tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77265028029338876072024-03-16T15:24:48.807-04:00The Vintage Singer Sewing Machine BlogNicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-28359328307544010172013-07-14T13:38:00.001-04:002013-07-14T14:23:23.627-04:00A Singer 401a and Greasy Terminal Prongs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone, I know, long time no talk. I recently got to meet Elizabeth from <a href="http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Sewing Machine Obsession</a> and that was pretty cool. She mentioned that I hadn't written in a while. Over a year!<br />
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I've been busy with work and fixing sewing machines on the side, even making housecalls in Manhattan. If you need repair work done on your machine, are in NYC and/or can bring your machine to me in lower Manhattan, drop a line.<br />
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Anyways, a customer brought this Singer 401a to me. She came my way from <a href="http://malepatternboldness.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Peter Lappin's sewing blog</a>. The customer had just purchased the machine from a "reputable" seller online, and the machine had been damaged in shipping, with one spool pin broken off. She asked if I could fix it, I said no problem.<br />
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When she arrived with the machine, she mentioned that after five minutes of sewing, the machine would begin to emit a smell. I told her I'd check it out.<br />
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Well, never mind the spool pin, I was appalled to see the condition of the machine. So much so that I subsequently looked up the seller. I will not mention him by name, but based on his reputation and self-description, any of us would probably buy a machine from this guy in a heartbeat. He has been working on machines for longer than I've been alive, so I cannot understand how he let these things go.<br />
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The first thing I went to do is plug her machine in to uncover the source of the smell, but I stopped dead in my tracks. Check it out:<br />
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See that green stuff? Old Singer lubricant (grease) turns that shade of green after many years, I've seen it inside plenty a machine. And here it is on the terminal prongs--not good. Even worse, there was more on the cable:<br />
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Folks if you ever see this, do NOT plug your machine in. Electricity should never mix with oil, grease, or any kind of lubricant. The woman who brought me the machine is lucky that the machine didn't start a fire.<br />
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It's not difficult to clean old grease off of metal, you just go at it with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. So I'm really surprised the seller was so careless. Here's the terminal after I cleaned it:<br />
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However, I was not able to get the grease out of the power cable. There's no way I can see inside, so there's no way I can ensure I've removed every last bit of grease. I told the customer her cheapest option was to order a replacement cable from <a href="http://shop.sew-classic.com/main.sc" target="_blank">Sew-Classic</a>. Since it's only $6.99, it really bothered me that the original seller didn't supply one rather than the grease-soaked one.<br />
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The rest of the machine wasn't much better. There was an antique-looking piece of thread jammed under the hook assembly, providing friction:<br />
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It took me a little time, since it was wound around the shaft, but I fished the thing out. I estimated it was 8 inches long, but I measured it just now out of curiosity and it was a foot.<br />
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And the rest of the machine was just filthy. I don't mean the body of the machine, which almost doesn't matter--that's basically cosmetic--but the working parts of the machine, like the tension assembly. I stripped every part that needed it to give it a thorough cleaning. Here are the before-and-after shots:<br />
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I saved the spool pin for last. I'm sorry I don't have photos of this part, but I'll explain how to do it in case one of you needs to. With a 401, you have to take the lid holding the spool pins off. I futzed around with the hinges for a while trying to figure out how to remove it without breaking it, then finally realized you just keep moving the lid in the open direction, gently, until it pops off. (This is only the second slant-needle machine I've worked on, I'm usually doing older cast-iron models.) <br />
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Then I was going to hammer out the spool pin using a hammer and a blunt nail, which is how I've gotten broken spool pins out of the base of a 201-2 and 15-91 (where you place the spool for bobbin winding). But after clamping the lid upside down to my workbench, I worried that hammering it out might bend the lid. <br />
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So instead I drilled the spool pin out, since it was plastic. What you do is start with a 1/16th" bit and drill through the center of the broken spool pin. (Try to get it as dead-center as you can, because you don't want to hit the metal part of the lid and potentially ruin the hole.) Then you just drill through the hole with progressively larger drill bits, and eventually the spool pin fragments just disintegrate and fall out of the hole.<br />
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That's the tricky part. Replacing a plastic spoon pin is easy, you just wedge it in there manually, you don't have to tap it in with a hammer like you do with a metal spool pin.<br />
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Using one of my own grease-free cords, I spent twenty minutes stitching the machine in and running it full-tilt. No burning smell, and a nice, strong-running motor in this machine.<br />
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There's a couple of things I want to say. While I cleaned the customer's machine for a few hours, I didn't give it what I call the "Million-Dollar Treatment," where I slave over a machine for weeks or even months as a time-consuming hobby. Because I think no customer is going to pay for what I'd have to charge them for that kind of time. So I didn't get into every last nook and cranny but instead cleaned up the most offensive and function-affecting areas. <br />
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Secondly, to be fair, I do not know what condition the original seller received the machine in. Maybe it was a total train wreck and he brought it back from the dead, and maybe I oughtn't malign him? <br />
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Then again, there's no excuse for neglecting basic safety. Yeah, that settles it. Far as I'm concerned the grease on the power cable is a damning indictment. Can you imagine if this poor woman had burned her house down over a <i>sewing machine?</i> Folks, if you're ever going to buy a used machine, please do inspect the terminal and power cable carefully to be sure they're not covered in grease.<br />
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I don't mean to be sensationalist or self-promoting. I have never, ever heard of someone burning their house down in a fire caused by a sewing machine. But common sense dictates that any sewing machine repairperson ought to do their best to minimize those risks. It took me less than fifteen minutes to get the grease off of the prongs, and ordering a new cable takes less time than that. Those things should have been done during the initial refurbishment.<br />
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If you see that green grease on your terminal prongs, clean it off with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol, then give it plenty of time to dry off before you plug it back in. And if your power cable has grease in the ports, recycle it and buy a new one--$6.99 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.<br />
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<br />Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-90338437530873994702012-06-09T17:41:00.000-04:002012-06-09T17:41:17.125-04:00How to Remove & Re-Install a Tabbed Stop Motion Clamp Washer<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VeTNqogeu0o/T9O4jSwpqMI/AAAAAAAABQM/TAetw2yyM7A/s1600/0tabbedwasher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VeTNqogeu0o/T9O4jSwpqMI/AAAAAAAABQM/TAetw2yyM7A/s640/0tabbedwasher.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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In <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-stop-needlebar-from-moving.html" target="_blank">the previous post</a>, we looked at how to remove and re-install the stop motion clamp washer on a potted motor machine. But many other vintage Singers (like the 66, 99, 206, 306 et cetera) will have a different washer, as seen in the photo above. Here's how you tackle that one:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nKYZmGcMnv0" width="560"></iframe>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-9884689760167427422012-06-06T16:06:00.005-04:002012-06-09T18:02:40.303-04:00How to Stop the Needlebar from Moving During Bobbin-Winding Mode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4rDN14l_qc/T8-18IsENEI/AAAAAAAABP8/HhpgvswaUsk/s1600/0nbwinding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4rDN14l_qc/T8-18IsENEI/AAAAAAAABP8/HhpgvswaUsk/s640/0nbwinding.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
When you set your vintage Singer sewing machine into bobbin winding mode, by cranking the stop-motion wheel counterclockwise, the needlebar is supposed to stop running. This is to save unnecessary wear-and-tear on the machine, and prevent you from having to unthread the needle to wind a bobbin.<br />
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However, if a few crucial parts of your machine are dirty, the needlebar will continue to move even though you are in bobbin-winding mode. This is easy to fix, and I've made two relevant videos, below, to assist you.<br />
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This first video explains the parts of your machine involved in engaging and disengaging bobbin-winding mode. If you are not interested in the mechanics of how your machine works, you can skip this first video (though some of you may find the "X-ray" part that starts at 3:15 in the video to be informative).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ecI7ZruzJ0o" width="560"></iframe><br />
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This second video, below, is where I show you how to actually fix the problem. The video may seem long, since I'm over-explaining things; but once you understand how to fix this, you will be able to fix this problem in mere minutes.<br />
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<b>Note: </b>If your stop motion clamp washer doesn't look like the one in the video, but looks like this one below...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ5coZwep0I/T9PDUPMSL3I/AAAAAAAABQY/YAO9a_gc314/s1600/0tabbedwasher2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ5coZwep0I/T9PDUPMSL3I/AAAAAAAABQY/YAO9a_gc314/s400/0tabbedwasher2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
...then <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-remove-re-install-tabbed-stop.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to see how it goes on.<br />
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The oil I'm using in the video is Tri-Flow oil, my favorite. If you cannot find it near you (it's often sold at bicycle shops), here's an Amazon link:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thevinsinsewm-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B003UWHNUA" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;H&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe><br />
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Happy fixing!Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-24894852081002419612012-04-07T20:10:00.003-04:002012-06-06T16:10:39.237-04:00Reader Questions: Rewiring a 99?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAT2XG51CVE/T4DTF6xK5yI/AAAAAAAABPc/BZWbIFeokEI/s1600/0al9913wiring01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAT2XG51CVE/T4DTF6xK5yI/AAAAAAAABPc/BZWbIFeokEI/s640/0al9913wiring01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All photos in this entry by Azul from California</td></tr>
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Azul from California writes,<br />
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<b><i>I was excited to discover your <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2012/01/complete-how-to-re-wire-potted-motor.html" target="_blank">motor rewiring series</a>, but I have a model 99, which does not have the potted motor and does involve a light switch. The motor is mounted on the side, as seen below.</i></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><i>What I have is a Singer 99-13 (according to the <a href="http://www.sandman-collectibles.com/id-singer-machines.htm" target="_blank">Sandman Singer identifying page</a>) from 1937 which I picked up off the street. It’s in excellent cosmetic shape, but the wiring is in bad shape and down to bare metal in parts (mostly due to my boyfriend pulling away the corroded/melted bits). </i></b><i> </i><br />
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</i><b><i>I do know how to solder, and have access to the necessary tools and materials (although not yet, alas, the <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/screwdrivers-part-3-which-set-do-i-or.html" target="_blank">Chapman screwdrivers</a>). My boyfriend knows how to repair electrical stuff in general, but does not have Singer-specific knowledge, although he’s enthusiastic and unworried about this (“it’s a light” and “it’s a motor,” he says). I did take the machine to a local repair place, where they seemed to think the wiring problem not too bad, they doubted that there was internal damage inside the motor, but of course would have to take it apart to know for certain. <br />
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My question is this: Do you think your tutorial, along with general principles of electrical repair, would be sufficient to work on this motor, although it’s not exactly the same type as the one in your tutorial? Or are there Singer specific issues that would make you recommend instead taking it to a professional, to for example avoid electrocution :o), or messing up the machine further? I’m not sure if you’re able to answer that, but thought I’d ask.</i></b><br />
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First off, congratulations on the free 99! That's an awesome find.<br />
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Secondly, good on your boyfriend for pulling off the rotted wiring insulation. I’ve seen sellers completely ignore that, as if hoping it will go away. As you can see, the wiring can easily come into contact with the body of the machine, which is all metal. That’s bad news if left untended.<br />
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To answer your question: While electricity is obviously dangerous if not handled properly, there is no Singer-specific issue I can think of that would prevent someone with knowledge of “general principles of electrical repair” from correctly re-wiring your motor. <br />
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Because we live in a country where people love to sue each other, I think I cannot just tell you to go ahead and do it. But the "sideboard-mounted" motor on your 99 (I put that in quotes because “sideboard-mounted” is not an official term, it’s just what I call it) is a simple and basic universal motor, the same you'd find on a 66, a 206, a 15-90, or a 201-3. The Featherweight 221 would also have a similar motor, with slightly less power. Bottom line: The principles of re-wiring yours would be the same as in the potted motor tutorial, and at the very least you would not have to deal with the worm removal shown in the potted motor tutorial (though you would still have to deal with brushes, grease wicks, the washer on the armature shaft, et cetera). Your motor simply turns the pulley sticking out of it, which in turn drives the belt, simplifying things a bit. <br />
<br />
As long as you competently re-wire the machine in the exact same configuration in which it originally was, and using the proper materials, I would think you'd have no problem; but of course I do not have first-hand knowledge of you and your boyfriend's exact skill levels.<br />
<br />
Also be aware that if worse comes to worst, you can buy simple replacement motors and install those on your machine, should you not feel like tackling the job. The reason I wrote the tutorial specifically for the potted motors is because those cannot be replaced with new motors due to their unusual design (i.e. the way that they fit onto the machine).<br />
<br />
If you do decide to buy a new motor, I recommend <a href="http://shop.sew-classic.com/main.sc" target="_blank">Sew-Classic sewing machine supplies</a>. While I've never bought a replacement motor from them (I always re-wire mine myself, to save money and because I find it satisfying), I've bought many other parts from Sew-Classic. Jenny, the woman who runs the company, is knowledgeable, responsive via e-mail in case you don't know exactly what you need, and has a (well-deserved) great reputation. She’s my go-to person when I need parts.<br />
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If you do decide to tackle it yourself, remember to take lots of photos as you disassemble the motor, so you have a reference for re-assembly. And a replacement motor is less than $25, which should take some of the pressure off.<br />
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Good luck with it,<br />
<br />
- RainNicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-61478492915240539652012-04-01T12:07:00.025-04:002012-04-07T20:12:00.531-04:00The Difference Between Domestic & Industrial Sewing Machines (or, How Not to Get Swindled on eBay & Craigslist)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zz25EbWYC0o/T3h2Wdl8uGI/AAAAAAAABOU/cNtJm4YRxPA/s1600/0smindust01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="560" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zz25EbWYC0o/T3h2Wdl8uGI/AAAAAAAABOU/cNtJm4YRxPA/s640/0smindust01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess which one's the industrial.</td></tr>
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There are many eBay and Craigslist sellers selling vintage <i>domestic</i> Singer sewing machines and branding them “heavy duty” or “industrial strength.” Sadly, these sellers are lying in order to fetch higher prices. Beware of these descriptions:<br />
<br />
- “Vintage Singer Industrial Strength Sewing Machine”<br />
- “Sews leather!<br />
- “Heavy Duty!”<br />
- “Industrial Grade!”<br />
- "Semi-Industrial!" <br />
<br />
Dishonest sellers know that if you put those keywords into any domestic sewing machine ad, naïve people will be fooled and extra money can be made. When I first got into this hobby, I myself was suckered because I didn’t know any better. So now I’m writing this entry to list some facts and prevent future buyers from falling into the same trap.<br />
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<b>What’s the difference between a domestic and an industrial sewing machine?</b><br />
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The difference between a domestic and an industrial sewing machine is something like the difference between a regular car and a semi truck. <br />
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The basic mechanics are the same--you have an engine that powers wheels, or a motor that powers a needlebar--but the intended applications and method of usage are totally different. That Toyota is designed to get you to the office or the supermarket, or the occasional roadtrip when your spouse needs to torture you with a visit to the in-laws; but that semi will haul multi-ton loads for 10 hours a day, every day, at highway speeds. As you'll see below, a similar difference exists between domestic and industrial sewing machines.<br />
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<b>Materials</b><br />
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Domestic vintage sewing machines were designed for housewives of the era. Intended to be a household tool, the machines can handle diverse materials; in the 1940s and ‘50s, the average housewife might be called upon to make everything from clothing to drapery to slipcovers for the couch. She might be sewing something as light as lace, or mending something as heavy as an overcoat. While not necessarily brilliant at any one thing, the domestic machine had to be flexible enough to cover the range.<br />
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Industrial sewing machines are intended for use in factories, where people work in assembly lines on highly specific tasks with consistent materials. Some machines are designed to sew shirt cuffs; others are designed to put the waistband on a pair of jeans; still others are designed to attach zippers. Whatever the task, the operator sits there and does that same task over and over again, and the machines are specific to the material weight and the task. An industrial machine is not versatile, but is excellent at performing a few specific tasks.<br />
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If you think about it, it’s obvious that a factory making silk bras will have different machine needs than a factory making overcoats. Both will be using industrial machines, and those machines may be completely different from each other. That's why it's pretty dumb if someone says to you, "Hey, you wanna buy an industrial machine? I have an industrial machine!" It's like someone saying "Hey, you need some medicine? I have medicine!" You have medicine, or an industrial sewing machine, that's used for <i>what?</i> If I'm making parachutes and your machine came from a panty factory, it does me no good. I might as well buy cholesterol pills for a broken leg.<br />
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<b>Usage</b><br />
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A domestic machine is used for a few hours at a time, and during that usage, it is not running constantly. The sewist puts down a line of stitches, then pauses to adjust the material, insert or remove pins etc., then puts down another line of stitches. It is stop-and-go work and the machine is designed accordingly, with a small motor and standard-sized components.<br />
