care and maintenance of a semi centennial camera stand

[jnantz]

i have a somewhat large split deck semi centennial stand
its casters squeek and aren't much fun
the woodwork needs to be sanded and refinished ( its missing the plate holder )
the bed needs to be lubricated so it isn't as stiff to open and close and the counterbalance spring needs lubrication ( and a KEY ! )

does anyone have suggestions on how to go about lubricating wood to make it slide better, and re-vulcanizing casters ?
i'd rather not put new casters on it and i am never sure if it is oil or wax or what kind of either i should use to make this gem of a tool work like new again. and the counterbalance .. do you oil long flat spiral springs like that and are the keys to tension the spring
a standard size? i've been using the shaft of a large screwdriver, when i need to, but i'd rather get the real-deal.

any suggestions ?

thanks in advance !
john

[lenser]

I used a very dark walnut product from Old English to refinish both my Century camera and stand.a bit of wd-40 applied to the axles helped with squeaks on all four wheels I left the treads of the metal wheels alone, and I can send you an image of the handle (key) for the spring tensioner if that would help. perhaps the local hardware store can help there once they see what it looks like.

[Steven Tribe]

Photos please! So we can contribute sensibly!

[jnantz]

thanks lenser !

steven, i will try to get to photographing it sometime soon, sorry for my lack of photographs/illustrations -

john

[Jac@stafford.net]

John, there was a recent thread about just this subject.
The root post is below.
Hope this helps.

[jnantz]

thanks jac!
just finished reading it
and i might get some of that wax
and i've got the WD ...

[Peter De Smidt]

In my case, I had to re-glue the table and add a new lead screw and nut. I used t-nuts and bolts instead of just wood screws to hold the mechanism to the table. Other than that, I cleaned all of the wood and then put a coat of Renaissance Wax on it. The metal was a bit rusty. I lightly wire brushed it and then applied Rustoleum Rust Reformer, like at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-78...X57AAA8GDKZ3JC I liberally painted it on the metal parts. (The parts were all disassembled.) Originally, I was going to use the RR as a primer, but it gave a nice satin black look to the metal pieces, and so I left it at that.

[Jac@stafford.net]

thanks jac!
just finished reading it
and i might get some of that wax
and i've got the WD ...

If you mean WD40, please don't use it. It is worthless for anything but purging electronics of moisture in an emergency. It is not a lubricant. It is not a preservative. It is a pretty good cleaning agent, but for our purposes kerosene is better.

Pay attention to Peter De Smidt's advice. If I recall properly he also replicated the table tilt mechanism.
.

[jnantz]

kerosene ... i will look into that

wow peter, that is beautiful ...

[Robert Brazile]

Kerosene for cleaning, although it's awfully stinky. Mineral spirits will do almost as well without stinking out the house or garage quite so much.

For lubrication, there are a lot of possibilities. Boeshield T-9 is a combination of light lubricant and rust protection that I like to use on woodworking machinery.

Robert