2343 armature

Why? They rarely go bad.  

You can support the field so that the armature can fall through and use a pin punch to drive the shaft out of the gear.

I’m with Jon on this one, if it spins nice & smooth, and there’s no slop, and there’s no open segments, why are you bothering?….clean the commutator face with some super fine paper ( 1000 or finer ) clean out the segment gaps, and let her eat,…you’re doing a lot of needless work unless it’s a failed armature,……

Pat

I have cleaned the commutator face and it appears that it's paper thin.  It runs but not like it did the past less pulling power and it doesn't growl any more.

Thanks,

Old2065

How are is it to remove commutator face?  Since this seems to be the route to take.

Thanks,

Old2065

old2065,

Could you post a couple of pictures before you proceed? Then those trying to help could get a better idea of what you're dealing with.

Commutators for postwar motors are available from Jeff Kane. It is important to get the slots back in the same place when the new commutator is pressed back on, so mark there location on the stack before you take it apart.  Use solder wick to remove the solder from the hooks where the armature coils are attached to the commutator. Then find the ends of wires and use tweeters to un wrap the wire. Have the replacement commutator on hand before you pull the old one off, as it is likely to break. I use a wheel to pull the old commutators off. Press the new commutator on with the slots in the correct place.  This should be done with a pressing tool that supports the commutator Ofer most of its face.  The felt washer under the commutator probably should be replaced as it is usually soaked with oil and carbon. After the commutator is on, resolder the armature coil leads to the segments.

I would then dress the face of the commutator to ensure it is flat and square. This process is described in the rather lengthy post on “prewar 0-6-0 switches” on this site.

here is a picture of one of the armatures:

@old2065 posted:

here is a picture of one of the armatures:

If the segments have continuity between all 3 faces, and there’s no short to the shaft itself, they will go again,…..no further action required, they actually look to be in healthy shape, ……I don’t see any cupping of the segment faces,….let them eat…

Pat

@old2065 posted:

here is a picture...

They look like new as far as wear goes.

OOF! that commutator looks like a angry squirrel has been at it. You really ought to pick up a fiberglass pencil/brush to clean a surface like that. Just search for 'Fiberglass Brush Pencil' in google, it will come up quick - and they are cheap! Use it to rub the contact surfaces until clean. Much better for cleaning electric contacts than scratching it up with sandpaper

In this post:

https://ogrforum.com/...team-switcher?page=5

right at the top of page 5 is a procedure I use to clean up problem commutators.

This is what a reconditioned commutator can look like:

https://ogrforum.com/...c/148675927290311961 Jim Barrett cleans an armature plate with a fiberglass pencil

- jump forward to 10:20

Thanks everyone for your good advise.  Will clean the commuter places and let it run.

Old2065