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Let's look at the underpinnings of a 15-91:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_KshdFsaMto/T3h2Y0Z_CAI/AAAAAAAABOs/0w0zt9jf5Uk/s1600/0smindust04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_KshdFsaMto/T3h2Y0Z_CAI/AAAAAAAABOs/0w0zt9jf5Uk/s400/0smindust04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underside of a typical domestic machine. (Oil bottle for scale.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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In contrast, industrial machines are designed for factories, and factories make money by running full-tilt. Your average factory worker puts the pedal to the metal and cranks out hundreds or thousands of pieces a day. Accordingly, industrial machines have powerful motors, thicker shafts, stronger bearings, and beefier gears. They use more steel inside than a domestic does.<br />
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Let's look at the underpinnings from a Singer 111w155:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8k1xU9XvSlc/T3h2anKM6PI/AAAAAAAABO0/zSUq0yBoZQE/s1600/0smindust05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8k1xU9XvSlc/T3h2anKM6PI/AAAAAAAABO0/zSUq0yBoZQE/s640/0smindust05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underside of an industrial features much thicker, heavier parts. (Oil bottle for scale.)</td></tr>
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Whether specifically designed to sew silk or heavy leather, an industrial machine uses more robust parts than a domestic, because an industrial must stand up to the abuse of long hours of constant high-speed usage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fnpbc-VBy0g/T3h2cT5Bi9I/AAAAAAAABO8/oczPVcEKsW8/s1600/0smindust06.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fnpbc-VBy0g/T3h2cT5Bi9I/AAAAAAAABO8/oczPVcEKsW8/s400/0smindust06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note that the beefy connecting rod, at center-right, looks like something you'd find in a car.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<b>Motors</b><br />
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While not the end-all be-all, the motor is the most obvious indication that you’re dealing with an industrial versus a domestic machine. <br />
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I recently bought the Singer 111w155 pictured up top, which is a true industrial, designed to produce automotive upholstery. Take a look at the motor that was connected to it:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now look at the potted motor of the Singer 15-91, one of the machines I frequently see FALSELY advertised as “Industrial Strength:”</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gaf2HiCTSsc/T3h2cyP_r0I/AAAAAAAABPE/q6hhImkO54Y/s1600/0smindust07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gaf2HiCTSsc/T3h2cyP_r0I/AAAAAAAABPE/q6hhImkO54Y/s320/0smindust07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Let's look at them side-by-side:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_tcN5CkMy-U/T3h2emFXEfI/AAAAAAAABPU/oGrIHGTc5Kk/s1600/0smindust09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_tcN5CkMy-U/T3h2emFXEfI/AAAAAAAABPU/oGrIHGTc5Kk/s640/0smindust09.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Get the idea? Even if you know nothing at all about motors, do you honestly believe the one on the left is capable of doing the same thing as the motor on the right? If so, why would factory owners bother buying the bigger motors?<br />
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Most industrials have motors that are 1/2 horsepower or 3/4 horsepower. Your average domestic Singer’s motor isn’t measured in horsepower, it’s measured in amps (short for amperes), a unit of electric current. <br />
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Horsepower and amps aren’t easy to compare--it’s a bit like comparing how much money Person A has, to Person B’s earnings potential--but if we put them on a rough scale, 1 amp is equal to approximately 1/10 horsepower.<br />
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Some sellers will boast that they’ve outfitted their machines with 1.5 amp motors, which according to them, makes them “industrial strength.” Simply not true. A 1.5 amp motor is still less than 33% as powerful as the smallest industrial motor. So don’t be wowed by impressive-sounding numbers. Plus, as you saw above in the photos of the underpinnings, a more powerful motor alone is not enough to make a machine "industrial."<br />
<br />
<b>A Word About Leather</b><br />
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Sellers trying to inflate the capabilities of their machine love to put “Sews leather!” in their description. This is a ridiculous and value-less statement, because leather comes in many different thicknesses and types. The lightest, cheapest garment-weight leather is easy to put stitches in on ANY machine, including those plastic Wal-Mart junk jobs. Bring me the crappiest sewing machine you have and I’ll show you a lightweight piece of leather I can sew on it. <br />
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What these sellers are hoping is that you’ll believe that if you buy one of their machines, you’ll be able to make gun holsters and horse saddles with their “Industrial Strength” model 99s. Which is, of course, ridiculous.<br />
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Some sellers will go a step further and show photos of their machine sewing through thick leather belts. Folks, I have no doubt you can coax a domestic into temporarily sewing through thick leather. I also don’t doubt you could take the Toyota we saw earlier, tie that trailer to the back of it, and under the right conditions, get it to move. But how far do you think you’ll get? And how well do you think that Toyota’s going to hold up before it breaks down?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uCoVVnbpRF0/T3h2YO23vUI/AAAAAAAABOk/keBEOIl-AL4/s1600/0smindust03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uCoVVnbpRF0/T3h2YO23vUI/AAAAAAAABOk/keBEOIl-AL4/s400/0smindust03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Here’s the bottom line: The guy bragging about his machine’s leather capabilities is trying to sell it to you. Wouldn’t you rather learn about leather machines from someone who sews leather for a living and isn’t trying to sell you anything? <br />
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If so, the forums over at <a href="http://leatherworker.net/forum/" target="_blank">Leatherworker.net</a> are a great place to start. There’s a section called “Leather Sewing Machines” where people with decades of leather experience discuss different sewing machines appropriate for those tasks. Needless to say, you won’t find anyone raving about “Heavy Duty” model 66s.<br />
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<b>A Word About “Heavy Duty”</b><br />
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Apart from the sellers who’ll actively lie to you about their machines’ capability, there are others who misinform you because they just don’t know any better. They find a sewing machine in their grandmother’s attic and figure it’s worth big bucks. They try lifting it and discover it weighs 30 pounds. They figure it’s a “heavy duty” machine because of its heft.<br />
<br />
Folks, a domestic vintage Singer is only “heavy duty” in the sense that EVERYTHING from that era was “heavy duty”--meaning “overbuilt.” Today we have fancy software that analyzes machinery parts for manufacturers, to help them calculate the absolute thinnest and cheapest a part can be to get through 10,000 cycles before it breaks. Back then we had no such thing. So we overbuilt everything from sewing machines to refrigerators to cars. Pull the door shut on a ’54 Buick, then pull the door shut on an ’88 Buick and see if you notice anything different.<br />
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Because vintage Singers were overbuilt, they will last you a lifetime under the normal use for which they were intended. But that does not qualify them as “heavy duty” machines as that term is popularly understood. “Overbuilt” does not mean “industrial,” and here’s the proof: <br />
<br />
Go into any garment factory today (or find one on YouTube) and you’ll see the place is filled with industrial machines, whether old or new, that each cost thousands of dollars. Vintage domestic Singers can be found much cheaper than that and are ubiquitous on every Craigslist from New York to Los Angeles. If vintage domestic Singers were good enough to serve as industrials, then why wouldn’t factory owners just buy hundreds of them and fill their factories with these less expensive, easier-to-repair machines? Do you think factory owners simply enjoy spending more money in this economy, or that they are not smart enough to hire Craigslist buyers? No, the answer is simple: They don’t do that because domestic Singers are not cut out for that kind of work.<br />
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<b>How Do These Sellers Get Away With It?</b><br />
<br />
Some of the eBay sellers advertising false industrials have 100% user ratings. If what they are selling isn’t as advertised, how is this possible?<br />
<br />
Well, early on I unwittingly bought falsely-described machines from two different sellers that both had 100% ratings. When I became frustrated with the performance of the first, I opened it up and found some problems. I contacted the seller and he offered to refund my money in full. The second machine was listed as having been re-wired. I opened that one up too, and found out it wasn’t re-wired. That seller then claimed he had made a cut-and-paste mistake in the listing from a different machine, and offered to send me a free cabinet (that I wanted) to make things right. So both sellers got to keep their perfect ratings and lived to sell another day. (And I was forced to learn <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2012/01/complete-how-to-re-wire-potted-motor.html" target="_blank">how to re-wire a motor.</a>)<br />
<br />
Those are just two possibilities for how a dishonest seller can maintain high eBay ratings. But I'm sure there's more to it. What I suspect is happening is that some users don’t really<i> need</i> industrials, but buy into the hype, the same way we buy Nike running shoes without ever spending a day on the track, or buy impressive-looking 4x4s and never go off-roading. I’m guessing these users have an inflated sense of their needs and buy an overhyped machine, and because they never needed an industrial in the first place, never discover the machine doesn’t live up to the hype. That’s my theory, anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>Do You Even Need an Industrial?</b><br />
<br />
If you’re in the market for a sewing machine, ask yourself whether a domestic is fine, or whether you really need an industrial. Above all, don’t get your machine recommendations from the person trying to sell you the machine. Figure out whatever it is you want to do--make women’s handbags, make your own clothes, start a business repairing sails--find other people that have already done that, and ask them what machines are best suited to those tasks. Provided you are friendly, I find that most folks that have built up a lifetime of experience are happy to share it with others.<br />
<br />
No matter what it is you want to use a sewing machine for, I can just about guarantee there’s some group of people on the internet that have already been doing it for years. Like that Leatherworker forum I linked to above. Find people with years or decades of experience and learn from their wisdom (and don’t forget to thank ‘em!). While the internet helps enable these false-industrial-sewing-machine sellers, it also empowers us to learn enough to avoid them.Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-22087405083230418252012-01-25T19:21:00.007-05:002012-04-01T12:40:34.490-04:00Reader Questions: Eric's Knee-Operated 15-91<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3YbRI-B7BQQ/TyCac1hui0I/AAAAAAAABNY/OCvuzRgvq50/s1600/0ericotta01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3YbRI-B7BQQ/TyCac1hui0I/AAAAAAAABNY/OCvuzRgvq50/s640/0ericotta01.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All photos in this entry by Eric from Ottawa</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Eric from Ottawa writes,<br />
<br />
<i><b>[The 15-91 I recently acquired] looks like it's in great shape, but it doesn't run. It has a knee switch rather than a foot pedal and it looks like the motor controller has failed. </b></i><br />
<br />
<i><b>To test it, I unscrewed the center of the flywheel so there was no load and plugged it in and got nowhere, even with the knee switch in and fully engaged.<br />
<br />
Do you think it's worth re-wiring it to use a standard foot pedal like most of the ones I've seen?</b></i><br />
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Hi Eric, first off, a little about your machine. The chrome rim on the handwheel plus the design on the faceplate, from the little bit of it that we can see in the photo up top, indicate this machine is from the 1930s or early 1940s (assuming those parts are original). The old-school cylindrical Singerlight visible in the photo below also indicates the machine is from that era.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kRaXU-SV0b4/TyCadgCu9jI/AAAAAAAABNg/x2mjon0Eawo/s1600/0ericotta02.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kRaXU-SV0b4/TyCadgCu9jI/AAAAAAAABNg/x2mjon0Eawo/s400/0ericotta02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The “J-“ prefix on the serial number plate indicates your machine was made in Singer’s Canadian plant in Quebec.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7TNh6xZQic/TyCaefDiWiI/AAAAAAAABNo/AaGz0ZgLLmw/s1600/0ericotta03.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7TNh6xZQic/TyCaefDiWiI/AAAAAAAABNo/AaGz0ZgLLmw/s320/0ericotta03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Secondly, good on you for trying to run the motor with no load, that’s exactly the correct first step to test out a motor.<br />
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As you’ve observed, your machine uses a knee-activated controller.<br />
<i><b> </b></i> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3pUk7qeDhW8/TyCafGkdPqI/AAAAAAAABNw/Bx4FZG3YuqM/s1600/0ericotta04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3pUk7qeDhW8/TyCafGkdPqI/AAAAAAAABNw/Bx4FZG3YuqM/s640/0ericotta04.JPG" width="516" /></a></div><br />
For those readers unfamiliar with this device, it was an early alternative to the foot pedal most of us know, and it eventually fell out of favor. It consisted of a motor controller placed in the right side of the wooden base:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCunBjRUlSo/TyCag35V0sI/AAAAAAAABOA/IBNIg2ZFTVw/s1600/0ericotta06.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCunBjRUlSo/TyCag35V0sI/AAAAAAAABOA/IBNIg2ZFTVw/s400/0ericotta06.JPG" width="297" /></a></div><br />
The end of the removeable knee lever--which stows handily inside the case and underneath the machine, or occasionally up in the domed lid via clasps, when not in use--“plugs” into the hole in the front of the case. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2fed6fXeUA/TyCaf0lJKgI/AAAAAAAABN4/qwS4qSywogk/s1600/0ericotta05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2fed6fXeUA/TyCaf0lJKgI/AAAAAAAABN4/qwS4qSywogk/s640/0ericotta05.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Pressing against the lever would activate the motor controller, which is wired into the inside of the three-pin terminal.<br />
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Eric, there are three possibilities here: 1) The power cable is faulty. 2) The motor controller is faulty. 3) The potted motor itself is faulty. Hopefully it is #1 or #2 and not #3, as the first two are easy, relatively inexpensive fixes.<br />
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To see if it’s the power cable, try turning the light on. That’s not a 100% accurate test because the bulb may be burnt out, but at the very least, if the light does turn on you know there’s power flowing through the cable. Another thing you can do is bring your cable to the house of a friend with a vintage Singer--that cable will fit a variety of machines made in the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s and some in the ‘60s--and see if it powers his/her machine okay. If you determine your cable is what’s faulty, you can order a replacement from Sew-Classic for US $7.95 <a href="http://shop.sew-classic.com/Cord-Singer-Power-Cord-401-201-15-91-MORE-SCE122.htm">right here</a>. If you choose to go with a different supplier, perhaps someone local to you in Canada, note that you’re looking for a “single-lead” (as opposed to “double-lead”) cable.<br />
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If the motor controller is the problem, it is totally “worth re-wiring it to use a standard foot pedal,” to answer that question, and the good news is that it doesn’t quite require “re-wiring.” The motor controller leads are easily removed via two thumbscrews inside the three-pin terminal. There’s no cutting of wire or soldering required, it’s a simple mechanical connection. To see how to remove the leads, <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-7.html">click here</a> and look at the parts of the entry that pertain to removing the two motor leads, which in your case are really the controller leads. Be sure to note which two pins in the terminal those leads connect to.<br />
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To replace your motor controller with a foot pedal, you’ll need to spend a tad more. You’ll need to buy a foot controller; the least expensive offered by my preferred supplier, <a href="http://shop.sew-classic.com/Foot-Control-Black-2-Wire-METAL-SCE507.htm">Sew-Classic again,</a> goes for US $11.95. <br />
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What you can do is connect the two leads from your new foot pedal to the same two posts that you disconnected the original motor controller leads from. Then you can remove the old motor controller (attached via screws) from that compartment on the right of the wooden base, and store the pedal there. <br />
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Alternatively, if you’d like an original Singer foot pedal, you can check eBay. <br />
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If it’s the motor that’s bad, then you’ve got a fair amount of work ahead of you to figure out what exactly is wrong with it, and if it’s fixable. You may want to browse the complete “<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2012/01/complete-how-to-re-wire-potted-motor.html">How to Re-Wire a Potted Motor</a>” to determine how to disassemble the motor so that you can inspect the wiring, one possible culprit. But if it’s something beyond bad wiring--a burnt-out field core, for example--that’s beyond the range of my fix-it knowledge.<br />
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If you do determine the potted motor is what’s faulty, you will occasionally spot someone selling one on eBay. <br />
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Whatever you do, please don’t throw that motor controller out, even if you determine it’s bad; if you stay in this hobby long enough, you will eventually encounter someone else who may need a part from that controller--even if it’s just a single screw--so you may be able to help them rescue an otherwise non-functioning machine. Ditto with the knee lever.<br />
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Best of luck with it, congrats on the machine--I love those chrome-rimmed handwheels!--and let us all know how it turns out.Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-56610776326710272702012-01-06T13:50:00.001-05:002012-01-06T13:55:44.095-05:00Hans and the Singer 206, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yxkRJcHUFDw/TwYzyw-D2-I/AAAAAAAABNM/zmkZHbaZS2w/s1600/0hans20603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yxkRJcHUFDw/TwYzyw-D2-I/AAAAAAAABNM/zmkZHbaZS2w/s640/0hans20603.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Here's Part 2 of Hans from Chicago's questions about his Singer 206.<br />
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<i><b>Is there any type of regular maintenance a 206 requires (oiling?) to care for them?</b></i><br />
Of course. Every vintage Singer requires regular oiling at a minimum (<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-oil-your-sewing-machine-using.html%20">click here</a> to learn how to oil your machine), and I always check the wiring and the motor for safety’s sake. You'll also want to check that the belt is properly adjusted.<br />
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<i><b>This machine came with a needle, bobbin and bobbin case, so I believe it is operable. Are there other attachments that are needed/beneficial?</b></i><br />
Needed or beneficial for what? Please understand it is impossible to answer vague questions like this.<br />
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<i><b>I have read this machine uses an unusual needle (206x13) and using the wrong one will nick up the bobbin case.</b></i><br />
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That’s absolutely true, a 15x1 needle should not be used on this machine. The 206x13 needle is a bit more expensive than the more common 15x1 needles used by model 15s, 201s, 221s et cetera. For that reason, some people muck with the timing on the 206 (and related 306) to use the 15x1 needle, but based on what I’ve read from those more experienced than I, this is not a good idea and ought not be done. <br />
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For your edification on this topic, I recommend you join the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vintagesingers/">Vintage Singers Yahoo Group</a> and search through the archives to read up on it. I do not recommend you pose questions to the group on that topic until you have read through the archives, as it has already been discussed to death; many of the kind and knowledgeable folks on the forum have dedicated much of their time to explaining it, and I think it would be inconsiderate to ask them to repeat themselves.<br />
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<i><b>Do you know of a good supplier for these needles?</b></i><br />
There are tons of suppliers, but I haven’t ordered enough 206x13 needles to know which is better than another. I’m not the best person to answer this question, you’re better off poking around on forums that deal more heavily with actual sewing.<br />
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<i><b>Is the 206 really "<a href="http://sewing-machines.blogspot.com/2009/08/singer-that-should-be-forgotten.html">The Singer That Should Be Forgotten</a>"? </b></i><br />
Hans, like many people you're sending me a question seeking a factual answer to a matter that is rooted in opinion. You might as well ask me "Is France really a good place to live?"<br />
