From: terrell.michael.a@gmail.com   
      
   On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 5:24:04 AM UTC-4, default wrote:   
   >   
   > On Mon, 18 May 2020 23:36:52 -0700 (PDT), Michael Terrell wrote:   
   >    
   > >On Monday, May 18, 2020 at 6:43:19 PM UTC-4, default wrote:   
   > >>   
   > >> On Mon, 18 May 2020 05:02:35 -0700 (PDT), Michael Terrell wrote:   
   > >> >   
   > >> >Metal polish (EG: Brasso), or a large in eraser is better than   
   sandpaper. It leaves a highly polished surface that only removes the oxides.   
   > >> >   
   > >> >Small generators are intended for lighting, or power tools where you   
   only have to be close. Also, without a load the output isn't a clean sine   
   wave. Any inductive load helps to clean up their output.   
   > >>    
   > >> Those old-school ink erasers were the best IMO.  Don't see them   
   > >> anymore...   
   > >>    
   > >> Fine abrasives have the advantage of cleaning off the brush surfaces   
   > >> and reseating brushes, so it may be more advantageous in a generator   
   > >> that has been in storage for awhile. Otherwise I concur, a pencil   
   > >> eraser is a good choice.   
   > >   
   > >   
   > >   I used to rebuild vacuum clean motors as a sideline. The customer kept   
   asking to see my armature lathe, since they commutators all looked brand new.   
   These were made by Lamb, and 120VAC. I would connect them to my 24V DC power   
   supply and polish the    
   commutator with the motor running at a reduced speed. He gave me all his bad   
   motors. I sold them back to him at half the wholesale price, with over a 50%   
   recover rate. Many didn't run because the commutator was so nasty. I reground   
   a blade for my Exacto    
   knife to undercut the mica spacers. A lot of the time it only took five   
   minutes to revive a motor. He never did figure it out, but he never brought   
   back any of my repaired motors. Other had bad bearings or burnt windings so   
   they were stripped and the    
   good parts were used to make a good fan. I ended up with scrap aluminum and   
   copper from the scrap parts, as well. :)   
   > >   
   > >   Ink erasers are still available, but you might have to go o an office   
   supply store or buy them online.   
   >    
   > Way back, I worked a part time job repairing consumer and commercial   
   > electronics while going to school.  One of the sidelines of the   
   > business was installing custom stereos in vehicles.  For that there   
   > were high school kids with a mechanical bent that would do all the   
   > work.  None of them could afford decent cars themselves so there were   
   > a fleet of high-mileage junkers parked outside the building.   
   >    
   > There was also this place "Ben's Armature," who'd built a reputation   
   > for repairing car alternators.  Everyone in town swore by them being   
   > the best, but they'd always diagnose a bad field winding (which they   
   > called the armature) and the cure was always to "rewind the armature."   
   > at a cost of $50-150.  This old Land Cruiser I used to haul my boat   
   > around succumbed one day and I went there and listened to the   
   > estimate.     
   >    
   > I decided to rewind it myself and save a buck.  How hard could it be?   
   > I took it apart and there was nothing left of the brushes.  $4 for a   
   > set of brushes (with springs and holder) and it could have been fixed   
   > without even taking the alternator off the truck.   
   >    
   > One by one the junkers the high schoolers used also went to Ben's.   
   > (120-200K/Mi the brushes fail)  In no time the business had another   
   > sideline.  We'd charge $20 labor and $4-15 for brushes (seldom had to   
   > do more than remove a few screws and replace the brushes)   
   >    
   > I did get to "rewind the armature" one day on an old 750 Honda   
   > motorcycle.  The only hard part of doing it was in fabricating a   
   > bobbin to hold the wire 'till the epoxy set - they used a "self   
   > supporting coil" in the original alternator.   
      
   I've replaced a lot of brushes in Alternators and Starters. I had to junk one   
   Alternator because a weld was broken where a wire was attached to a slip ring.   
   Solder wouldn't hold and I couldn't get it welded. I bought another alternator   
   at a junkyard for $   
   20. The owner read the GM markings and said it was a low current model. He as   
   wrong.it was the highest current version.   
      
   I installed and repaired car radios right after I graduated. My first car was   
   a '63 Pontiac Catalina convertable. It was seven yeas old, but some people   
   thought anything over two years old was junk.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)