I’ve stripped the saddle off and have had the chance to see the good and the not so good.
The mechanism which shifts the main power travel feed to either the cross slide or the main saddle seems to be in really good condition and is a joy to behold.

In fact I think most things seem to be fine although I plan to diss-assemble, clean and lubricate everything even if there’s no actual damage.

Both the top slide operating screws and nuts are very worn though as well as a few other bits and pieces.
Fortunately, I’ve made contact with somebody who has most of the bits I need, which is great.
The saddle is worn though and I imagine the top slides too, so there needs to be some precise measurements of wear and then some decisions made about refinishing work.

This is a fairly big deal, but it can be sorted out.

I think when I’ve got the bits to repair it sorted out, then I’ll put a cover over her and leave her until the end of the season and just do some research on bed repair in the meantime. I don’t want to hurry this as it’s likely that I’ll have this lathe for a very long time. That’s my plan at least. Now I need to get back to the bikes. Really my priority has to be my Super squirrel engine, otherwise I’ll have nothing to ride this year. The Silk Scott racer’s frame is high on the agenda too.
Last week I picked up some 5mm MS plate to make some engine plates out of for the Norton model 18 and I have a plan for the Triumph engine…