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The link you’ve provided is to the blog written by Ed L., a well-respected vintage sewing machine aficionado who founded the Vintage Singers group. I’ve never had the pleasure of corresponding with Ed, but I believe he would tell you the same thing I would: That a sewing machine becomes an intensely personal item to the user, and that there’s no accounting for taste. If you spend time around them you’ll find there’s a model you ought to hate that you simply love, and vice versa. Ed clearly states his reasons for why he dislikes the 206.<br />
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Another vintage sewing machine aficionado was the dearly departed Ray W., a longtime contributor to various sewing machine forums, and he has stated that the 206 was one of his favorite machines and his main machine for many years.<br />
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Whether or not the 206 should be forgotten by you is entirely up to you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-brVTWn4QuYo/TwYzyTHPpjI/AAAAAAAABNE/vHSOskL3rkk/s1600/0hans20602.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-brVTWn4QuYo/TwYzyTHPpjI/AAAAAAAABNE/vHSOskL3rkk/s640/0hans20602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-78686525843283731812012-01-05T21:57:00.001-05:002012-01-05T22:00:16.260-05:00Reader Questions: Hans and the Singer 206, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WE3u5C_9LSY/TwYzx8aTNbI/AAAAAAAABM8/y9zWRzrtjE0/s1600/0hans20601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WE3u5C_9LSY/TwYzx8aTNbI/AAAAAAAABM8/y9zWRzrtjE0/s640/0hans20601.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Time to answer some reader questions. These photos here were sent to me by reader Hans in Chicago. As he writes,<br />
<b><i><br />
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<b><i>In a thrift store, my wife bought this Singer model 206. Our six-year-old recently expressed interest in sewing and we were looking for a machine to get her started.</i></b><br />
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Hi Hans, I really like the 206 and own several. That being said, the 206 wouldn’t be my top choice to teach sewing to a child, for two reasons: <br />
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One, the zigzag adds a layer of complexity you could avoid with a straight-stitch model like the 15, 201, 99, 66 or 221. <br />
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Two, more significantly, the design of the 206 requires that the entire machine be tilted back on its cabinet-mounted hinges in order to access and change the bobbin. Some 206s are aluminum, rather than the heavier cast-iron, but even with an aluminum model, this process will likely not be easy for a six-year-old child. You’ll also have to ensure they don’t let the machine slam back down on their fingers.<br />
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From what I’ve read in the forums, many people teach children to sew using handcrank machines. If you go this route, I think the most economical route to go would be to acquire a cheap model 99 or Spartan and buy an aftermarket handcrank. <a href="http://shop.sew-classic.com/Hand-Crank-Treadle_c31.htm">Jenny at Sew-Classic</a> sells them.<br />
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I should also mention that I’m not a skilled seamster and have no experience teaching sewing to either children or adults. If any readers have any experience in this area and can help Hans out with recommendations, please feel free to sound off in the comments.<br />
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<b>More to come in Part 2.</b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-25345003597861975262012-01-01T15:25:00.002-05:002012-01-01T15:36:35.215-05:00The Complete “How to Re-wire a Potted Motor”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_u989b3y3MM/TwDDLFj9OeI/AAAAAAAABMw/XMjy2cJ_bc8/s1600/0rewireall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_u989b3y3MM/TwDDLFj9OeI/AAAAAAAABMw/XMjy2cJ_bc8/s640/0rewireall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
If you are arriving at this entry for the first time, this is a comprehensive guide on how to re-wire the potted motors found on vintage Singer 15-91 and 201-2 sewing machines. It is my attempt to walk someone with zero experience through the entire process.<br />
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For your convenience, here are links to all 20 entries in the series. This way you can bookmark this page as a Table of Contents and quickly get to the entry you need. <br />
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</div><b>Part A: Skills Building</b> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-1-wire.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VgGhoDLQTXs/TuUQS4CrbBI/AAAAAAAAAhE/6pO86wyfACc/s200/Rewire120.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-1-wire.html">1: Wire, Wire Stripping and Wire Braiding </a><br />
Learn about the tools and wiring basics you’ll need to know to re-wire a motor. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ji4Ne-lhBZc/TubDhSXLnkI/AAAAAAAAAiE/IPFUxfwh1Hw/s1600/0rewire207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ji4Ne-lhBZc/TubDhSXLnkI/AAAAAAAAAiE/IPFUxfwh1Hw/s200/0rewire207.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-2.html">2: Tools & Materials Required for Soldering</a><br />
Learn what equipment you'll need to complete basic wire soldering.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnsvMxfSEgE/TukbzKDJHrI/AAAAAAAAAkM/4AOUZ_iniJU/s1600/0rewire309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnsvMxfSEgE/TukbzKDJHrI/AAAAAAAAAkM/4AOUZ_iniJU/s200/0rewire309.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-3.html">3: Learning to Solder</a><br />
Learn and practice basic wire soldering.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kYG8QfckQZM/Tuq2VyyQpdI/AAAAAAAAAkU/oPG0uATbTsI/s1600/0rewire401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kYG8QfckQZM/Tuq2VyyQpdI/AAAAAAAAAkU/oPG0uATbTsI/s200/0rewire401.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-4-how.html">4: How to Terminate Your Wires</a><br />
Learn how to create connections for attaching wiring to power terminals.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sI6oALbFKoI/TutEQeAu_jI/AAAAAAAAAn0/DuaJ4GyoFRw/s1600/0rewire501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sI6oALbFKoI/TutEQeAu_jI/AAAAAAAAAn0/DuaJ4GyoFRw/s200/0rewire501.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-5.html">5: Covering Wire Joints with Heat Shrink Tubing </a><br />
Learn how to clean up exposed wiring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpVjbz7rfTY/TuyxmRpTVBI/AAAAAAAAAoM/QFhd2U3AQj0/s1600/0rewire601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpVjbz7rfTY/TuyxmRpTVBI/AAAAAAAAAoM/QFhd2U3AQj0/s200/0rewire601.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-6.html">6: The Underwriter's Knot</a><br />
Learn how to tie wiring into a strain-relieving knot.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>Part B: Motor Disassembly </b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Emax_ua5uU/Tu1Nvhko7OI/AAAAAAAAArY/jvrySYGqTN4/s1600/0rewire709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Emax_ua5uU/Tu1Nvhko7OI/AAAAAAAAArY/jvrySYGqTN4/s200/0rewire709.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-7.html">7: Disconnecting the Motor Leads </a><br />
Learn to detach your sewing machine’s power terminal and wiring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcPIb-jNDs/Tu58bWb_N9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/kOgjfkXE0qo/s1600/0rewire823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcPIb-jNDs/Tu58bWb_N9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/kOgjfkXE0qo/s200/0rewire823.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-8.html">8: Motor Housing Removal </a><br />
Learn to take the motor off of your machine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AP2cFk1jGK0/TvDy-vGYOoI/AAAAAAAAAu8/WRohLWaQLy4/s1600/0rewire901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AP2cFk1jGK0/TvDy-vGYOoI/AAAAAAAAAu8/WRohLWaQLy4/s200/0rewire901.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-10.html">9: Grease Wick Removal</a><br />
Learn how to remove those grease wicks and where to get replacements.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71xU501C1HE/TvIr-cjZTPI/AAAAAAAAAyk/7caLi3bs48k/s1600/0rewire1009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71xU501C1HE/TvIr-cjZTPI/AAAAAAAAAyk/7caLi3bs48k/s200/0rewire1009.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-10_21.html">10: Motor Brush Removal</a><br />
Learn how to take those motor brushes out and look for signs of motor trouble. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wND8rB3xCUk/TvOHfoIaLFI/AAAAAAAAA08/5b51o9J-PWY/s1600/0rewire1116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wND8rB3xCUk/TvOHfoIaLFI/AAAAAAAAA08/5b51o9J-PWY/s200/0rewire1116.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-11.html">11: Armature & Worm Removal</a><br />
Learn to remove two crucial parts of your motor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7RSKhLiJ1U/TvTwTDjR1PI/AAAAAAAAA3o/VadeH-Iru2A/s1600/0rewire1215.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7RSKhLiJ1U/TvTwTDjR1PI/AAAAAAAAA3o/VadeH-Iru2A/s200/0rewire1215.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_598142716"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-12.html">12: Detaching the Field Core</a><br />
Learn how to safely crack the motor open.<br />
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<b> Part C: Making Repairs</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtZGX5ezYRA/TvZNx3u1fyI/AAAAAAAAA4U/IOBL5AmyeVo/s1600/0rewire1303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtZGX5ezYRA/TvZNx3u1fyI/AAAAAAAAA4U/IOBL5AmyeVo/s200/0rewire1303.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-13.html">13: Cutting and Prepping the Motor Leads</a><br />
Learn where to cut the bad wiring off.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtlDp2TscW4/Tvd21gxAgII/AAAAAAAAA7Y/NW3qebg7CdI/s1600/0rewire1411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtlDp2TscW4/Tvd21gxAgII/AAAAAAAAA7Y/NW3qebg7CdI/s200/0rewire1411.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_598142722"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-14.html">14: Replacing the Motor Housing Grommet</a><br />
Learn how to remove a cracked rubber grommet, where to get a new one, and how to put it in.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sYHezA9PvM0/TvjZTLQFaSI/AAAAAAAAA8c/1hGsiFVzXUg/s1600/0rewire1507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sYHezA9PvM0/TvjZTLQFaSI/AAAAAAAAA8c/1hGsiFVzXUg/s200/0rewire1507.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-15.html">15: Soldering On New Motor Leads</a><br />
Learn where and how to solder on the new wiring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0S_Y7Q0gdI/Tvt7JjiaOdI/AAAAAAAABDo/wLsgDGG7qD4/s1600/0rewire1713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0S_Y7Q0gdI/Tvt7JjiaOdI/AAAAAAAABDo/wLsgDGG7qD4/s200/0rewire1713.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_598142728"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-17.html">17 (Yes, this is out of sequence): Cleaning the Commutator</a><br />
Learn how to clean off a crucial element of your motor.<br />
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<b>Part D: Motor Re-assembly</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VCYRyovY2zI/TvpG8Ckdb-I/AAAAAAAABB0/kc0irPsodGA/s1600/0rewire1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VCYRyovY2zI/TvpG8Ckdb-I/AAAAAAAABB0/kc0irPsodGA/s200/0rewire1615.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-16-re.html">16: Re-attaching the Field Core</a><br />
Here we start putting the motor back together.<br />
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<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-18-re.html">18 (Yes, this is out of sequence): Re-installing the Armature and Worm</a><br />
Learn the tricks behind putting these two crucial parts of your motor back together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kq6BT_bYJjo/Tv4s4Kk5lFI/AAAAAAAABIA/Bwbp42-TUl0/s1600/0rewire1920.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kq6BT_bYJjo/Tv4s4Kk5lFI/AAAAAAAABIA/Bwbp42-TUl0/s200/0rewire1920.jpg" width="200" /> </a></div><br />
<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-19-re.html">19: Re-installing the Brushes and Grease Wicks</a><br />
Learn to easily re-install these correctly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LKujWKKucoI/Tv9J0AyilDI/AAAAAAAABLc/T3jbs2s7guQ/s1600/0rewire2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LKujWKKucoI/Tv9J0AyilDI/AAAAAAAABLc/T3jbs2s7guQ/s200/0rewire2023.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-20.html">20: Hooking It All Back Up</a><br />
Here in the final step we finish up the wiring, run the motor in, and put it all back together.<br />
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[A caveat: I hope you'll be able to bring your potted motor back to life with new, safe wiring, as shown here. But please be aware that these steps are not an absolute guarantee of success, as a small percentage of motors may be completely burned out, which is currently beyond my capabilities.]Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-55399008797050656222011-12-31T14:18:00.006-05:002011-12-31T16:46:34.058-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 20: Hooking It All Back Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jzE2J2zoAFc/Tv9Jn4B28ZI/AAAAAAAABIs/_F7TUpvWv5g/s1600/0rewire2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jzE2J2zoAFc/Tv9Jn4B28ZI/AAAAAAAABIs/_F7TUpvWv5g/s640/0rewire2001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now we’re at the final step to getting your machine back up and running!<br />
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Start by sliding your newly-renovated motor onto the shaft.<br />
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Tighten the two motor mounting screws securely.<br />
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Then, unscrew the terminal body. Note that I’ve tucked the two motor leads behind the terminal mounting bracket. This is so that we can determine the proper length to cut the tails.<br />
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Now we’re going to make new connections on the ends of the wires. As we went over in <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-4-how.html">Part 4</a>, you can either make your own eyelet and solder it, or use crimp-on connectors. <br />
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<b>Option 1: Self-Made Eyelets</b><br />
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The self-made-eyelet-and-soldering route requires plenty of wire, which is why we’ve left the “tails” of the motor leads so long. You’ll need to calculate where to cut the wire such that you’ll have plenty of material to form your ring. I suggest measuring and practicing on a scrap piece of wire first, so you can be certain where to cut and strip in order to produce a ring that will still reach the post it needs to connect to in the terminal body. If in doubt, cut too long, not too short!<br />
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<b>Option 2: Crimp-On Connectors</b><br />
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Here I’m going to do crimp-on connectors, which requires less length and is easier for me to execute. I generally determine where to cut by letting the terminal body hang naturally, supported by the lighting wires that are still connected, and then drawing the motor lead over the knob that it will fit under. I then pinch the wire to the side of the knob furthest from the motor, as shown in the photo, and cut there. This will make the final wire long enough that I can comfortably manipulate it into place.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OXb9MkOYfnU/Tv9JrLY_qPI/AAAAAAAABJM/DMdhgohUS1I/s1600/0rewire2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OXb9MkOYfnU/Tv9JrLY_qPI/AAAAAAAABJM/DMdhgohUS1I/s640/0rewire2005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Next I strip the wire ends to the length required for a crimp-on connector, just 1/4" or so.<br />
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Then I gather the connectors and, very important, I immediately cut two pieces of 1/8” heat shrink tubing about 1/2" long.<br />
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I slide the heat shrink tubing onto the wires first…<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9wt2IZWIFM/Tv9JtNoMNkI/AAAAAAAABJo/R6HA1a4Xyc4/s1600/0rewire2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9wt2IZWIFM/Tv9JtNoMNkI/AAAAAAAABJo/R6HA1a4Xyc4/s400/0rewire2009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
…and only then do I attach the connectors and crimp them on.<br />
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Then I slide the heat shrink tubing down into place, as seen below. You’ll notice that now I’ve pulled the motor leads OVER the terminal mounting bracket.<br />
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I’ve done that so that I can get the wiring a good distance away from everything else, to comfortably fit a lighter under the heat shrink tubing.<br />
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Now they’re heat-shrunk and ready to go.<br />
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<b>Re-Attaching the Wiring</b><br />
When the ring connectors are ready, tuck the wiring back UNDER the mounting bracket, in their final position. Pull the red and black wires over to their appropriate posts on the terminal. (Here I’m working on a 201-2, which has a light switch, and you’ll observe I’ve had to thread the black wire underneath a different wire that arches over it, connecting the light switch to the red post.) If you have a cabinet-mounted machine, connect the foot controller wires too, even if the machine isn’t in the cabinet yet. We need to do some testing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3pFlvS25ik/Tv9Jv73TzjI/AAAAAAAABKc/LXgOELriQ0Q/s1600/0rewire2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3pFlvS25ik/Tv9Jv73TzjI/AAAAAAAABKc/LXgOELriQ0Q/s640/0rewire2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
After connecting the right wires to the right posts, we tighten up the thumb screws. Get all three of them as absolutely tight as you can with your fingers.<br />
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Now it looks like this. Be sure you’ve got the motor leads tucked BEHIND the bracket…<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gF_9rNYkWUs/Tv9JxMfOR-I/AAAAAAAABKs/8tOn15F9xAs/s1600/0rewire2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gF_9rNYkWUs/Tv9JxMfOR-I/AAAAAAAABKs/8tOn15F9xAs/s640/0rewire2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
…then screw the terminal back into the machine. Do NOT overtighten this screw. The terminal body is made of plastic and easy to break. You only want to get it tight enough that it doesn’t wiggle around when you plug the cord into it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mCLlDqXyM3Q/Tv9JxkYIDeI/AAAAAAAABK0/7SWF8MVKw14/s1600/0rewire2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mCLlDqXyM3Q/Tv9JxkYIDeI/AAAAAAAABK0/7SWF8MVKw14/s320/0rewire2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I’ve grossly overexposed the next shot so you can see how the motor leads come down unobtrusively from the motor and disappear behind the mounting bracket.<br />
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Now we’re at the moment of truth!<br />
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<b>Running the Motor</b><br />
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I plug the machine back in without re-attaching the handwheel, because I want to run the motor with no load--that is to say, not powering the rest of the machine--to ensure that it runs smoothly. This way if the motor doesn’t run, I know it can only be the motor that is the problem, and not some jam somewhere else in the machine.<br />
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Then I get the button controller up on the table. (And obviously, you should not stick your fingers inside the motor housing for any reason!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Nd-0JyWoEA/Tv9JzDnZy0I/AAAAAAAABLM/61Kdq6WrL18/s1600/0rewire2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Nd-0JyWoEA/Tv9JzDnZy0I/AAAAAAAABLM/61Kdq6WrL18/s320/0rewire2021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here are the results:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/j2INhTjbMco" width="640"></iframe> <br />
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That’s the sound of a potted motor 201 running with no load. Sounds very different than when it’s connected to the rest of the machine, no? Sort of reminds me of a jet engine. I’ll continue running it for a few moments to ensure it runs consistently. And if you’ve inserted new brushes, you ought to run the motor for five minutes or so anyway, to wear the brushes in. <br />
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<b>Warning #1:</b> If you run the motor as I’ve done in the video above but it sounds different--for example, if it buzzes first and starts haltingly--STOP and unplug the motor immediately.<br />
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<b>Warning #2: </b>If you run the motor for a few minutes and it gets warm, that’s fine, particularly if you’ve been running it full tilt. But if it gets HOT, please STOP and unplug the motor immediately.<br />
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Both of those warnings are signs that something is wrong with your motor, either in the field core, the windings or the armature itself. And that something might be dangerous, which is why we ought to unplug the machine immediately. Sadly, those problems are currently beyond the scope of this blog. <br />
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But hopefully, everthing has turned out fine. <br />
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<b>Re-attaching the Handwheel</b><br />
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It’s my habit to unplug the motor when I re-attach the handwheel, though strictly speaking it’s probably not necessary.<br />
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The next thing I do is use the grease syringe to dab some droplets of grease around the perimeter of the fiber gear. People often over-grease these things, but you really don’t need to go nuts with it. <br />
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Then I put a single drop of oil on the shaft.<br />
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Next I slide the handwheel on.<br />
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Replace the washer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PH0XfEQd0Ks/Tu58LStzQPI/AAAAAAAAAsM/yivH7hcigHc/s1600/0rewire804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PH0XfEQd0Ks/Tu58LStzQPI/AAAAAAAAAsM/yivH7hcigHc/s320/0rewire804.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then screw the stop-motion wheel in, all the way.<br />
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Don’t forget to tighten the set screw.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Omq1YWt-LIw/Tu58JYVR_LI/AAAAAAAAAr0/FbTDA5X9wM4/s1600/0rewire801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Omq1YWt-LIw/Tu58JYVR_LI/AAAAAAAAAr0/FbTDA5X9wM4/s400/0rewire801.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
