Is it done?

opiesbro

opiesbro

Big Al Customs
Silver Member
Last night I was finishing a cue and this happened. I had the motor turned down to almost a stall. After about 35 minutes the caps that hold the brushes popped out. The motor got hot but is still free. Is it toast and ready for a swap or does it just need new caps? The current caps will not stay in.

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I guess you won't know till you inspect the caps, and possibly the brushes. Sounds like the caps melted although most are made of phenolic type material which can stand a lot of heat. Do they look melted? If they won't stay in, that could be it. Totally worn out brushes will sometimes cock and stick, then arc and get hot. That's my guess(a different animal than a diagnosis).
I mean, you have it in your hands. The rest of us are going to rely on...what? Clairvoyance? :)
That's my guess: brushes got hot and melted the caps. Pull those brushes out of there...let's have a look at it.
Did you see or hear arcing? Does the spindle turn freely?

Robin
 
Take a close look at the caps and then the housing....which looks melted more? If the caps, then replace...if the housing...replace motor.
Another question,....how do you control the speed on the motor? If your not using the proper controller...that would cause the motor to overheat and bad things to happen. I have found a router speed control (especially, but not limited to, Harbor freight) to cause damage when ran long term on a motor, but a PWM controller...the motor runs fine for any amount of time.
Another consideration is, is there a fan to cool the motor? Similar to a treadmill motor has? DC motors will build heat up much more so than an AC motor especially under a load of slow rpms, in my experiences.
****edit...Is that a sewing machine motor??? It looks like it could be, and if so, those aren't built for long term running, more like short bursts of about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then a couple minutes to cool. Ditch it and get a windshield wiper motor and a computer power supply. It'll run all night.Dave
 
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Hey Al-
Dave ^ is full of good ideas. I'll bet he's onto it.
If that's a sewing machine motor, it's a small one. I use a much larger one and it will run forever at tic-over speeds...say, 20-30 rpm or so.
I see no fan and the usual sewing machine speed control is just a variable resistor: not good for prolonged running at low speed. I cooked one that way once.
The windshield wiper wiper motor/computer power supply is a great idea. Very powerful and made to run hours on end.

Robin
 
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Judging by the pic,particularly the mount and drive belt,that is a sewing machine motor that Todd sells.

I smoked mine too. Mine smoked because I didn't use the mount it came with,and my mounting method put the bearings in a bind.

Add a little too much tension on the butt of the cue while doing a linen wrap and POOF...:eek:. Good thing I was within an inch of finishing the wrap.

I'm lucky enough to have a guy here in town that has done sewing machine and vacuum cleaner repairs since the 60's. I got a Kenmore branded motor he said was made by Westinghouse or GE for 15 bucks and said I'd have to really try to burn it up,compared to the one I showed up with.

He even fixed me up by using the plug off Todd's motor so I could still use the foot controller I already had. Tommy D.
 
carguy said:
Hey Al-
Dave ^ is full of good ideas. I'll bet he's onto it.
If that's a sewing machine motor, it's a small one. I use a much larger one and it will run forever at tic-over speeds...say, 20-30 rpm or so.
I see no fan and the usual sewing machine speed control is just a variable resistor: not good for prolonged running at low speed. I cooked one that way once.
The windshield wiper wiper motor/computer power supply is a great idea. Very powerful and made to run hours on end.

Robin
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True... They get hot very easily with a load on them. I cooked a small one too one time when I was fooling around with a rod wrapping project.. Made a really loud pop when it blew.
 
Those motors suck................. get a real motor.............

You are not sewing........

Kim
 
I bought one of Todd's finishing lathes and it came with the same motor. The first time I tried to put sealer(epoxy) on a cue I almost burned it up. They don't do good at low rpm. I bought a 100rpm ac motor on eBay and run it for hours with no problem.


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Well the threads looked damaged and not melted. One of the brushes had some carbon build up from arcing but not terrible.

However I do like Kim's suggestion of getting rid of it. I happen to know where a free treadmill is and that would free up a Penn motor off my deluxe. Couple new brackets and pulleys and bam! I was hoping to sell this lathe and start building a CNC from the funds though. :(

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That motor is probably repairable without any great expense. The little ac motor is not rated for continuous use and is not recommended for use under a heavy load. It's only about a 1/6 HP. They will get very hot if run continuously under load for more than a few minutes at slow speed (or really any speed). They will do a fine job when used with patience as they were intended. I have installed tons of wraps, tips, ferrules and sanded and cleaned shafts with one of these little motors and had no major problems. However, if an individual feels that they require more power I offer up-grades to a 1/3 HP DC motor, or a 1/2 hp motor. If there are any questions or if I can be of any assistence pleas just let me know.
 
Enigmaticul said:
Agreed, went ahead a purchased a penn state motor setup and wow is all I can say. Whammo57 is right
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I have 2 of the pennstate motor set ups for finishing and sanding. They are worth the money........... get the motor mount from Todd....

Kim
 
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