Bridgeport Maintenance

This page will be used to capture the maintenance items preformed on the Bridgeport CNC Mill.

Maintenance Day 11/12/2012

1. Flushed Coolant System
   • The old coolant was removed from the reservoir into a 5 gallon pal. The old coolant was capped and disposed of by our friendly next door neighbors who were also taking some nasty chemicals to the dump.
   • The reservoir was refilled with 9 gallons using a ratio of 35:1 water to oil (Edit: replace "oil" with name of the actual solution).
2. Repaired Left-Hand Sliding Window
   • The window was binding in the window track. The window and track were removed from the machine. The track was cleaned, straitened, and reinstalled in the machine.
   • The window was cut down 1/8" to better fit in the machine.
   • The Bridgeport metal housing had also become bent. As much as possible, the housing was straitened.
3. Gunk Removal
   • Small amounts of Mineral Spirits were used on rages to remove large amounts of gunk from the machine.
   • Alcohol was used to remove tape residue with good success.
4. Spindle Air Leak
   • The brass air fitting on the side of the spindle was leaking large amounts of air.
   • A new fitting was purchased (Thanks Steve) and installed to replace the failing one.

Maintenance Notes

1. Coolant System Cleaning
   • The coolant reservoir would be much easier to clean with a power washer! Cleaning the inside of the reservoir is difficult.
   • Bring your own garden hose - the i3 hose is not the best.
   • Wait for a warm day. Spraying a lot of water through the reservoir makes for a cold wet experience.