That’s it! Congratulations and enjoy your machine!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in business.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-73227290839469696642011-12-30T16:49:00.001-05:002011-12-31T15:17:27.722-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 19: Re-installing the Brushes and Grease Wicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kq6BT_bYJjo/Tv4s4Kk5lFI/AAAAAAAABIA/Bwbp42-TUl0/s1600/0rewire1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kq6BT_bYJjo/Tv4s4Kk5lFI/AAAAAAAABIA/Bwbp42-TUl0/s640/0rewire1920.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the armature and worm back in place, we’re now ready to install the final items: The brushes and grease wicks, and then we'll re-fill the grease tubes, as seen above. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We’ll start with the brushes.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Old Brushes or New Brushes?</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If your brushes are clean--meaning you’ve wiped them down with a napkin to remove loose grit and no previous owner has mucked them up with oil or grease--and 3/8” or longer in length, it should be fine. Once a brush gets down to 1/4" or less in length, it needs to be replaced. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With brushes that have been ruined by oil, I’ve read that some people use a flame to burn the oil off of them or otherwise clean them, but I do not have any experience in this area and cannot offer guidance as to whether it’s appropriate. I simply play it safe and replace them.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On that note, a motor expert whom I met in Ray White’s class told me he always replaces the brushes, no matter what. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Where to Get New Brushes</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I order my replacement brushes from Jenny at Sew-Classic (<a href="http://shop.sew-classic.com/Carbon-Motor-Brush-w-spring-Singer-221-201-2-15-91-others-SCE192457.htm">here's a link</a>). You may also be able to find replacements in your local hardware store; the dimensions you’re looking for are 3/16” by 3/16” square, and 3/8” or 1/2” long. You can also bring your old brushes down there to match them up.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Installing the Brushes</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’ve often read that people mark the orientation of their brushes when removing them from the motor, in order to be sure they go back in the same way. I don’t think this is necessary; now that you know what a commutator looks like and where it is inside the machine, it’s easy to tell, at a glance, how your brush should go into the machine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">First off observe that the end of your brushes (unless they’re brand-new, I’ll get to that in a sec) have curves worn into them. </div><br />
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That curve is worn into place by the brush riding on the commutator’s curved surface. <br />
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And even when the commutator's tucked out of sight inside the motor, the very shape of the potted motor housing echoes that curve.<br />
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So, it’s pretty easy to figure out which way the brush goes in; just make sure the curves match up.<br />
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As you’re inserting your brush into the brush tube, which we cleaned out earlier, be sure that the brush slides freely in the tube. If you feel it stick, don’t force it in--stop what you’re doing and remove the brush. You’ll need to do a better job cleaning out that brush tube.<br />
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Once your brush is inside, screw the brush tube cap on, ensuring that the spring is centered in the cap.<br />
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I tighten these caps very gently, since they are made of Bakelite and easy to break.<br />
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If your brushes are new, they may be completely flat on the ends. In that case you just insert them, and later you’ll run the motor for a few minutes to wear the brushes into the appropriate shape.<br />
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Once you’ve installed the brushes on both sides, we move on to the grease wicks.<br />
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<b>Grease</b><br />
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Obviously you’ll need some grease. Be aware that all grease is not the same, they have different viscosities. What you want is specifically Singer-brand grease. If that is not available, you can actually use Vaseline or petroleum jelly, as that is the proper viscosity as well. (I would not recommend using Tri-Flow grease, which is impregnated with Teflon, and there’s debate as to whether the Teflon clogs up the wicks, preventing the grease from getting into them properly.)<br />
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In the photo above, below the Singer tube is a syringe from Jenny at Sew-Classic that I’ve loaded up with grease. The syringe is not strictly necessary, but I find it much more convenient to use, and now I’d rather not go back to not using one.<br />
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<b>Installing the Grease Wicks</b><br />
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Now we turn to the grease wicks themselves. Here you can see I’ve “screwed” new wicks into the springs, and you can see the topmost one features the spring I mangled out of shape when removing it. <br />
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I have tried--and failed--to restore that spring to its original condition, which is okay here because the exact tension of the grease wick springs is not crucial. What you want to do is cut the new grease wicks to be about 3/4" in length, and screw it into the spring far enough that the overall length is about 1 1/8”.<br />
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Once that's done, I dab just a few droplets of grease on the business end of the wick, as it will take some time for them to properly absorb the grease we’ll fill the grease tubes with, and I’d like a little lubrication on the shaft from the get-go.<br />
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Next I insert the grease wicks into the tubes. Be sure to look inside the tubes first to locate the holes in which to place the wicks.<br />
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Following that I place the retaining clips on top of each spring, oriented as in the photos. (Left and right are mirror images of each other.) Be sure the tab on the clip completely covers the spring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXbYV3qxqmM/Tv4spyC5DtI/AAAAAAAABHA/204xoq4Y-TA/s1600/0rewire1912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXbYV3qxqmM/Tv4spyC5DtI/AAAAAAAABHA/204xoq4Y-TA/s640/0rewire1912.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BEYdEeogfts/Tv4stwCTPlI/AAAAAAAABHI/siIQgrrdiuI/s1600/0rewire1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BEYdEeogfts/Tv4stwCTPlI/AAAAAAAABHI/siIQgrrdiuI/s640/0rewire1913.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note that the tab completely covers the spring.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Then, using my forceps, I very gently squeeze the part of the clip encircling the spring. This temporarily bends the clip into itself, just slightly, so that you can slide it down into the tube. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWbRbHpyThM/Tv4swUm2QKI/AAAAAAAABHY/bNli4rr9dwo/s1600/0rewire1915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWbRbHpyThM/Tv4swUm2QKI/AAAAAAAABHY/bNli4rr9dwo/s400/0rewire1915.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B6Cm1D6Rb3Q/Tv4sw5TzC7I/AAAAAAAABHg/Dh4V0c4qky0/s1600/0rewire1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B6Cm1D6Rb3Q/Tv4sw5TzC7I/AAAAAAAABHg/Dh4V0c4qky0/s640/0rewire1916.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Push the clip down so it’s at least past the first few screw threads carved into the side of the tube. You don’t have to shove the clip down all the way; later when we screw the caps in, the caps will push the clip down to the appropriate place.<br />
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Next I use the syringe to load the tubes up with grease.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M5vd1b_MZOw/Tv4s0gHTLEI/AAAAAAAABHw/SpdsAfmBDoI/s1600/0rewire1918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M5vd1b_MZOw/Tv4s0gHTLEI/AAAAAAAABHw/SpdsAfmBDoI/s640/0rewire1918.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
You don’t have to go nuts here, just fill the empty spaces with grease, as shown in the photo. If you put in too much, it’s going to squirt out onto the caps when we screw them on, and we don’t want to do that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bnzLAV10an8/Tv4s2qoOoBI/AAAAAAAABH4/1WcJaTOkqPg/s1600/0rewire1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bnzLAV10an8/Tv4s2qoOoBI/AAAAAAAABH4/1WcJaTOkqPg/s640/0rewire1919.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now we screw the caps in. If you can’t get a good grip with your fingers, don’t forget you can always use a penny to tighten them.</div><br />
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Next we pop the motor cover back on, and tighten the screws.<br />
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They don’t have to be terribly tight, so don’t knock yourself out; the chances of the motor cover vibrating off of the machine are slim.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmnLN-K2FTQ/Tv4s5mMJJdI/AAAAAAAABIY/sUvxDrCqhws/s1600/0rewire1923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmnLN-K2FTQ/Tv4s5mMJJdI/AAAAAAAABIY/sUvxDrCqhws/s400/0rewire1923.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We’re almost ready to go! <br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-20.html">Part 20: Hooking It All Back Up</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-81431469433100358372011-12-29T15:40:00.004-05:002011-12-30T16:50:03.366-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 18: Re-installing the Armature and Worm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bZdZODf2goI/TvzOAcxm5yI/AAAAAAAABD0/EaTRpEkHd9I/s1600/0rewire1801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bZdZODf2goI/TvzOAcxm5yI/AAAAAAAABD0/EaTRpEkHd9I/s640/0rewire1801.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Folks, we’re now very close to the end. Having succesfully completed the actual re-wiring, your machine should now be up and running in no time. But first we have just a few more mechanical steps to get through.<br />
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Now we'll start closing the motor up, in preparation for re-attaching it to the rest of the machine. First, grab the worm, and I’ll show you a little time-saving trick.<br />
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Take one of the worm screws and insert it into one of the holes (doesn’t matter which one) and ensure that it’s properly seated. Then, screw it in a little, about three half-turns or so.<br />
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Look through the worm to be sure the screw is not intruding into the center.<br />
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Then, take the armature (double-checking that the fiber washer is on the shaft, where it’s supposed to be) and insert the armature shaft into the bearing just a half-inch or so. We stick it in just enough so that it stays in place. (Please orient your motor as in the photo above, with the motor information tag facing you, so you can easily follow along here.)<br />
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Next, grab some forceps or tweezers, anything you can use to hold the worm steady.<br />
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Then insert the worm back inside the housing, between the two bearings. It’s not going to stay there by itself, so you need to hold it steady in what you can only guess is the right position.<br />
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Once you think you’ve got it centered between the bearings, push the end of the armature the rest of the way in. It may require several tries to get the worm centered in the right spot, so be patient.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S1aM0euJtd0/TvzODUuEXgI/AAAAAAAABEk/tXIdynkZPU0/s1600/0rewire1807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S1aM0euJtd0/TvzODUuEXgI/AAAAAAAABEk/tXIdynkZPU0/s400/0rewire1807.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note that I push from the center, so as not to touch the exposed copper wiring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Once you feel the armature slide into the worm, push it all the way inside. Then use one if your fingers to spin the worm until the open screwhole is facing you, and you can see the armature shaft inside.<br />
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Place one finger on the worm to hold it steady, with the empty screwhole facing you, while using your other hand to rotate the armature. Keep your eyes on the empty screwhole as you do. We need to spin the armature until we see the flat part of the shaft appear in the empty screwhole.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UXkZtwmuTkg/TvzOFWWn_5I/AAAAAAAABE0/Gbe_bdknGXw/s1600/0rewire1809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UXkZtwmuTkg/TvzOFWWn_5I/AAAAAAAABE0/Gbe_bdknGXw/s400/0rewire1809.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spin the armature...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXNg6MqUSjQ/TvzOGx2SzCI/AAAAAAAABE8/jwK8PFtNJoA/s1600/0rewire1810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXNg6MqUSjQ/TvzOGx2SzCI/AAAAAAAABE8/jwK8PFtNJoA/s640/0rewire1810.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...until you see the flat spot through the screwhole.</td></tr>
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Here are some blow-ups so you can tell the difference:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvdXF4RKbGc/TvzOIw8tz1I/AAAAAAAABFE/tBlXInjd0ko/s1600/0rewire1811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvdXF4RKbGc/TvzOIw8tz1I/AAAAAAAABFE/tBlXInjd0ko/s640/0rewire1811.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, through the hole, we see the regular, cylindrical part of the armature shaft.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y10q3JlkmIE/TvzOK46nSdI/AAAAAAAABFM/L0xTgU8hdqE/s1600/0rewire1812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y10q3JlkmIE/TvzOK46nSdI/AAAAAAAABFM/L0xTgU8hdqE/s640/0rewire1812.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But here, we see the flat part of the shaft.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Now, here’s the tricky part: While keeping the hole directly over the flat part of the shaft, take the missing screw, insert it into the screwhole, and tighten it down. While doing this, keep the fingers of your left hand on the armature to hold it steady, preventing it from rotating.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L_dcEQhGpsE/TvzOMpwFWjI/AAAAAAAABFU/VneVwhAo2TE/s1600/0rewire1813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L_dcEQhGpsE/TvzOMpwFWjI/AAAAAAAABFU/VneVwhAo2TE/s640/0rewire1813.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
It’s tricky because the worm may wobble a bit while you’re doing this, but be patient and tighten the screw slowly while doing the best you can to keep everything in place. Eventually you’ll feel the tip of the screw make contact with the flat spot on the armature shaft, assuming you've kept the worm correctly positioned, and then the worm will stop wobbling. Then, tighten the screw down quite securely.<br />
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Next, spin the worm & armature (which should be moving together by now) so you can see the other screw, and tighten that one down all the way as well.<br />
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Once that’s done, you’re good! The armature and worm are now connected.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-69sq219hbJg/TvzONOn5z2I/AAAAAAAABFc/Cc9c6dqxfm4/s1600/0rewire1814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-69sq219hbJg/TvzONOn5z2I/AAAAAAAABFc/Cc9c6dqxfm4/s400/0rewire1814.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-19-re.html">Part 19: Re-installing the Brushes and Grease Wicks, and Refilling the Grease Tubes</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-3630557560707025852011-12-28T15:38:00.003-05:002011-12-29T15:40:57.416-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 17: Cleaning the Commutator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8V9RLf2p_7s/Tvt68o1PEVI/AAAAAAAABCI/_lkFaKlmSvM/s1600/0rewire1701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8V9RLf2p_7s/Tvt68o1PEVI/AAAAAAAABCI/_lkFaKlmSvM/s640/0rewire1701.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now that our potted motor has been rewired and is partially back together, we need to put the armature back inside. But first we ought to clean the part of the armature called the commutator. The commutator is the series of copper bars arrayed in a ring. They are what the motor brushes make contact with, and they need to be smooth and clean so that electricity can be transmitted between commutator and brush.<br />
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The Singer manuals all say to clean your commutator with nothing more than a pencil eraser, but in practice that’s never worked for me. Perhaps it was a valid fix five or ten years into the life of the machines, but some of mine are from the 1930s and require more aggressive cleaning techniques involving a power drill and some sandpaper. The best thing to use is actually a rubber honing stick, but as I'm guessing most of you don't have access to those, I'll show you how to do this with sandpaper you can find in any hardware store.<br />
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But, by all means, first give the pencil eraser a shot; if yours come clean with an eraser, you can save yourself some trouble and skip the rest of this entry. (You’ll know it’s clean, by the way, when the surface looks like a clean penny. It doesn’t have to be completely sparkling, but there ought not be any dark spots.)<br />
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First off, here’s a Worst-Case Scenario armature. (Actually I should upgrade this to a Bad-Case Scenario armature--for a truly Worst-Case one, check out <a href="http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-201.html">this one on the MSMO blog</a>.) This is from a potted motor where someone apparently squirted oil directly down the brush tubes. The commutator is covered in black: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OYqkoJfXfK4/Tvt6-NJVsAI/AAAAAAAABCQ/Jc8TdA3Rzkg/s1600/0rewire1702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OYqkoJfXfK4/Tvt6-NJVsAI/AAAAAAAABCQ/Jc8TdA3Rzkg/s640/0rewire1702.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
By using a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol, I’m able to get it to the state seen in the photo below. While doing it I have to be careful to use the smallest amount of alcohol possible, blotting the Q-Tips well, so that no excess fluid runs onto the wiring insulation, where it is bound to do some damage. Then I’m ready for the next step.<br />
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This is what your normal dirty armature looks like, in a machine where someone has not mistakenly injected oil into it. If it only looks like this, you can skip the rubbing alcohol step and start from here.<br />
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What you want to do is get two different grits of wet/dry sandpaper, available at any hardware store: 600 grit for the initial cleaning, and 1500 grit for the final polish. <br />
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Cut a strip off of each sheet, preferably off of the long side, that is 3/8” wide.<br />
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Then insert the shaft of your armature into a power drill, making sure the chuck is then properly tightened, for safety’s sake. <br />
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<b>WARNING: </b>If you do not have experience with power tools, PLEASE ask someone more experienced to do this for you. It should be a simple matter for them to follow along with these instructions. If you have never used a drill before and do not properly tighten the chuck, you are setting the grounds for a very nasty accident. So please think twice before doing this. The armature shaft must be securely chucked into the drill, with zero chance it will come free.<br />
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The next step is to use the 600 grit sandpaper. What to do is most easily illustrated in video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6myi5DMv70Q" width="640"></iframe><br />
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You’ll note that in the video, my fingers are quite close to the drill. That is because I’ve done this a number of times and am completely comfortable with it. If you've never done this before, you may want to hold the sandpaper much further down, as in the photo below. Also note that you must pinch the sandpaper together between your fingers quite tightly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HDT2Vgad4CM/Tvt7Ds-eVAI/AAAAAAAABC4/cXj1IumJEpI/s1600/0rewire1707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HDT2Vgad4CM/Tvt7Ds-eVAI/AAAAAAAABC4/cXj1IumJEpI/s400/0rewire1707.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Another tip is, you don’t have to pull the sandpaper downwards with a lot of force; you’re just trying to exert enough pressure that the sandpaper is rubbing the commutator, not grinding it into bits. We’re merely trying to wipe the commutator clean, not actually sand it. The copper comes off quite easily--too easily, as you can see by the copper dust in the photo below--and we want to be careful to remove as little of it as possible.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GrdImblg5qU/Tvt7ES6l1BI/AAAAAAAABDA/Bdw7CtY5lqU/s1600/0rewire1708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GrdImblg5qU/Tvt7ES6l1BI/AAAAAAAABDA/Bdw7CtY5lqU/s640/0rewire1708.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
After our initial cleaning with the 600 grit sandpaper, we remove the armature from the drill. Next we use a plastic implement--I’m using a clay-shaping tool here, but you could probably use a cheap plastic knife--to scrape out the dark gaps between the copper bars on the commutator. This process is called “undercutting the mica.” Use caution so as not to avoid scratching the copper plates, keep your utensil in the gaps.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRcDAVH4up0/Tvt7FtP7O1I/AAAAAAAABDI/pDH0wnXKquY/s1600/0rewire1709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRcDAVH4up0/Tvt7FtP7O1I/AAAAAAAABDI/pDH0wnXKquY/s640/0rewire1709.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Here you can see some of the black crap that comes out of the gaps:<br />
