Over the last 12 years we have sold over 10,000 of our high quality lathe rebuild kits to owners of vintage South Bend Lathes. Check out our customers' comments and feedback. For owners of the vintage Horizontal Drive 9" South Bends who need to disassemble and clean up their machine, the comprehensive instruction manual plus our aftermarket assortment of consumable gaskets, wicks, wipers oil control felts and lubricants will provide all that is required to help put your lathe back into its original operating condition. The 106 page, professionally produced and published instruction manual included with this kit is fully illustrated with almost 250 photographs plus step-by-step instructions and sequences for disassembling, cleaning, reassembling and adjusting the critical components of the lathe. Click on the page samples above and hit the "zoom" button to see a close-up. The instruction are very straight forward and no prior machinery rennovation experience is required. The manual also includes a list of resources for vintage SBL owners as well as parts references, tool specifications, lubrication guides and material specifications. The text is printed in a font that is two points larger than is typical so if you getting up in years like me, you will not have to work at the bench with your reading glasses on. The consumable parts we include with the kit were all designed to be completely compatible with the 9" series of lathes. The wicks provide adequate lubrication to critical parts of the lathe while at the same time acting as a trap for dirt, chips and sludge. They should be replaced at regular intervals as opposed to trying to clean and reuse the old ones. The capillary oil wicks we provide for the spindle are made from the highest grade tempered spring steel, CNC wound and stress relieved to provide long service life. The lower wicking material is long-strand virgin wool and the cap wick is high quality hard grey felt so you will not find a better quality replacement wick anywhere. The remaining wicks, wipers, and oil control plugs are all hard white felt, precision die cut for a consistent close fit on most all versions of the workshop lathe produced from around 1936 through the late 1960’s. Now you don’t have to buy a whole yard of felt to get what you need and then waste time trying to cut and custom fit the individual parts to your lathe. We’ve done the work for you. These kits are very reasonably priced compared to OEM or used parts so don’t miss out on a chance to pick up a complete manual and kit for your lathe while they last. If you have a Model A, Model B or Model 10k Southbend Lathe, check my other auctions for kits specific to those models. If you are not sure of the model of your lathe, refer to the pictures above. Here is a quick way to determine it: If you see a quick change gear box on the left end of the bed it is a model A. If it does not have the QC gear box it is either a model B or C. Next look at the apron. Model B has the clutch star wheel on the apron. Model C does not have the clutch star wheel on the apron.

• The Manual: "A Guide to Renovating the South Bend Lathe 9" Model A,B,C & Model 10k" (Horizontal Drive) - 106 pages, B&W perfect bound soft cover.
• 2 Precision Spring Loaded Capillary oil wicks for horizontal drives only.
• 4 Die Cut Way Wipers for the Saddle.
• 2 Hard Fiber Washers for the Drive Countershaft (controls oil)
• Round felt wick for the Reversing Gears
• Multiple rectangular cross-section felts for shaft lubrication.

Included in the Lubricant Starter Pack

We have assembled ALL of the necessary lubricants used for the rebuild process and for routine operation afterwards.  These are the same specification oils originally called out by South Bend in their "How to Run a Lathe" manual. The "Type A, B and C" you see on the bottles are the same names used on the OEM lube guides that South Bend published years ago, so we have carried that naming convention over to our packaging to prevent any confusion.  The "A" is for the Spindle, "B" is for the gearbox & drive, "C" is for general lubrication.  In our rebuild manual we recommend the Mobil Vactra "Way Oil" which is much heavier and will stick better to the bed ways than the lighter type "C" oil that South Bend originally specified. Way oil will preserve the bed and saddle and give your lathe a much longer service life.  Worn beds and saddles are the major reason that these fine lathes end up getting scrapped or broken down for parts.  Our lubrication starter pack will get you up and running quickly without worrying about finding all of the necessary materials from different suppliers and then having to buy 4 different gallon jugs of oil that would be enough to last two lifetimes...  but I suppose you could will it all to your grandchildren along with your lathe when the time comes.  All oils and grease come in convenient 4 ounce size bottles with a dispense cap which is more than enough to complete the rebuild process on the 9" and 10" lathes plus provide for routine oiling afterwards.  If you need larger volumes of any of the oils please tell us what you need.  We're always happy to accommodate.   We only use Mobil oil products as they are the highest quality lubricants available but unfortunately they mainly come in "industrial" size containers.   

Lubricant Specs:

• Type A Oil:   Mobil Velocite 10 for proper spindle lubrication.
• Type B Oil:   Mobil DTE, ISO 32 Light Machine Oil for Gearbox and Drive Bearings.
• Type C Oil:   Mobil DTE, ISO 68 Medium/Heavy Machine oil for general lubrication.
• Way Oil:        Mobil Vactra #2  "high tack" oil for the bed ways.
• Grease:         Roy Dean PTFE grease for back gear and internal spindle cone.
• Charts:          The same detailed lube charts as found in our rebuild manual. 

One note on the Roy Dean Grease.  Several years back, we purchased a bulk supply of DE112 Grease with PTFE (Teflon) made by the original supplier to South Bend Lathe (Roy Dean Products) in Plymouth Michigan and we are pleased to be able to offer this specialized lubricant to all South Bend Lathe owners in convenient size packaging. As of last year, the supplier notified us that they can no longer offer this grease since one of the base materials used in the process is no longer available and they have no plans to reintroduce a DE112 substitute since the overall demand is so low.  As such, our supply of this grease is finite so purchase this while you can.  Our supply will not last forever.   The PTFE grease cross references to SBL part number CE1625 that is called out in most of their published lathe lubrication charts.  

• Free Shipping is included by USPS Priority Mail to any US address.
• Sorry but because of the lubricants, we do not currently ship this package to international addresses due to carrier restrictions plus the exorbitant shipping costs. 
• If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to answer any questions.
• Thanks for your consideration.

Disclaimer: ILION Industrial Services, LLC is neither affiliated with South Bend Lathe, Inc nor successor companies and makes no claims as such.  Any information or product offered through this manual is done so in good faith in order to assist vintage machinery owners and is not sanctioned by South Bend Lathe, Inc. as OEM information, parts or products.  ILION Industrial Services, LLC  makes no warranty and accepts no liability for injury, property damage or any other costs incurred and/or damages suffered (including direct, indirect or consequential damage or damages, as well as loss of income or profits) as a result of the use of any information or product contained or referenced herein. By the purchase and/or use of the information or products referenced in this document, the user expressly accepts these terms and conditions.