The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest B500 Drum Doktor?

Just got off the phone with an old 'Bolter named Jerry, and if HRL says he taint got it
or doesn't know where to find it, it probably don't exist.
But just in case there's another old tool collector here on the 'Bolt who might have one
or might have a dad or father in law or brother in law or whoever......please, let me know.
What 'it' is that I'm lookin' for? Well, it's a manual for a Barrett B500 Drum Doktor brake drum lathe.
Apparently all the techs in all the shops that had these back in the day, took the manuals home and
the wife threw them out with the garbage.
I picked this one up last weekend and plan on a restoration, but before I tear into it, I'd sure like to
have a parts breakdown that shows the inner workings and some of the tooling.
So....thanks in advance, I just know that one of you 41,343 members has a manual with that
old drum lathe that''s sitting off in the corner of the shop.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny
You might find some help here.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...athe-turned-wheel-fixer-polisher.512405/

Or here.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36483&showall=1

Do

Yeah Don, I searched the net yesterday and found those same sites. The guys that opened the threads
had the same questions I did and everyone that replied had nothing to add. Seems there were
nine million of these in tire shops and gas stations all round the country but no one saved any
of the manuals for them.
But thanks anyway.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

HMMMM- - - -that one's a little newer than the one Dad had in his shop in the mid-1950's. It was painted red instead of blue. Otherwise, it's a dead ringer. The companion item was the "Brake Dokter" which was a disc sander that mounted on the spindles or rear hubs and was used to radius-grind the brake linings to fit the drums. The asbestos dust that those things blew all over the shop would give a latte-sipping snowflake with lace on his manties from the EPA a case of the vapors!
Jerry

Yep, those grinders are just about impossible to find.
A few years back there was a really really nice combo for sale.
Unfortunately I was a couple years too late.

Well, I guess I've brought home a real white elephant, seems now that me and this
one other old 'Bolter down in Delrose, TN are the only ones who have ever seen
one of these or had/have any knowledge of this particular one. I thought for sure
out of the 41,358 gear heads here, that it would ring a bell with some of you who
worked in the autoparts or tire shops back room.
This was at one time a very common automotive repair tool. (And Jerry, I do apologize
for not being able to handle that package of yours, it was just to much for an old man
to take on by his self.)
This lathe came only with two large (6 inch) tapered cones but the bore is only big enough
to slide them over the short, end retainer thread. So, there is no way the two were meant to
be used together. I thought when I first looked at it, that possibly they were used to
sandwich a drum between them, but obviously that's not the case.
And after following up on every possible lead I can think of on the net for the last week.....
I still not a crumb that illustrates the basic tooling that was available for this lathe or
any sort of documentation for it.
I will get it.....might take me the rest of my 24 years.....but I will get it restored one way
or the other!!!!!
Denny G
Still in the dark out here in Sandwich, IL

Thanks J.....that is one, that I didn't run across. Similar and some of the tooling is pictured but
not the same as the Barrett Drum Doktor. I'm gonna have to rewire it and although it's not a
difficult circuit, actually quite simple, I still would like to wire it like it was originally. There is a
three position switch, which I think may have been either for two speeds or.....maybe but I
doubt it....to run it in reverse. I doubt it was reverse because that could back off the locking nut.
I'm still trying to figure out why there were two of these large flanges with it.
But thanks for responding.
Denny G

Well.....here I am......four years later.....only 20 years left now left to finish this Old Tool save.
Still haven't found a manual for this fine old tool. I have it poked over in the corner of the shop and
need to move it around every once in awhile to make room for a project that I CAN finish up.
Since we're up to 46,000 members now here on the forum I was hoping someone of our new members
may have joined that has a manual stuffed away in their bench drawer or tool box or that pile that dad
left for us when he moved on.
So.......still looking guys for a manual for a "Barrett B500 Drum Doktor brake drum lathe" so I can
do the full restoration ??????
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny- - - -it's a lathe, not a thermonuclear device! Grab some round stock and machine a few centering cones, plug it in, and start making chips! I like "radius cones"- - - -the ones that center themselves in the bearing races of a hub, not the tapered type. Cones for other machines such as an Ammco will work, even if you have to make reducer bushings to press into them to match the diameter of the shaft. I've done that frequently, when I needed to spin up a drum or disc and didn't have a cone of a suitable diameter.

Here's a better idea, Denny- - - - -sell me that machine, and I'll have it making cast iron chips in a few hours. No sense letting it gather dust!
Jerry

Denny,
When I read your most recent post last Friday, I thought I would see what could be found on line (long story/short I had way too much time on my hands while monitoring the foundation repair crew all day).
Before getting your hopes up too high, lets just say this specific documentation as others have noted is nowhere to be found on the web (rats, darn and such words come to mind).
Even though B500 manuals/parts lists couldn't be found, I did dig for anything related and am going to use a few reply posts to share findings as they may provide some reference or use in your restoration.
One of the first things found was a posting in another forum indicating a relationship between "Barrett", "John Bean" and "FMC" (see attachment). As the original poster indicated there is a close resemblance/manufacturer relationship between these companies, I was also able to find and download user and parts manuals for an "FMC 601" as they could provide some understanding of the "B500" design and operation (see added attachments).
More replies with added finds coming shortly.