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I vacuum those away with a brush attachment on my household vacuum.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M35MCZmQCi0/Tvt7Hm29aZI/AAAAAAAABDY/zPIIniCVHBk/s1600/0rewire1711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M35MCZmQCi0/Tvt7Hm29aZI/AAAAAAAABDY/zPIIniCVHBk/s400/0rewire1711.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Then I go back to the drill, this time polishing it with the 1500 grit sandpaper. The process is exactly the same as in the video above.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94IKD5_tBGY/Tvt7IAp-V8I/AAAAAAAABDg/sFEdZScrV1M/s1600/0rewire1712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94IKD5_tBGY/Tvt7IAp-V8I/AAAAAAAABDg/sFEdZScrV1M/s320/0rewire1712.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please don't put your fingers this close to the drill unless you've done this a number of times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Finally I hit it again with the vacuum, and now we’re good to go. It's as clean as a newish penny, not perfectly shiny, but good enough to cleanly transmit electricity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0S_Y7Q0gdI/Tvt7JjiaOdI/AAAAAAAABDo/wLsgDGG7qD4/s1600/0rewire1713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0S_Y7Q0gdI/Tvt7JjiaOdI/AAAAAAAABDo/wLsgDGG7qD4/s640/0rewire1713.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-18-re.html">Part 18: Re-installing the Armature and Worm</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-11969613307085402132011-12-27T17:36:00.002-05:002011-12-28T15:39:40.045-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 16: Re-attaching the Field Core<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OXoH9TBRPL8/TvpGw9JvNHI/AAAAAAAABAE/2xpe_culvNU/s1600/0rewire1601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OXoH9TBRPL8/TvpGw9JvNHI/AAAAAAAABAE/2xpe_culvNU/s640/0rewire1601.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now we’ll begin closing the motor back up. Please orient your motor as shown in the photo above, which is the way we had it in <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-15.html">Part 15</a>.<br />
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Then note that there will be a potential problem in closing it up, as seen below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0vpwSMBCCxs/TvpGxbVY00I/AAAAAAAABAM/ugmnF2YXKWk/s1600/0rewire1602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0vpwSMBCCxs/TvpGxbVY00I/AAAAAAAABAM/ugmnF2YXKWk/s640/0rewire1602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
If we’re not careful, the bottom motor lead will block one of the screws that attaches the field core to the rest of the housing.<br />
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To prevent this, we insert that screw prior to closing up the motor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OEZrBWBkpi4/TvpGx4z9N_I/AAAAAAAABAU/FRwbZkooxqw/s1600/0rewire1603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OEZrBWBkpi4/TvpGx4z9N_I/AAAAAAAABAU/FRwbZkooxqw/s320/0rewire1603.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Insert the screw all the way, and tuck the motor lead behind the screw.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sH6Ferr5j6o/TvpGzfYEJKI/AAAAAAAABAc/Vet9VOcunMo/s1600/0rewire1604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sH6Ferr5j6o/TvpGzfYEJKI/AAAAAAAABAc/Vet9VOcunMo/s400/0rewire1604.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Then, as we begin closing the motor, we ensure that wire stays behind the screw.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQUg8CU_cEE/TvpG1EsyQLI/AAAAAAAABAk/bk_DvIVu5Pk/s1600/0rewire1605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQUg8CU_cEE/TvpG1EsyQLI/AAAAAAAABAk/bk_DvIVu5Pk/s400/0rewire1605.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The tricky part is that we must guide the screw into the screw hole. This may take you a few tries.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DJAKv61Odw/TvpG2_PTqdI/AAAAAAAABAs/ptdx4MUpVOk/s1600/0rewire1606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DJAKv61Odw/TvpG2_PTqdI/AAAAAAAABAs/ptdx4MUpVOk/s640/0rewire1606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Once you feel you’ve got the screw properly seated against the hole, test it with the screwdriver and see if you can tighten it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-guDhCHtdC3Q/TvpG3C5rK_I/AAAAAAAABA0/qmwh9Q7xAsU/s1600/0rewire1607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-guDhCHtdC3Q/TvpG3C5rK_I/AAAAAAAABA0/qmwh9Q7xAsU/s400/0rewire1607.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If it does not want to easily tighten, STOP and try re-seating it. If you get the screw in at an improper angle, you can strip the threads, which is bad news.<br />
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Once you feel the screw going into the hole properly, begin tightening it--but don’t tighten it all the way. Get it up to about the point shown in the photo below, leaving a gap between the core and the housing. <br />
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Then we turn to the other screw we need to do on the other side.<br />
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Don’t forget this side is the one that has the motor information plate. Hold that in place.<br />
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Then insert and begin tightening the screw on this side. But again, don’t tighten it all the way; leave a gap, as on the other side.<br />
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Now we look inside the motor. We want to be sure there are no errant wires sticking out, which would interfere with the armature.<br />
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Here you can see the brush lead is neatly tucked away to the side, as it should be. Check to see that the other side looks the same.<br />
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Once we’ve confirmed there is no wiring sticking out, we go back to the first screw and tighten it all the way.<br />
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Then do the other side.<br />
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And that’s that, the motor housing is now ready to accept the armature again.<br />
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<b>Go on to<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-17.html"> Part 17: Cleaning the Commutator</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-91944137845854526542011-12-26T15:50:00.003-05:002013-02-04T22:01:30.726-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 15: Soldering On New Motor Leads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now we’re finally ready to solder new motor leads on. Again, please ensure that your motor is oriented exactly as in the photo below, to ensure my explanations of “top/bottom” are correct:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motor oriented with field core at left, bobbin winding assembly at top right.</td></tr>
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Ready? Let’s begin.<br />
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In Part 13 we cut the old motor leads, leaving the top one an inch long, the bottom an inch-and-a-half long, as shown here: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top lead is 1" long here.</td></tr>
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This is the maximum length we can leave them and still fit everything inside; we’ve cut them to this length to give you first-timers an opportunity to braid the new wire on without the leads being impossibly short.<br />
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However, the ideal length is really about 3/4" or less for the top motor lead, and 1.25” for the bottom motor lead. Here’s a photo of a different motor to which I’ve cut the top lead quite short:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FI0NUA0AlBs/TvjZOsrH9xI/AAAAAAAAA70/OLlkGM8Sffo/s1600/0rewire1502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FI0NUA0AlBs/TvjZOsrH9xI/AAAAAAAAA70/OLlkGM8Sffo/s400/0rewire1502.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top lead is 3/4" long here. Harder to do, but better.</td></tr>
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Braiding a new wire to a connection that short can be challenging, particularly when you cannot quite get your fingers around the shorter lead coming out of the winding. It requires a fair amount of practice. If you feel you’re up to it, go ahead and cut the leads to this ideal length, but be aware there’s no going back.<br />
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In any case, get those leads as close to the ideal as you’re comfortable with, then let’s get started.<br />
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Cut two 8-inch pieces of new 18 AWG wiring. (Use different colors, obviously. I prefer red and black because those correspond with the colors on the terminal body where they will attach.) Strip the ends to a 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch, depending on what you became comfortable braiding during your soldering practice.<br />
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Don’t forget to individually braid the ends.<br />
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Then, braid the BLACK wire to the BOTTOM motor lead, and the red wire to the top lead. <br />
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Set up your Helping Hands, placing at least one of the alligator clips between your joint and the winding. This is so the clip will act as a “heat sink,” absorbing the heat from the soldering iron instead of letting it flow into the winding. Be mindful that the clip may get quite hot, so don’t forget to let it cool before you touch it.<br />
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Then, solder away, as we practiced in <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-3.html">Part 3</a>.<br />
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Next, cut some of the 1/8” heat shrink tubing to whatever length will cover all of the exposed wiring, going right up to the winding. Be sure to cut the heat shrink tubing so that just 1/8” of it will overlap with the existing insulation on the new motor leads. (Don’t make it overlap any further than that, or it will give us trouble later.) Then slide the heat shrink tubing onto each motor lead from the tail end.<br />
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You may remember that I left some of the old insulation on near the base of the bottom motor lead. Here you can see that, in addition to covering the new joint with the 1/8” stuff, I’ve covered the thicker leftover insulation with the 3/16” heat shrink tubing, as the 1/8” would not fit over that section.<br />
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In the photo above, you also see that I’ve stacked the motor even higher up with more blocks, so I could comfortably fit a lighter beneath it. It may look precarious, but rest assured I’ve checked it for stability, so the whole thing doesn’t come tumbling down as I’m working on it. <br />
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Once I’ve finished the heat-shrinking, I take the motor off of the blocks for the next step.<br />
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Now we tie the underwriter’s knot that we practiced earlier. <br />
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Since we practiced “moving” the knot down the wiring before, you should have no problem getting the knot exactly where you want it. And where you want it is right up to the heat-shrink tubing.<br />
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Heat-shrink tubing is stiff and doesn’t bend well, by the way, which is why we made sure it didn’t overlap too much with the insulation on the new wiring. If we made that mistake, that would move our knot further out than we want it, which might prevent us from closing the motor. <br />
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Get the knot as tight as you can get it, but be careful that you don’t place a lot of stress on the motor leads where they go into the winding. That is the most vulnerable part of this operation.<br />
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Next, take some of the larger, 3/16” heat shrink tubing and cut a piece exactly 3 inches long.<br />
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Use it to cover both leads...<br />
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...sliding it all the way down to the knot. <br />
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Then heat-shrink it with your lighter.<br />
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Now it's heat-shrunk. Don't worry if the tails of the wiring are going all over the place, we'll sort that out later.<br />
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Finally, route the wires from the inside of the motor out through the grommet. With my left hand I keep my fingers on the base of the motor leads, to prevent stressing their connection to the windings, while I use my right hand to thread the wires out through the grommet hole. (My right hand is absent in the photo because it's holding the camera.)<br />
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Now we're in good shape. But don't connect the field core to the motor housing just yet, there's a trick to it we've got to cover.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-16-re.html">Part 16: Re-attaching the Field Core</a></b><a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-16-re.html"> </a><br />
<b></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-36177009755314210342011-12-25T14:23:00.003-05:002011-12-26T15:51:23.317-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 14: Replacing the Motor Housing Grommet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JSxw2iq9S-w/Tvd2q6IJHzI/AAAAAAAAA6I/W9ywyuNurVY/s1600/0rewire1401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JSxw2iq9S-w/Tvd2q6IJHzI/AAAAAAAAA6I/W9ywyuNurVY/s640/0rewire1401.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I almost forgot! Before we take the big step of soldering the new motor leads on, there’s one more thing we ought to check, as this is easier to do while we’ve got the motor leads clipped and out of the way. Take a look at the rubber grommet covering the hole that the motor leads will eventually go through.<br />
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Here I can see this one has a crack in it: <br />
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And when I pull at it even gently with my fingers, it breaks apart into this:<br />
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This is relatively simple to replace and costs about 5 cents. Your local hardware store ought to have a selection of grommets in a bunch of little drawers. This took me some trial-and-error to figure out, but to save you some trouble, here is the exact type and dimensions you’re looking for: What you need is a “Push-in Grommet, 3/8" Inside Diameter, 5/8" Outside Diameter, 3/32" thick, for a 7/16" diameter hole.”<br />
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(In the event your hardware store doesn’t carry them, you can order them from McMaster-Carr <a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/">at this link</a>; the part number is 9600K33, but the problem is they only sell them in bags of 100 for about six bucks. That's a lot of potted motors.)<br />
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To replace the grommet, let’s look at the hole where it’s going to go. If any bits of the old grommet are stuck to any part of the hole, you can clean it off with a moistened Q-tip.<br />
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Don’t forget to check the inside of the hole. Here, on a Worst-Case Machine, the oil and grease mistakenly injected into the motor has melted the grommet to the inside of the hole, creating a mess. A new grommet will not fit because all of that melted gunk is clogging up the inside of the hole. This requires more aggressive cleaning, which is much easier for us to do before we install the new wiring, which might get in the way. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NrF1_bJf4No/Tvd2wR4o_WI/AAAAAAAAA6o/QzVJQNj258M/s1600/0rewire1405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NrF1_bJf4No/Tvd2wR4o_WI/AAAAAAAAA6o/QzVJQNj258M/s640/0rewire1405.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I clean this crud out by using Q-tips moistened with rubbing alcohol and a dental pick. (<b>Caution: </b>Be sure to blot the Q-tips well--if any alcohol runs out of the hole and onto the exterior finish of the motor, it <i>will </i>eat through the paint.) What I do is use the Q-tip to apply some alcohol to the melted rubber, let it soak in for a bit to break it up, then I start scraping out the old rubber with the dental pick. The alcohol really helps it come off in nice, meaty chunks. After about 10-20 minutes, it looks like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRI7IV6p9Zc/Tvd2yFG96UI/AAAAAAAAA6w/WNFdXu0pYvI/s1600/0rewire1406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRI7IV6p9Zc/Tvd2yFG96UI/AAAAAAAAA6w/WNFdXu0pYvI/s640/0rewire1406.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now it’s ready for the new grommet. To insert it, I use a cheapie plastic stick-thingy I bought in the clay section of an art supply store for less than a buck. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zryETl2c8jI/Tvd2z_g9LzI/AAAAAAAAA7A/FeSPuJYw7LI/s1600/0rewire1408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zryETl2c8jI/Tvd2z_g9LzI/AAAAAAAAA7A/FeSPuJYw7LI/s400/0rewire1408.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
But you can use anything thin and cylindrical that has a blunt tip, like if you have a set of those long plastic chopsticks; just make sure they’re not the kind with the pointy ends or you’ll poke through the rubber. (You could probably even use a spool pin, though I’d wrap it in masking tape first to avoid accidentally scratching any paint.)<br />
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The grommet has two rims, one that will wind up inside the motor hole, and the other of which stays outside the hole.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-veOP1-WVO80/Tvd2zhITeQI/AAAAAAAAA64/8N9IUNsVtkg/s1600/0rewire1407.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-veOP1-WVO80/Tvd2zhITeQI/AAAAAAAAA64/8N9IUNsVtkg/s640/0rewire1407.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Think of the grommet’s inner rim as a shirt, and the motor hole as a pair of pants. You need to tuck the shirt into the pants. Use the chopstick or what have you to go around the grommet, tucking that inner rim into the hole.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2FNzFHZNZ-0/Tvd206mn6YI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/G6vaGQUf1OA/s1600/0rewire1410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2FNzFHZNZ-0/Tvd206mn6YI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/G6vaGQUf1OA/s640/0rewire1410.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Once you’ve got most of it tucked in, smooth the inside of the grommet out by pressing with your tool, and then it all just kind of “pops” into place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8aTOzYqu27c/Tvd22BsMAhI/AAAAAAAAA7g/zVMMm5eZn8g/s1600/0rewire1412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8aTOzYqu27c/Tvd22BsMAhI/AAAAAAAAA7g/zVMMm5eZn8g/s400/0rewire1412.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta-da!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-15.html">Part 15: Re-wiring the New Motor Leads.</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-60164403879112309202011-12-24T17:25:00.003-05:002011-12-25T14:24:57.685-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 13: Cutting and Prepping the Motor Leads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42-c2xRbvGE/TvZNvVyrZ7I/AAAAAAAAA4E/FWY8Pv2fbrw/s1600/0rewire1301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42-c2xRbvGE/TvZNvVyrZ7I/AAAAAAAAA4E/FWY8Pv2fbrw/s400/0rewire1301.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Now that we’ve got the motor as open as possible, we’re going to cut the motor leads at specific points to prepare for soldering new ones on. <br />
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First, very important, please orient your motor as shown in the photo above: The field core is to the left, the bobbin winder is at the top right. We need to have our motors oriented the same way so when I say “right/left/up/down” you’re not getting confused and cutting the wrong thing.<br />
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Now from this perspective, when you look in between the core and housing, you see the motor leads tied into a knot: <br />
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To the right of the knot, the two motor leads--bound together inside a rubbery hose, if it hasn’t rotted away yet--go out through a hole in the motor housing.<br />
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We’re going to cut those motor leads off just to the right of the knot. Cut it as close to the knot as you possibly can. (When you get good at this you’ll be cutting it off at the left of the knot, but if this is your first time, stick with the right.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtZGX5ezYRA/TvZNx3u1fyI/AAAAAAAAA4U/IOBL5AmyeVo/s1600/0rewire1303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtZGX5ezYRA/TvZNx3u1fyI/AAAAAAAAA4U/IOBL5AmyeVo/s640/0rewire1303.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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After snipping it, you can now pull the cut-off part of the motor leads out of the housing and get rid of them. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0q0aNi69Da8/TvZN0E0X7gI/AAAAAAAAA4k/_k0eRPTaItc/s1600/0rewire1305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0q0aNi69Da8/TvZN0E0X7gI/AAAAAAAAA4k/_k0eRPTaItc/s320/0rewire1305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w4OqBHjJr3w/TvZN0-uRObI/AAAAAAAAA4s/xPL1DDcCMEU/s1600/0rewire1306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w4OqBHjJr3w/TvZN0-uRObI/AAAAAAAAA4s/xPL1DDcCMEU/s320/0rewire1306.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Back to the knot. Very gently undo it with your fingers. Some of the old insulation may crumble off in the process, and that's fine; the more that comes off, the better.<br />
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However, as you do this, be very careful not to place stress on the part where the motor leads connect to the windings. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J3sjBFmHfC4/TvZN4keATHI/AAAAAAAAA5M/lA2hovedUMk/s1600/0rewire1310.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J3sjBFmHfC4/TvZN4keATHI/AAAAAAAAA5M/lA2hovedUMk/s640/0rewire1310.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whether top wire (shown here) or bottom, don't stress the motor leads where they enter the winding!</td></tr>
