Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

A good investment Charlie, I'm no expert on these but the Unimat range is reckoned to be decent quality and you look to have plenty of bits to get you going.  A good read is 'The Amateurs Lathe' by LH Sparey which although first printed in 1948 is still available and covers pretty much all the basic processes.  There are of course references to such historic workshop essentials as whale oil and asbestos....
Decent eye protection is a must, if you haven't used a lathe before then it's a steep learning curve as I have found out.  My tiny machine is as basic as they came (late 1940's!) but has proved indispensable in the last few years since I got it.  Certainly adds a new dimension to the hobby.  Well done

Dave

Thanks Dave. A copy of LH Sparey’s book has been ordered. Hopefully, I will get it to read on my trip.