Tue Apr 24, 2012 3:53 am by Vitti
I bought this little Taylor KD-8a key machine on craiglist a while back for about $50 (can't remember exactly anymore). It was in sad shape but still functional. I used it as it was for a while then decided to restore it. I tore it down, removing every single part. I sanded and polished the shafts to remove the pitting. I sanded and re-blued the key blocks and shoulder guide and shoulder guide shaft. I stripped all painted parts down to bare metal and repainted them. I hit all the screws and washers with a wire wheel to remove rust. And last, I replaced the cutting wheel.
So, here's the before and after photos...
I cut a few keys to re-calibrate it before taking pictures so, there's already some brass on the machine. The pictures don't do it justice, the colors are off too. It's actually a fire engine red, it looks really good in person. The paint job came out great.
Originally the bottom plate was just a piece of raw sheet metal, heavily rusted and pitted. I decided to paint it to prevent rust going forward.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.