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After we undo the knot, we have this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-751VZ-sPvAY/TvZN24txmoI/AAAAAAAAA5E/0P0kqTKdWck/s1600/0rewire1309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-751VZ-sPvAY/TvZN24txmoI/AAAAAAAAA5E/0P0kqTKdWck/s400/0rewire1309.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I carefully stretch the newly-cut tip of the bottom motor lead out, so you can observe that it is longer than the motor lead up top. </div><br />
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That’s because when they’re tied into a knot, the knot needs to be near the top of the motor, not the bottom. See the hole where the motor leads will eventually come out?<br />
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Well, the knot we tie will be just on the inside of that hole. That’s why the leads are different lengths. Don’t worry if you don’t understand this right now, just follow the steps below and you’ll be fine.<br />
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Cut the top motor lead so that it’s about an inch. <br />
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Then cut the bottom motor lead about an inch and a half long. (It’s important to get these lengths right so the knot ends up in the right place when we close the motor up.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-205Vi6_P7-E/TvZN7YkmnEI/AAAAAAAAA5s/MnMLPpotTnQ/s1600/0rewire1314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-205Vi6_P7-E/TvZN7YkmnEI/AAAAAAAAA5s/MnMLPpotTnQ/s640/0rewire1314.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
You’ll notice I’ve removed most of the old insulation on the motor leads by gently scraping it off. If your insulation doesn’t want to come off, you can use your wire strippers to strip about 3/4 of an inch of insulation off, which will leave you room to solder. (Now you can see why I like using the Katapult wire strippers: They don’t place any stress on the wire where it connects to the windings.) You’ll also notice I left some of the old insulation on the bottom of the bottom motor lead. That’s fine, it’s not doing any harm there since it’s not oily, and we’re going to cover it up later anyway with heat-shrink tubing.<br />
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Next I put the motor up on blocks, so that I’ll have room to get the soldering iron in there. As I'll have to hold the soldering iron steady, I want to be able to comfortably rest my hand and see what I'm doing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7F22djOBx2Q/TvZN75hsMsI/AAAAAAAAA50/nek59QY1bYc/s1600/0rewire1315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7F22djOBx2Q/TvZN75hsMsI/AAAAAAAAA50/nek59QY1bYc/s400/0rewire1315.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Finally, braid the ends of the motor leads so that they won’t fray when we braid them into the new wiring. Here I’ve braided the bottom lead, but not the top yet, so you can see the difference. If we tried connecting the top motor lead (in the state shown here) to a new wire, it would fray like crazy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zVe-T_XADvM/TvZN9jSuoUI/AAAAAAAAA58/gmr81CYwEuY/s1600/0rewire1316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zVe-T_XADvM/TvZN9jSuoUI/AAAAAAAAA58/gmr81CYwEuY/s640/0rewire1316.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We're nearly ready to solder the new motor leads on.<br />
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<b>Go on to: <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-14.html">Part 14, Replacing the Motor Grommet</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-17043979036282071122011-12-23T16:32:00.005-05:002011-12-24T17:26:02.959-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 12: Detaching the Field Core<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7RSKhLiJ1U/TvTwTDjR1PI/AAAAAAAAA3o/VadeH-Iru2A/s1600/0rewire1215.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7RSKhLiJ1U/TvTwTDjR1PI/AAAAAAAAA3o/VadeH-Iru2A/s640/0rewire1215.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now we need to access the motor leads so we can replace them. To get to the motor leads, we need to detach the motor’s core, or field core, from the motor housing. As you’ll see, we cannot detach it completely; although we will physically separate it from the housing, it will remain attached via two wires. (In the photo up above, the two wires in question look like water mocassins.) We must be careful not to disturb those two wires.<br />
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The first thing you’ll need to do is remove these two screws.<br />
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The screw on the top side of the motor--which appears on the right here, since the motor is on its side--has a metal plate attached to it with the motor’s specifics written on it. This is like a laundry-care tag for electric motors. In any case, it comes off with the screw.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QKcJDk10nJk/TvTwExJhY_I/AAAAAAAAA2I/biVoI9bR-QY/s1600/0rewire1203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QKcJDk10nJk/TvTwExJhY_I/AAAAAAAAA2I/biVoI9bR-QY/s320/0rewire1203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Put the screws and the metal plate somewhere safe. Now, looking down on the motor from this angle, look into the dark gap between the core and the housing.<br />
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In the center you’ll see a little nub protruding from the core.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6HnlQxBVq8A/TvTwIcAp-xI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/Z8zk2b5notM/s1600/0rewire1205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6HnlQxBVq8A/TvTwIcAp-xI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/Z8zk2b5notM/s640/0rewire1205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Carefully stick a flat-bladed screwdriver--a regular one will do, it needn’t be hollow-ground--into the gap so that the flat part of the blade is fully contacting the nub. (Don’t place the screwdriver anywhere else in this gap, as you don’t want to damage the enamel-wrapped windings.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ywDLHDqNeIc/TvTwKNqgSQI/AAAAAAAAA2g/Kh6dwVKzCRg/s1600/0rewire1206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ywDLHDqNeIc/TvTwKNqgSQI/AAAAAAAAA2g/Kh6dwVKzCRg/s640/0rewire1206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
What you need to do next is super-easy, but I found it was easier to show it in video rather than photos, so you can see the motions I’m using and get a sense of how gently you must open this part:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/caFsGRRD_O0" width="640"></iframe><br />
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If for some reason what I just showed you in the video doesn’t work, flip the motor over, repeat the screwdriver trick on the other side, and you should be all set.<br />
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From here on in, remember that we must handle these two parts (the core and housing) with care so as not to disturb the two wires that remain connected. Those are the brush leads, they connect the core and the brush tubes, and I have never had to replace them on a potted motor yet. These are not the wires we’re concerned with in this tutorial, so unless you see bad insulation on them, leave them be.<br />
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Now I’m going to show you the Worst-Case and Best-Case Scenarios for what you might see when you crack the motor open as we just have. Sadly, a small percentage of you may have the Worst-Case Scenario, which may not be fixable.<br />
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<b>The Worst-Case Scenario</b><br />
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This is the machine that had grease and possibly oil inserted into the brush tubes by a previous owner. Unsurprisingly the inside looks like hell. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIYF48PmS5s/TvTwK8JxkKI/AAAAAAAAA2o/lheqJFy7uVU/s1600/0rewire1207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIYF48PmS5s/TvTwK8JxkKI/AAAAAAAAA2o/lheqJFy7uVU/s640/0rewire1207.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Zooming in, we see the wiring is totally fried, and there is dark grit all over the place. This is bad.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qCMQ0BuU_28/TvTwM0xvulI/AAAAAAAAA2w/qGN3HsYWHCg/s1600/0rewire1208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qCMQ0BuU_28/TvTwM0xvulI/AAAAAAAAA2w/qGN3HsYWHCg/s640/0rewire1208.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I’ll flip the motor over so you can see the wiring from the other side, and get a sense of just how bad:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3bh5HANXM4/TvTwOTDnxEI/AAAAAAAAA24/p8hNpocP2d8/s1600/0rewire1209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3bh5HANXM4/TvTwOTDnxEI/AAAAAAAAA24/p8hNpocP2d8/s640/0rewire1209.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The insulation has melted, either as a result of a short somewhere within the motor, or due to coming into contact with the grease and oil it was never meant to endure. The wiring insulation looks like melted cheese that appears to have seeped between the individual strands of wire. I don’t think I can strip this, and if I can’t strip it, I can’t solder a new connection on. For those of you with Worst-Case Scenario motors like this, I’ll continue searching for a solution.<br />
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<b>Stuck Brushes</b><br />
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Before we get to the Best-Case Scenario motors I’m hoping most of you have, we need to deal with the brush tubes.<br />
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On some of your motors the brushes may not have been removable from the outside. So we’ll deal with them now.<br />
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Looking inside the Worst-Case Scenario machine, it’s easy to see why the brushes were stuck: The ends of them have melted out of shape due to the grease or oil that got into the motor. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OiflbDZ66Hw/TvTwPZE4J3I/AAAAAAAAA3A/plqK4ZmY95E/s1600/0rewire1210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OiflbDZ66Hw/TvTwPZE4J3I/AAAAAAAAA3A/plqK4ZmY95E/s640/0rewire1210.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
To remove these brushes, we push from the outside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfzX7p9bYm4/TvTwPplFA7I/AAAAAAAAA3I/r4KXAyURRY8/s1600/0rewire1211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfzX7p9bYm4/TvTwPplFA7I/AAAAAAAAA3I/r4KXAyURRY8/s400/0rewire1211.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stick a Q-tip into the brush tube…</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpdJgzzyWD0/TvTwQcWITYI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/01nAKCFIiS0/s1600/0rewire1212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpdJgzzyWD0/TvTwQcWITYI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/01nAKCFIiS0/s640/0rewire1212.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">…and the brush pops out inside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFBz80RJJdc/TvTwQ1d9JKI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/i-dC2hPln2Y/s1600/0rewire1213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFBz80RJJdc/TvTwQ1d9JKI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/i-dC2hPln2Y/s640/0rewire1213.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now do the same to the other side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Finally, remove both brushes and set them aside. Even if they're covered in oil and grease like this, we'll still be able to salvage the springs, which will come in handy as some places sell motor brushes without springs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TMQeOHWPvU/TvTwRNXijoI/AAAAAAAAA3g/_Q2CKf0O5ec/s1600/0rewire1214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TMQeOHWPvU/TvTwRNXijoI/AAAAAAAAA3g/_Q2CKf0O5ec/s400/0rewire1214.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>The Brush Tubes</b><br />
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Whether you have a Best- or Worst-Case motor, clean your brush tubes out with dry, clean Q-Tips.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfzX7p9bYm4/TvTwPplFA7I/AAAAAAAAA3I/r4KXAyURRY8/s1600/0rewire1211.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfzX7p9bYm4/TvTwPplFA7I/AAAAAAAAA3I/r4KXAyURRY8/s320/0rewire1211.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, same photo from above, but this time we're swabbing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You can visually inspect the brush tubes with a flashlight to see if they’re clean.<br />
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If there’s a little graphite dust from the brushes, that’s fine; but if there’s any oil or grease in there, it must be removed. For that you can use a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Be sure to blot the Q-tip well so you don’t send alcohol sloshing down the tube and onto the brush lead wires. <br />
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<b>The Best-Case Scenario</b><br />
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Here we’ve cracked open a motor where the wiring clearly needs replacing; the insulation is dry, cracked and rotting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7RSKhLiJ1U/TvTwTDjR1PI/AAAAAAAAA3o/VadeH-Iru2A/s1600/0rewire1215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7RSKhLiJ1U/TvTwTDjR1PI/AAAAAAAAA3o/VadeH-Iru2A/s640/0rewire1215.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
But it’s still a Best-Case Motor, because the key word is “dry.” This motor was properly maintained and there is no grease or oil inside and on the wiring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NF5pXmITlig/TvTwTv8VLmI/AAAAAAAAA3w/kGVoOoiBlJM/s1600/0rewire1216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NF5pXmITlig/TvTwTv8VLmI/AAAAAAAAA3w/kGVoOoiBlJM/s640/0rewire1216.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-heD3q1qlr5A/TvTwUajVqrI/AAAAAAAAA34/Lpx09fg6FeA/s1600/0rewire1217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-heD3q1qlr5A/TvTwUajVqrI/AAAAAAAAA34/Lpx09fg6FeA/s640/0rewire1217.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
So if your motor looks like that, breathe a sigh of relief, because our job here will be relatively straightforward.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-13.html">Part 13: Cutting the Motor Leads</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-32615088200379659892011-12-22T15:02:00.007-05:002011-12-23T18:14:48.829-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 11: Armature & Worm Removal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wND8rB3xCUk/TvOHfoIaLFI/AAAAAAAAA08/5b51o9J-PWY/s1600/0rewire1116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wND8rB3xCUk/TvOHfoIaLFI/AAAAAAAAA08/5b51o9J-PWY/s640/0rewire1116.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
With the grease wicks removed (and the motor brushes if they were willing to come out), it is now time for us to crack the motor open. In this entry we will learn to remove the motor cover and perform the crucial task of safely removing the armature. We will also learn the difference between a worm and a worm <i>gear.</i><br />
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First we need to remove the motor cover. It is held on by two screws on either side. Here you see one of them. (Although the one on this machine, from the 1930s, is silver, if you have a 15-91 or 201-2 from the 1940s or ‘50s, this screw may be black.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUWFXoXLWHA/TvOHNHYfjcI/AAAAAAAAAzE/GSn9ae8QK00/s1600/0rewire1101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUWFXoXLWHA/TvOHNHYfjcI/AAAAAAAAAzE/GSn9ae8QK00/s320/0rewire1101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Begin unscrewing it--but not all the way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIJZMBIfv6Q/TvOHNrV7OVI/AAAAAAAAAzM/Dcbc6DPJpp4/s1600/0rewire1102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIJZMBIfv6Q/TvOHNrV7OVI/AAAAAAAAAzM/Dcbc6DPJpp4/s400/0rewire1102.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Get it to about this point, so there’s enough space for the cover to come off and then some. But make sure the screw is not so loose that it’s going to fall out. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80tZdmiYwDM/TvOHOLeZnfI/AAAAAAAAAzU/RXaHuqZTjzw/s1600/0rewire1103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80tZdmiYwDM/TvOHOLeZnfI/AAAAAAAAAzU/RXaHuqZTjzw/s640/0rewire1103.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Do the same with the screw on the other side.<br />
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Then, pick up the motor with both hands, oriented as shown in the photo. (My left hand is absent because it’s holding the camera.) Be sure not to grab the bobbin winding assembly with your left hand. Using your right, gently wiggle the motor cover off. It will likely be on there quite tight, so it may take some doing. Continue wiggling it gently and patiently and it will come off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PyGHlWAM0yE/TvOHOrn0rhI/AAAAAAAAAzc/G4tpfy6tTaA/s1600/0rewire1104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PyGHlWAM0yE/TvOHOrn0rhI/AAAAAAAAAzc/G4tpfy6tTaA/s320/0rewire1104.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You should be grasping the left side (but not the bobbin winder) with your left hand as you wiggle with the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Once it’s off, we see this. You can set the motor cover aside as we won’t need it for a while.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R8ldGr1w6_I/TvOHPI1Mx-I/AAAAAAAAAzk/h1wF631_B-c/s1600/0rewire1105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R8ldGr1w6_I/TvOHPI1Mx-I/AAAAAAAAAzk/h1wF631_B-c/s320/0rewire1105.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next, turn the assembly around so it’s like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UCdnVrAPqzg/TvOHPm3FfBI/AAAAAAAAAzs/t8x1MVYl5TM/s1600/0rewire1106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UCdnVrAPqzg/TvOHPm3FfBI/AAAAAAAAAzs/t8x1MVYl5TM/s400/0rewire1106.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Look inside the circular part of the housing and you see this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdRDelDINOM/TvOHSwRdDOI/AAAAAAAAAz8/LxGBaAOClOI/s1600/0rewire1108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdRDelDINOM/TvOHSwRdDOI/AAAAAAAAAz8/LxGBaAOClOI/s640/0rewire1108.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This is technically called a “worm.” The part that it fits into, the fiber gear that we left on the handwheel, is called the “worm gear.” People will often mistakenly refer to the part we’re looking at here as the “worm gear.” Be aware--if you speak to a technician, for example--that they’re two different things. The worm is shaped like a cylinder, the worm gear is shaped like, well, a gear.<br />
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Look inside the left end of the motor. We see the butt end of the armature nestled inside. Don’t touch those copper wire strands; the only place you ought to touch are the metal plates indicated by the red dots in the photo. Those metal plates encircle the entire armature.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_LVzeTZPLY/TvOHRbkvW7I/AAAAAAAAAz0/1G6H1pBApm0/s1600/0rewire1107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_LVzeTZPLY/TvOHRbkvW7I/AAAAAAAAAz0/1G6H1pBApm0/s640/0rewire1107.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
You should be able to just get your fingertips onto those metal plates. As you do, spin the armature in place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ix9-WAy6YC8/TvOHUVVvLkI/AAAAAAAAA0E/LIuEitMugEo/s1600/0rewire1109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ix9-WAy6YC8/TvOHUVVvLkI/AAAAAAAAA0E/LIuEitMugEo/s640/0rewire1109.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you rotate the armature...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2oW_i6p44Q/TvOHV68WpeI/AAAAAAAAA0M/P2aZrViPyBI/s1600/0rewire1110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2oW_i6p44Q/TvOHV68WpeI/AAAAAAAAA0M/P2aZrViPyBI/s640/0rewire1110.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...the worm rotates along with it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As you spin it with your left hand, look inside the housing. Observe that as you rotate the armature, the worm also rotates. That is because it is attached to the armature shaft via what are called set screws or grub screws. Those are screws that don’t have any mushroom heads, they are all shaft.<br />
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We need to locate those screws. There are two and they are both located on the right side of the worm. They may be obscured with old grease. I use a Q-tip and a small amount of rubbing alcohol to dab at the right side, rotating the worm, until I can see a screw slot. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byyisDGoT68/TvOHXfzOT9I/AAAAAAAAA0U/VkLRurUy-LQ/s1600/0rewire1111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byyisDGoT68/TvOHXfzOT9I/AAAAAAAAA0U/VkLRurUy-LQ/s640/0rewire1111.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Don’t waste your time cleaning the worm, because a) in a second we’re going to have it out of the machine, where it’s much easier to clean and b) if you wipe a Q-tip on it too vigorously, you’ll find the cotton all starts to unravel on the sharp teeth of the worm, leaving you with a lot of strands you now have to clean off.<br />
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Once you’ve exposed a screw slot, rotate the armature until you can find and expose the second screw slot, so that you know where both of them are. Now we need to remove both of these screws in a very specific way.<br />
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<b>Warning: The Point of No Return</b><br />
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Folks, everything we’ve done up until now is reversible and even if you’ve broken something, replaceable. But now we're about to go past the Point of No Return. If you strip a screw while trying to remove the worm, it’s Game Over and your attempted repair of this motor is finished. So please follow these instructions carefully!<br />
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First off it’s absolutely imperative that you use the correctly-sized bit to fit this screw, and that bit is a Brownells #150-4. (If you know of another manufacturer's bit number that also fits perfectly, please let us all know in the comments.)<br />
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Secondly, if you’re new to screwdrivers and bits you should read <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-comfortable-wrenching-on-your.html">the entry about using proper hollow-ground bits.</a><br />
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Thirdly, you must have practiced enough with screwdrivers and slots that you can consistently keep the driver completely perpendicular to the screw’s face, without letting it wander off on an angle. Trying to unscrew something at a bad angle is how you strip a screw.<br />
