing with Inkscape the graphics program. It is amazingly versatile but I find it's human interface rather clunky and non-intuitive.

Casting about for something to experiment with I thought - why not try and copy one of the silver foil labels that originally adorned the doors of these Versatool cabinets.

So, taking a photograph of the one surviving label, and much assistance from YouTube I cleaned up the image, dropped the back ground, adjusted the inevitable distortion and then set the size to that of the original. Then (more YouTube!) surrounded it by a box with rounded corners as cutting guides, and created a full page with four copies evenly distributed - four being the maximum I could get on an A4 sheet.

Success so far, as it printed on paper very nicely, but the original was on 'silver' foil - what's available. Once again eBay came up trumps with full A4 self adhesive laser printable silver foil stock with a fast delivery at a reasonable price. It arrived this morning, and a quick bit of setting up produced four nice labels cut from the sheet by careful application of a scalpel.

The foil print was quite ruckled as it came out of the printer, but the labels flatten down OK when applied.

(I confess that the second label applied to the right hand door was to cover a paint blemish  )

Altogether quite pleasing.

Strangely enough I have also been trying to learn some inkscape. I agree it's not very intuitive and without the tutorials you don't stand much/any chance of producing satisfactory results. I can muddle along with CAD producing drawings but I couldn't even get a start with this program without the assistance of youtube vids.

Your cabinets have come out very well and the stickers set them off nicely Andrew.

[krv3000]

yep modern pant is crap I'm on with a Stuart 10v and I did a test I got two new tins of green enamel and I got a tin of green different shade must be at least 8 years old  panted two bits of steel left them for the same length of time  over a week the new stuff is soft  just in handling it
  it gets scratch but the old pant not a mark on it so when the pant on the engine is dun I'm going to have  to give it a cote of lacer

[PekkaNF]

Very good job. They look like new.

I have a question about this style of cabinet: How do this style swing out design compare in practical terms with modern drawer type tool chests?

There are some obivious differences like, in theoriy you could fit more light weigh stuff on drawers and swing out design is mechanically simple....but it real world use? What is the deal?

There is no question which one looks better and traditional.

Pekka

[awemawson]

Pekka the advantage of the swing out style to me is that they are designed so that tools with shanks can stand upright retained by holes. The frame of the quadrant is stout steel but the quadrant itself is a wooden insert intended to be bored to suit.

[PekkaNF]

I actually have been thinking of making a small experiment. There is nook between lathe and milling machine. Small open or semi closed structure with swing out selves might be the ticket.

I think that "bearing" is easily solved, but it is the wooden table / cloth assembly is the one that I'm having hard time getting my head around with.....

I am thinking of plywood (strong even when drilled full of holes) but edges are exposed to oil/etc. Trough impregnated is pretty expensive and hard to work with....maybe plywood and some sort of plastic inserts glued after the wood tray is painted all over, specially holes and edges?

Cloth? Hmm.....looks good, but maybe paint/laquer instead.

[awemawson]

Weld up a 'tray' from angle iron that the shelf part can rest on - then you have something to fix your pivot on and all the edges of the shelf are protected.

[PekkaNF]

Weld up a 'tray' from angle iron that the shelf part can rest on - then you have something to fix your pivot on and all the edges of the shelf are protected.

yesh

And small diagonal stays on both sides of pivot up to prevent it from drooping.

[awemawson]

This is the Versatool arrangement

[PekkaNF]

Thank you. That looks pretty hefty material thickness. I was thinkking thinner metal and more dimenssions to build up stiffness.

[awemawson]

But triangulated braces below will clash with the lower shelf. As it is I have to be a bit careful with protrusions below (tool holder shanks) clashing with things on the lower shelf. In the Versatool design each shelf can be easily set at a new height in 2 inch increments by a single fixing set by inserting a cranked square bar and twisting. (A nice bit of 'post design design' when you get your spacing wrong !)

[hermetic]

Thanks for the Paint link Andrew, after one look I lost all self control and ordered 5 litres of light green! Don't tell John Doubleboost, but there is going to be a lot of green machinery in my shop! Are you thinning it with universal, cellulose, or a special thinner? looked on the site, but could find a mention of it.
Phil

[awemawson]

Phil I dilute with about 10% of 'Industrial Thinners' and it seems work out OK !

I believe that these thinners are xylene based.