(Edited per Jerry find)

Denny,
Here is first batch of pictures I was able to find during the search.

Denny,
Here is next batch of pictures.

Denny,

Third batch of pictures (additional power switching setups).

Denny,

Final batch of photos (some pictures of disassembled unit).

The machine is the same. Ownership of the company just changed from Barrett to John Bean (not Beam) to FMC. The only thing that changed was the paint color, from red to blue. None of the machines were even close to the durability or accuracy of the AAMCO lathe, which was a much better machine for production use. AAMCO also had the capability to machine disc brake rotors, something the Barrett mechine was not capable of doing. It's an interesting novelty, but so is a hand crank for starting an elderly engine.
Jerry

Denny,

Last but not least, here is a link to a relevant youtube video demonstrating some repair work to and B500 in operation:

hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXxFGDJ4_CE

(replace "xx" with "tt" after you copy and paste the above link to your web browser)

Also of note is there seems to still be some random parts/tooling availability (most found on eBay) that could be useful.

Hope some of this helpful in your project and would love to see how it turns out.

Jerry,

Thanks for the "spelling" correction. I will edit my oops!

My father had the Barrett drum machine in his shop in the mid-1950's, along with the spindle-mounted radius grinding machine. Grinding the linings would fill the shop with stinky asbestos dust, but that was long before it became fashionable to swoon over that kind of hazard. I was also around when a bunch of fast-talking salesmen in the 1980's were hawking all sorts of Rube Goldberg devices to catch and dispose of brake dust during a repair job, at a time when most of the the mechanics were chain smoking filtered cigarettes and filling their lungs with microscopic bits of fiberglass filter material.
Jerry

Thanks Dan, appreciate your search, but I'm pretty good at searching the web and I've seen all of that.
Jerry has known what I'm like for 22 years now.....that is....a 95% purist. That's the way I was when I
restored Old Blue, my '50 3600. Return her to her original factory condition.
It's not a matter of being able to 'use' the tool, that's the easy part Jerry, you know I've got a half way
decent little machine shop in the barn because you saw it when you and your son stopped by a few years ago.
But being a 95% purist means that the object of this exercise is a 'Restoration' of this tool. The intention is not
to go into business turning brake drums. I may never need to turn a drum as I turned the drums on Old Blue
when I did the mechanical restoration on her way back about 15 years ago. You're quite correct, the tool
over it's lifetime, like most all products we see today, was sold off to many different companies with very
little change other than the color and name.
My interest in old tools is simply in 'restoring' them to their original condition. And having the original or copies
of the original manuals is part of the restoration project.
But thank guy for the comments......and.....still looking to add it's manual or manuals to the project.
Denny G
Sandwich, IL

Oh yeah.....forgot to insert this.....Hey Jerry, glad to see your still kickin' you old fart. Most everybody our age
is in a nursing home. Take care of yourself now. dg

Most old geezers don't have a couple of crankshaft grinders and plans to use them to modify the stroke on stovebolt crankshafts. Fortunately, I'm not OCD about originality- - - - -a piece of machinery is like an artist's blank canvas to me- - - - -something to showcase some creativity. My 12" Atlas/Craftsman lathe is getting another headstock fitted, on 3" riser blocks and a chain drive 17" faceplate so I can bore out the big ends of stovebolt connecting rods. Machines don't get a case of anxiety tremors if somebody modifies them!
LOL!
Jerry

Jerry, reminds me of my buddy when we were (re) building the fuel dragster. Behind the owners shop was a cart with what had to equal 6 cases of 70 weight Pennzoil motor oil. The hemi needed oil, so in the case went 7 quarts. These were the old cardboard cans that required a spout. When I found out, I laughed and told him people were getting $40+ per can on the internet. He shrugged his shoulders and said he needed oil.

Yep, takes all kinds don't it. The more of that old out of print and out of manufacture that is destroyed the
more the restored stuff is valued.
dg

I run a machine shop, not a museum. Machinery that doesn't earn its keep belongs in a scrap bin somewhere. It has no value.
Jerry

I don't know about all that. I think I would pay money to visit the Graham Estates Museum. Orta be a discount on admission for Stovebolters.

I actually just picked up a old b500 drum dokter for myself.
Also i just happen to notice someone here mentioned they had a b500 manual. Might see if you can contact them for a copy.

My high school auto shop had one of these! To this day I don't know why the shop teacher wouldn't let any of us use it. Maybe he was afraid of it breaking and he couldn't get parts for it? And I was the kid whom he'd tell other students to ask for help if he was busy, so it wasn't that he didn't think I could operate shop equipment.

I just used it lastnite to cut some drums on my buddys 70’s ramp truck. Works like a dream. Gotta love old stuff.