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Fourthly, you must have a screwdriver handle that lets you provide good downward force, to drive into the screw. <br />
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Lastly I should point out that if you’re a lefty, you may find this difficult.<br />
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If you’re all set, let’s proceed.<br />
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<b>Loosening the Worm</b><br />
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Using your left hand, rotate the armature to a position where you can access one of the screws in the worm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwITtt4N8NU/TvOHX4YsXVI/AAAAAAAAA0c/mQuUu7WxowQ/s1600/0rewire1112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwITtt4N8NU/TvOHX4YsXVI/AAAAAAAAA0c/mQuUu7WxowQ/s400/0rewire1112.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Place your screwdriver into the slot, and press it into the screw firmly. Keep your left hand on the armature to prevent it from rotating around, which would mess up your connection with the screw. Keep the screwdriver handle dead perpendicular with the screw face.<br />
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Here’s a tip: You don’t need to unscrew it all the way, just loosen it three half-turns from its original position. (That’s technically 1.5 full turns, but I find it easier to count out three half-turns while doing it.) That will be enough to remove the armature. Loosen both screws in this manner.<br />
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<b>Removing the Armature</b><br />
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Once each of the two screws in the worm have been loosened three half-turns, with your left hand you should now be able to slide the armature out of the housing. <br />
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<b>However:</b> On a small percentage of machines, you may find the armature’s metal plates--those same plates you’re grabbing with your fingers--are being "blocked in" by the black enamal wrapping on the field windings. If that’s the case, do NOT try to force it out; leave me a comment and I’ll prepare a separate entry for what to do.<br />
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If you’ve gotten the armature out, congratulations. Remember to hold it only by the metal plates as you handle it. (You can safely hold it from the shaft too, though it’s likely quite greasy.)<br />
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Once you’ve got the armature out, inspect the base of the shaft closely; you should see a thin fiber washer on it, as seen below.<br />
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If you don’t see the washer, check again to make sure it’s not just stuck to the base of the shaft, perhaps under a thin layer of grease. If it’s definitely not there, look into the motor, as in the photo below; the washer may be stuck to the bearing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can see the shininess of the brass bearing, so there's no washer stuck here.</td></tr>
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If you find the washer stuck to the bearing, pluck it off carefully with some tweezers, and stick it onto the armature shaft, where it belongs, for safekeeping.<br />
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The armature can provide some important clues as to the health of the motor, but we’ll get to that later. Although I would normally clean it at this stage, I’m going to shuffle the order a bit as I’m sure you’re eager to see if the wiring on your motor is salvageable, which is an entry or two away. So set the armature aside for now, preferably wrapped in plastic to keep dust off of it and to keep any grease on it from migrating around your work area. Be sure not to lose that fiber washer!<br />
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Now that you’ve removed the armature, the worm may have fallen from between the two bearings it spins between (or it may be held in place by all of the old grease).<br />
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Either way, you can pull it out with a pair of tweezers or angled forceps, my tool of choice. The tolerance--the space between the worm and the bearings--is often quite tight, so you will only be able to remove it by pulling it straight out, as opposed to at an angle. That’s why I like the precision the angled forceps afford.<br />
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Once you’ve gotten the worm out, you can clean it off using rubbing alcohol. Don’t forget to finish removing the set screws and clean those as well. Then set them aside in a safe place.<br />
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Lastly, you can now clean all of the old, nasty grease out from under where the worm was mounted. <br />
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To clean it, I use a Q-tip dabbed with rubbing alcohol, because with the armature removed, there is no chance any alcohol will run down the shaft and into the motor.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-12.html">Part 12: Detaching the Field Core</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-7345342018020513192011-12-21T14:09:00.003-05:002011-12-22T15:03:38.252-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 10: Motor Brush Removal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71xU501C1HE/TvIr-cjZTPI/AAAAAAAAAyk/7caLi3bs48k/s1600/0rewire1009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71xU501C1HE/TvIr-cjZTPI/AAAAAAAAAyk/7caLi3bs48k/s640/0rewire1009.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
In preparation for removing the armature and cracking the motor open, we're now going to remove the two motor brushes. For those of you with no electric motor experience, they’re not “brushes” in the conventional sense; they’re little sticks of carbon that look like charcoal sticks. They reside in a tube leading into the motor and are covered by caps. There is one on the top of the motor, one on the bottom. And as you'll see, inspecting them can provide a good warning as to whether you'll be able to save this machine or not.<br />
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Here we see one of the motor brush caps. This is one of the few parts on a vintage Singer that is not made of metal, but is instead made of Bakelite, a pre-cursor to plastic. That means these are easy to break by either using the wrong size screwdriver bit or by overtightening it.<br />
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A Brownells bit #270-6 will fit it perfectly, and that is the only one I recommend using--particularly if the cap is already stripped. (More info on screwdrivers <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-comfortable-wrenching-on-your.html">here</a> and <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/screwdrivers-part-3-which-set-do-i-or.html">here</a>.)<br />
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After you remove the cap, the spring that is attached to the brush should pop out a little. Inspect it--this can provide our first warning that something may be wrong inside the motor. The spring should be clean. If it’s dirty, that’s not good.<br />
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Zooming in, we see this spring is not clean and has some bits of oily gunk on it. That’s bad. It means grease or even worse, oil has made its way into the motor, possibly supplied by a previous owner who didn’t know what they were doing.<br />
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On the other side of this machine, we see an example of a motor brush cap that someone has partially stripped. I am still able to get it off by using the correct bit and pressing it hard, but not too hard, into the slot as I unscrew.<br />
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Once the cap is off, we get a nasty surprise: <br />
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Some <i>unknowing soul</i> (in my first draft, I used much rougher language) has put GREASE into the motor tube. That’s very, very bad, and a sign that this motor may not be salvageable. If you find something like this, chances are high that this motor has been completely ruined and that you will not be able to save it. Later we shall see.<br />
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Still, to quote "La Beef" from <i>True Grit</i>, "The Texas Ranger presses on."<br />
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Here I'm working on yet another potted motor, this one with clean springs and I'll use it to illustrate the next step. Once you’ve got the motor caps off and the springs present themselves, see if you can GENTLY pull them out. If the spring gives you any resistance and does not want to come out, STOP; if you deform this spring, later when you put it back, it can drive the brush into the commutator with too much pressure, digging a channel into it. If you don’t know what I mean by this now, you’ll see later. The bottom line is, don’t take it out if it doesn’t want to easily come out. (The grease-filled springs you see above, by the way, did not want to come out. We will deal with those once the motor is open.)<br />
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If the spring does come out, great; and hopefully it brings the carbon brush with it. (If it doesn't, don't worry, we'll get to it.)<br />
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The carbon brush will probably be covered in its own grit, which you can wipe off on a napkin or paper towel as a way to clean it. Don’t put anything else on it or use any solvents, just wipe the dust off.<br />
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Store the brushes and caps someplace safe, we won’t be needing them for a while.<br />
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If you have a machine where some <i>unknowing soul</i> put grease into the brush tube, don’t forget to clean that cap off and get all of the grease off of it. You don’t want that getting back into the tube after we’ve cleaned it out.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-11.html">Part 11: Armature & Worm Removal</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-37177334464848268772011-12-20T15:54:00.004-05:002011-12-21T14:13:52.648-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 9: Grease Wick Removal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AP2cFk1jGK0/TvDy-vGYOoI/AAAAAAAAAu8/WRohLWaQLy4/s1600/0rewire901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AP2cFk1jGK0/TvDy-vGYOoI/AAAAAAAAAu8/WRohLWaQLy4/s640/0rewire901.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now that we’ve got the motor separated from the machine, we can store the machine someplace else, to free up some desk space. We won't come back to the machine for a while.<br />
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Our next goal is to get the motor open. In order to do that we need to remove what’s called the armature, and if you don’t know what that is, you’ll see it shortly. In order to remove the armature we should first remove the grease wicks and the motor brushes, a multi-step process.<br />
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I start by using a large rubber band to get the motor leads out of the way. (Please note this demo was shot twice with two potted motors. Please excuse any cosmetic differences between the two.)<br />
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<b>Removing the grease cup caps</b><br />
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We start with the grease cups, two short shafts that contain the grease wicks and some other fun stuff. The user is supposed to periodically fill the grease cups with grease, which the wicks then deliver to the armature shaft to keep it nice and lubricated so the motor can turn freely.<br />
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The grease cups are enclosed by two large, knurled caps: <br />
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Sometimes you can unscrew them by hand, but other times they’re stuck fast by old grease. If you cannot unscrew them with your fingers, it’s time to move to Plan B: A penny and a pair of pliers.<br />
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In the process of doing this you may ruin the penny, but that will still make it the cheapest tool you ever bought. <br />
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First stick the penny in the pliers. Then use the pliers to stick the penny into the slot of one of the grease cup caps.<br />
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But don’t start unscrewing yet; while the penny is in the slot, slide the pliers further onto the penny so that there’s no space between the pliers and the grease cup cap. This will give you better leverage. Then you can easily unscrew each cap without totally twisting the penny out of shape.<br />
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After removing both caps, if the insides of the caps themselves are covered in old, hard grease, I wipe off what I can, then drop them in a shot glass with some rubbing alcohol, to loosen the old grease up. They caps will soon be joined in the glass by some friends.<br />
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<b>Removing the grease wicks, springs, and retaining clips</b><br />
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Turning back to the grease cups, with the caps removed, we see this:<br />
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What we’re looking for is a little rectangular tab that lets us know where to place our tweezers or forceps. In the photo above, you can see the rectangular tab in the right grease cup but not the left. <br />
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Look at the same photo with some red dots that I’ve added. Those dots mark where you would insert a pair of tweezers or forceps. Read on for an explanation.<br />
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The left grease cup is completely filled with grease...<br />
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...but if we scrape some grease out we eventually see this:<br />
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What we’re looking at is the top of a little metal retaining clip that holds the grease wicks, and a spring containing them, in place. To remove this retaining clip, we need to stick the points of a pair of tweezers/forceps where the red dots are in the photo below. <br />
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Stick the points down into the cup just 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch past the tab, or a few millimeters for those of you living in countries with a more sensible measuring system.<br />
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Then squeeze the tweezers very gently and pull straight out of the grease cup. The retaining clip should come out with the tweezers. If they don’t and they feel like they’re stuck, squeeze just a little bit tighter--be gentle so as not to overly bend the delicate clip--and try again.<br />
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Sometimes the retainers come out and bring the spring & wick with it, other times it does not. <br />
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If it does not, look in the hole and you'll see the spring.<br />
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Pull it out, gently, with the tweezers. They should come out with the wick. If for some reason they don’t, fish around in the hole with the tweezers and pull the wick out. (This may be a messy process.) After you’ve done one grease cup, don’t forget to do the other.<br />
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Once the grease cups are empty of all this stuff, I generally scrape out whatever old grease I can get out of the cup. But I do not use any solvent or liquid here, as we don’t want any of that stuff riding down the armature shaft and into the motor. If you’re really intent on cleaning the grease cups out completely, do it later, after we’ve gotten the motor apart. <br />
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Also, as you’re scraping, please note that the inside of the grease cups is not a perfect cylinder, so if you hit a hard obstruction with your scraper, don’t go nuts trying to dislodge it; there is a “step” inside.<br />
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The next thing I do is get the old grease off of the retaining clips, either with a scraping tool or Q-tips. Then I “unscrew” the wicks from the springs. (This is a messy process and was impossible for me to shoot with both hands engaged and covered in grease.) While trying to free the wick from the spring, you’ll occasionally find that the end of the spring has been purposely bent and stabbed into the wick to hold it in place, which can make it a pain to remove; please do this cautiously, as we do not want to stretch the spring out and deform it too much. That creates more work for us later.<br />
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Here you can see that, despite my best efforts, I’ve slightly deformed the second spring. I’ll have to correct that later when we get this all back together.<br />
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After removing what grease I can from the bare springs and retaining clips, I throw them into the rubbing alcohol. After they’ve soaked enough to break the grease down, I clean them off with Q-tips.<br />
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<b>A word about grease wicks</b><br />
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I always replace the wicks since they are frequently old, hard, filled with crusty grease and can no longer perform their wicking action. I have heard of people washing the wicks out but have never done it myself. <br />
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I order my replacement wicks from McMaster-Carr. Due to the layout of their website I cannot provide a direct link, but to order some you need to <a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/#">click here</a> and enter part # 8767K226 in the search box. Unfortunately they only sell it in five-foot lengths, for $5.35, and we only need a couple of inches; but I have not been able to find another place that sells felt wicking. If you know of one, please <br />
mention it in the comments.<br />
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We will replace the wicks later, after all of our soldering is done.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-10_21.html">Part 10: Removing the Motor Brushes</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-56505776295300115802011-12-18T20:18:00.002-05:002011-12-20T16:11:26.945-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 8: Motor Housing Removal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcPIb-jNDs/Tu58bWb_N9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/kOgjfkXE0qo/s1600/0rewire823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcPIb-jNDs/Tu58bWb_N9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/kOgjfkXE0qo/s640/0rewire823.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now that we’ve got the motor leads disconnected (<a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-7.html">as shown in Part 7</a>), we need to remove the motor housing in order to access the motor.<br />
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To get to the motor housing, we first need to remove the handwheel. I would ordinarily also disassemble and remove the bobbin winding assembly, but because that is an operation in its own right, I will save that for another entry and leave it attached to the motor housing. (Leaving the bobbin winding assembly on is not “standard operating procedure” for me, but as long as we are careful, we should be fine.)<br />
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We start by loosening the set screw in the stop motion wheel:<br />
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Don’t take it out all the way, just loosen it to the point shown in the photo below. Leave it in place to reduce the chance of losing it (I often see these missing on Singers I acquire). We only need to loosen it enough to get the stop motion wheel off.<br />
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Unscrew the silver stop motion wheel. Unlike the photo, in reality you’d have to use your other hand to hold the handwheel steady, but my other hand is holding the camera. Remove it carefully, keeping at least four fingers on it at all times, so it doesn’t fall out and chip the enamel on the handwheel (been there, done that).<br />
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Next pull the washer out by pinching one of the protrusions between two fingernails. If you’re not careful with the washer it, too, can suddenly fall out and chip the handwheel's enamel.<br />
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Now grasp the handwheel firmly and pull towards you. If it doesn’t slide off easily, wiggle it north-south and east-west while pulling it towards you.<br />
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Even with old grease sticking it in place, it should eventually come off with just hand pressure. (If it does not, tell me in the comments and I’ll prepare another entry showing you what to do.)<br />
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Now we turn our attention to the handwheel, and a choice of how to proceed. My preference is to clean parts as they come off of the machine, so I can store them clean while I finish the job. I also don’t like to handle dirty parts and then work on electrical stuff. So before I go any further I’m going to give this handwheel, the fiber gear, and the handwheel housing a cursory cleaning. You can of course skip ahead, because we’re on the internet and I can’t see you. And if I can’t see you, I can’t nag you.<br />
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To clean the handwheel’s innards I use these two implements that I bought for a few bucks at an art supply store, I believe they’re used for sculpting clay. (You don't need to buy these, read on.)<br />
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The one on top has a flexible metal tip. The one on the bottom has a silicone tip, here’s a close-up:<br />
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I use the metal one on the metal parts and the top of the gear, scraping the grease off.<br />
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The silicone one I use to “squeegee” between the gear teeth.<br />
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Every morning when I get my coffee-to-go at the diner, the diner guy gives me a wad of napkins. He probably thinks I’m going to use them to wipe my mouth after drinking the coffee, and he’s wrong.<br />
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I could do a whole entry on how to clean a handwheel, and one day I will. But I have to finish this series first. In any case, I get the wheel looking like this:<br />
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You don’t have to get it that obsessively clean, but I’d at least get the bulk of the old, hardened grease off of the thing. If you don’t want to buy the tools I mentioned above, you can probably find something in your kitchen. I wouldn’t recommend toothpicks--you don’t want splinters in the gear teeth--but maybe some plastic utensils, or one of those little plastic swords they put in cocktails. <br />
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If you clean the black part, I’d advise not to use anything other than a wet Q-tip and a lot of elbow grease. The bobbin winder tire rides on the inside of the handwheel, and if there’s anything slippery on it, like the sewing machine oil some people use to clean their machines, the tire will slip and the oil will eventually rot the rubber.<br />
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Handwheel finished, now we turn to the housing. In this case it’s pretty filthy; this machine is from 1937 so the lint is probably historic. <br />
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I remove the lint and hair with a small bristle vacuum attachment.<br />
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Then I go at the inside with the metal clay tool and burn through some more diner napkins.<br />
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Afterwards I scrub the insides with Q-tips moistened with rubbing alcohol. (If you go this route, be careful not to spill any alcohol on the outside of the machine. Alcohol is fine on bare metal, but it will eat through, and ruin, the exterior finish.) <br />
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Now it looks a damn sight better than before:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8IWTK3R-8UU/Tu6LeFPRU2I/AAAAAAAAAu0/RFAri-PP6W0/s1600/0rewire818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8IWTK3R-8UU/Tu6LeFPRU2I/AAAAAAAAAu0/RFAri-PP6W0/s320/0rewire818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>More importantly, with all of the excess grease gone, now I can actually see the two mounting screws inside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PjxH7QKAmpA/Tu58X85Vl2I/AAAAAAAAAuE/3-tyQlU12OI/s1600/0rewire819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PjxH7QKAmpA/Tu58X85Vl2I/AAAAAAAAAuE/3-tyQlU12OI/s400/0rewire819.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We need to remove those two screws. A Brownells bit #360-6 fits perfectly. These two screws are often in there REALLY tight, so I often stand up and lean my body weight into the screwdriver, really pressing it into the screw, and then begin loosening it. To do this I often have to hold the machine with my other hand, but again, my other hand is holding the camera.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MNMUhE759n4/Tu58YX6oCmI/AAAAAAAAAuM/Y7iryusArqk/s1600/0rewire820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MNMUhE759n4/Tu58YX6oCmI/AAAAAAAAAuM/Y7iryusArqk/s400/0rewire820.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Once the screws have been removed, here’s how we’re going to remove the housing. You know how in the movies, when somebody’s fake-driving and just wiggling the steering wheel back and forth? That’s the motion we need. Do this GENTLY, please, and use both hands. My left hand is on the camera, but should be where the red lines are in the photo below. Be careful NOT to grab the bobbin winder assembly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VYuhmf0tYLE/Tu58ZsVALJI/AAAAAAAAAuU/3-BmIY8RILg/s1600/0rewire821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VYuhmf0tYLE/Tu58ZsVALJI/AAAAAAAAAuU/3-BmIY8RILg/s400/0rewire821.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ehLXT3Xz7XQ/Tu58bOYOcoI/AAAAAAAAAuc/5J1jDtHVP34/s1600/0rewire822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ehLXT3Xz7XQ/Tu58bOYOcoI/AAAAAAAAAuc/5J1jDtHVP34/s400/0rewire822.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The extremity of the tilting of the housing is exaggerated in these photos, just to give you the idea. Do this as gently as possible!<br />
<br />
As you continue wiggling the housing back and forth like a steering wheel, pull it towards you. Eventually you’ll feel it loosen and you can slide it off of the shaft. Easy does it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcPIb-jNDs/Tu58bWb_N9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/kOgjfkXE0qo/s1600/0rewire823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcPIb-jNDs/Tu58bWb_N9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/kOgjfkXE0qo/s320/0rewire823.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now your motor’s off. Set it down and go pour yourself a cocktail (even though you might be out of swords).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mAApOqNGTqY/Tu58cD9u28I/AAAAAAAAAus/vo2HYcouzqw/s1600/0rewire824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mAApOqNGTqY/Tu58cD9u28I/AAAAAAAAAus/vo2HYcouzqw/s320/0rewire824.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br />
<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-10.html">Part 9: Removing the Grease Wicks</a></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-16312862140900439312011-12-17T21:34:00.004-05:002011-12-20T16:10:31.731-05:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 7: Disconnecting the Motor Leads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_KOkRjBWlU/Tu1Nphx-A-I/AAAAAAAAAqY/ZAMipBXnN3U/s1600/0rewire701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_KOkRjBWlU/Tu1Nphx-A-I/AAAAAAAAAqY/ZAMipBXnN3U/s640/0rewire701.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Okay folks, time for us to get our hands on the machine.<br />
<br />
Before removing the motor from your 201-2 or 15-91, we must first disconnect the motor leads. From here on in we’re going to need lots of different screwdriver bits, so be sure to read <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-comfortable-wrenching-on-your.html">the entries on proper screwdriver bits</a> if you’re unclear on this area; if you use the wrong type of driver and strip a screw in the middle of a motor re-wire, you’ll find it a huge hassle.<br />
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Step one is unplug the machine. Not at the wall, but at the terminal body.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axQ2ghyDSmQ/Tu1NqItlFPI/AAAAAAAAAqg/QmVqHhTNfzM/s1600/0rewire702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axQ2ghyDSmQ/Tu1NqItlFPI/AAAAAAAAAqg/QmVqHhTNfzM/s320/0rewire702.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Step two is to remove the single screw holding the terminal body on. (A Brownells bit #270-5 fits perfectly.) You’ll find this screw has often been overtightened, so remember to press hard into the screw as you unscrew it, to reduce the chances of strippage. After you’ve removed the screw, keep it safe, we’ll need it again in a sec.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fAFJw2aguo8/Tu1Nqt9QzgI/AAAAAAAAAqo/Y0u1XIDm9rI/s1600/0rewire703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fAFJw2aguo8/Tu1Nqt9QzgI/AAAAAAAAAqo/Y0u1XIDm9rI/s320/0rewire703.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Gently pull the terminal body towards you and downwards. Now at this point you’re going to see one of two things:<br />
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<b>Best-Case Scenario:</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfdaVLOhBZk/Tu1NsEH0m0I/AAAAAAAAAqw/AAGNw4AfKmI/s1600/0rewire704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfdaVLOhBZk/Tu1NsEH0m0I/AAAAAAAAAqw/AAGNw4AfKmI/s640/0rewire704.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you see this, you're lucky.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I call this the Best Case Scenario because even though we can see some exposed wire that needs to be replaced, everything is still clean and there is no oil damage. Which leads me to the next example….<br />
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<br />
<b>Worst-Case Scenario:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MHtMSJMTvFU/Tu1NtU6NV3I/AAAAAAAAAq4/0sO3Ly5Xj9c/s1600/0rewire705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MHtMSJMTvFU/Tu1NtU6NV3I/AAAAAAAAAq4/0sO3Ly5Xj9c/s640/0rewire705.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you see this, you're unlucky. But don't despair, we'll get to it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This is a different machine than in the previous photo, and as you can see, we’ve got big problems. Never mind the exposed wiring and cracked, rotted insulation--there is massive oil damage. Someone has over-oiled this machine, causing the wiring insulation to get oily and melt and run into the terminal body. Look at how the light switch on the left is covered in thick, black, hardened goop.<br />
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Although this problem is fixable, this is a LOT more work than the Best-Case Scenario, and will require a separate series of entries. If your machine’s terminal body looks like this one, let me know in the comments and I’ll begin preparing that Worst-Case Scenario series of entries. In the meanwhile I’ll continue on here for the Best-Case Scenario machines.<br />
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<b>Unwire the terminal body</b><br />
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Remove the three thumbscrews from the terminal body. There are only two motor leads, but we remove all three thumbscrews because the wires are often covering one another.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-auRu4LbqSyo/Tu1Nt_M-8oI/AAAAAAAAArA/t0_qwpEiUaQ/s1600/0rewire706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-auRu4LbqSyo/Tu1Nt_M-8oI/AAAAAAAAArA/t0_qwpEiUaQ/s400/0rewire706.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Next, gently pull the ring connectors off of the brass studs. You may want to mark the wires with tape, according to what color they connect with (red, black or yellow.) And be vigilant--there may or may not be a brass washer on top of the ring connectors, and if you pull them up too fast, the washer may go flying off into space. It’s happened to me and I never saw that washer again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFlt5VEKO6o/Tu1NumURoDI/AAAAAAAAArI/wXgYr5v_dSM/s1600/0rewire707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lFlt5VEKO6o/Tu1NumURoDI/AAAAAAAAArI/wXgYr5v_dSM/s640/0rewire707.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gently pull the rings off of the brass studs...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X78NhsbABmA/Tu1NvLl9EkI/AAAAAAAAArQ/i6kKJq8r84U/s1600/0rewire708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X78NhsbABmA/Tu1NvLl9EkI/AAAAAAAAArQ/i6kKJq8r84U/s400/0rewire708.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but keep your eyes open for these washers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Next, isolate the two motor leads--the two wires leading up to the motor--and pull them gently to the side. They may be plastered against the side of the machine, but don’t be shy about pulling them off; if the machine needs re-wiring, then these wires have to go, no matter what. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Emax_ua5uU/Tu1Nvhko7OI/AAAAAAAAArY/jvrySYGqTN4/s1600/0rewire709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Emax_ua5uU/Tu1Nvhko7OI/AAAAAAAAArY/jvrySYGqTN4/s640/0rewire709.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Rewire the terminal body</b><br />
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After isolating the motor leads, re-connect the other, non-motor wiring. Then screw the thumbscrews back in place.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e5oXpgqq4PU/Tu1NwE9t4QI/AAAAAAAAArg/gTyu0fZ75mY/s1600/0rewire710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e5oXpgqq4PU/Tu1NwE9t4QI/AAAAAAAAArg/gTyu0fZ75mY/s640/0rewire710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put it back together, minus the motor leads</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Next, screw the terminal body back into the machine. Not tightly, just enough to keep it in place. <br />
We do this partly for safekeeping--there’s no chance you’re going to lose the thumbscrews, brass washers, etc. if they’re attached to the machine--and partly to keep it out of the way: The next step will expose some potentially messy grease, and we don’t want that getting onto the inside of the terminal body.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JbVluTHkmLo/Tu1Nw7J993I/AAAAAAAAAro/8O6fnr0VzO0/s1600/0rewire711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JbVluTHkmLo/Tu1Nw7J993I/AAAAAAAAAro/8O6fnr0VzO0/s640/0rewire711.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice and tidy, in preparation for the next step</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-8.html">Part 8: Removing the Motor Housing</a></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-2830195097543844172011-12-17T11:15:00.003-05:002012-04-22T17:55:52.432-04:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 6: The Underwriter's Knot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpVjbz7rfTY/TuyxmRpTVBI/AAAAAAAAAoM/QFhd2U3AQj0/s1600/0rewire601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cpVjbz7rfTY/TuyxmRpTVBI/AAAAAAAAAoM/QFhd2U3AQj0/s640/0rewire601.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This is the last thing we need to learn before moving on to the machine! Congrats if you’ve made it this far.<br />
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After we eventually solder new wires onto the motor leads, inside the motor housing we’ll need to tie those new wires into what’s called an underwriter’s knot before we push the wires out through the housing. <br />
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An underwriter’s knot provides strain relief, so that if we tug and pull on the wiring while we’re installing the motor, it will not place any stress on the motor leads where they join with the motor’s field core. (The knot will simply catch on the inside of the housing.) This is very important, because if you break that connection at the field core, your potted motor then becomes a potted paperweight.<br />
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We’ll practice outside of the machine to be sure we can get the knot right. Ready?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Let’s start by cutting two eight-inch lengths of wire. Use a different color for each to avoid driving yourself nuts. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-prDqxllgsJg/TuyxnZ0ziSI/AAAAAAAAAoc/bsPuZ4dch5Q/s1600/0rewire603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-prDqxllgsJg/TuyxnZ0ziSI/AAAAAAAAAoc/bsPuZ4dch5Q/s320/0rewire603.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Photographs will best illustrate what to do next:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q15S7InrH6I/TuyxnzwJOtI/AAAAAAAAAok/jwe8xriQjJ8/s1600/0rewire604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q15S7InrH6I/TuyxnzwJOtI/AAAAAAAAAok/jwe8xriQjJ8/s400/0rewire604.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7a5s8aNp8zo/TuyxpWvoUUI/AAAAAAAAAos/ZtooO3J54qc/s1600/0rewire605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7a5s8aNp8zo/TuyxpWvoUUI/AAAAAAAAAos/ZtooO3J54qc/s400/0rewire605.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 1 detail: Ensure you've crossed OVER the wires</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-osSqFypJhJE/TuyxrFt_ZAI/AAAAAAAAAo0/HvaoWU9-iiI/s1600/0rewire606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-osSqFypJhJE/TuyxrFt_ZAI/AAAAAAAAAo0/HvaoWU9-iiI/s400/0rewire606.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 2: Ensure the other side crosses UNDER the wires</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OpQEj726KA8/Tuyxss6YDaI/AAAAAAAAAo8/v2FXqRbQ9E0/s1600/0rewire607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OpQEj726KA8/Tuyxss6YDaI/AAAAAAAAAo8/v2FXqRbQ9E0/s400/0rewire607.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 3: Through the loop on the left (from front to back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BR4Cn__Ngsk/TuyxtQGo24I/AAAAAAAAApE/e-2VC5ZmojE/s1600/0rewire608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BR4Cn__Ngsk/TuyxtQGo24I/AAAAAAAAApE/e-2VC5ZmojE/s400/0rewire608.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 4: Other wire goes through the loop on the right (from back to front)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ddUgrt5PYD8/Tuyxuajar4I/AAAAAAAAApM/dw4dV406Akc/s1600/0rewire609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ddUgrt5PYD8/Tuyxuajar4I/AAAAAAAAApM/dw4dV406Akc/s640/0rewire609.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 4 detail: Double-check that the appropriate sides are over or under each other, as shown in the blue circles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DpVhDhghhY/TuyxvNMlG9I/AAAAAAAAApU/_PmcwolI-4Y/s1600/0rewire610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DpVhDhghhY/TuyxvNMlG9I/AAAAAAAAApU/_PmcwolI-4Y/s640/0rewire610.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same photo as above, but without the distracting blue circles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ugl93J-FJs/TuyxvmFtCdI/AAAAAAAAApc/m10SvyERu84/s1600/0rewire611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ugl93J-FJs/TuyxvmFtCdI/AAAAAAAAApc/m10SvyERu84/s400/0rewire611.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 5: Don't tighten all the way; make it just tight enough that the wires don't slip out of the loops.</td></tr>
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We're keeping it loose for a reason. Because here's the real trick to getting this right once we're doing this inside the actual motor: We have to learn how to<i> move</i> the knot downwards. This is easiest to do by keeping the knot loose, then moving it downwards as we tighten.<br />
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Here's the loose knot. I've place it exaggeratingly high up, about three inches from the bottom of the wires, for the purposes of illustration:<br />
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As you begin to tighten it, move the knot downwards. You will have to do a little bit at a time, working on each side in turn. Don't tighten too much, keep it loose enough that you can continue to move the knot to where you want it.<br />
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There's no way for me to illustrate the knot-moving process in photos or video; I tried and my fingers block the view of the wires. It's just something you have to monkey with, and you'll eventually "get it."<br />
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Here you can see we've got the knot all the way down near the bottom.<br />
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We ultimately want to be able to get it so there's only 1/2", or maybe 3/4", of wiring left underneath the knot.<br />
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Then we can tighten it. You don't have to get it super-tight for now.<br />
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You may wonder why we're doing it this way. It's because there's not much room once we're inside the actual motor, and being able to move the knot will prove useful to ensure everything fits inside the housing. Don't worry if you don't understand what I mean by this, it will all become clear once we're actually doing it.<br />
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<b>Next we'll</b> finally get our hands on the actual sewing machine. But don’t get too excited yet, because chances are as we begin disassembling the motor we’re going to have a <i>ton</i> of cleaning to do as we go.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-7.html">Part 7: Disconnecting the Motor Leads</a></b><a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-7.html"> </a>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7726502802933887607.post-91920013564995668262011-12-16T16:06:00.003-05:002012-07-27T21:52:41.762-04:00How to Re-wire a Potted Motor, Part 5: Covering Wire Joints with Heat Shrink Tubing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sI6oALbFKoI/TutEQeAu_jI/AAAAAAAAAn0/DuaJ4GyoFRw/s1600/0rewire501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sI6oALbFKoI/TutEQeAu_jI/AAAAAAAAAn0/DuaJ4GyoFRw/s640/0rewire501.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now that we’re able to solder two wires together, we’ll use heat shrink tubing to cover the soldered joints. It’s quick and easy. <br />
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Heat shrink tubing is just a little tube of thin, rubber-like material. You cut it to length with scissors. Then you slide it over your wire joint, apply heat with a cigarette lighter or heat gun and it shrinks a predetermined amount, acting as insulation and protection. It comes in different sizes and many different materials, but there's a particular kind we need.<br />
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It’s easy to apply--if you get the right kind. Because I did not know this at first, after trying and failing to apply different types using a lighter, I wasted my money on a heat gun. Some types of heat shrink tubing only shrink at extremely high heat (heat gun), while others shrink at low heat (cigarette lighter). Get the right stuff and you can do this job with a $1 cigarette lighter. Get the wrong stuff and you waste $37.69 on a heat gun.<br />
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You’ll need two types:<br />
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- 1/8” Polyolefin Heat Shrink Tubing with a 2:1 Shrink Ratio<br />
- 3/16” Polyolefin Heat Shrink Tubing with a 2:1 Shrink Ratio<br />
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I bought eight different kinds before I figured this out, and I hope to save you the trouble. You should be able to find the stuff at a hardware, electrical supply or auto parts store. If not, here’s links:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thevinsinsewm-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0013HUEB4" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thevinsinsewm-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00262MKMQ" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b>How to apply heat-shrink tubing</b><br />
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Take some of the wires that you’ve soldered together in your testing, cut off a 1” piece of HS tubing, and slide it down so it covers the joint, with some room left over on the sides. Have it clamped in the Helping Hands. Then, quickly run a lighter under it, using the blue part of the flame:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ArtAEjgSDSU" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Easy peasy. The tricky part is that during actual application, we must remember to slide the heat shrink tubing onto a piece of wire, and slide it out of the way, <i>before</i> we solder it. Otherwise it may be impossible to get it on, as you'll see later.<br />
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<b>Go on to <a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-6.html">Part 6: The Underwriter's Knot</a></b><a href="http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-re-wire-potted-motor-part-6.html"> </a><br />
<b></b>Nicholas Rain Noehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12644468824283007784noreply@blogger.com1