Singer R4D questions

[swampymarsh]

Just picked up this vacuum from a dumpster this evening and went through it to make sure it was all there before I plugged it in. The bearings and wiring are all good however the brushes are pretty nicked up and the armature (I think that’s what it’s called that the brushes ride on if not correct me) has some loose teeth? (I don’t know technical terms) the little copper pieces that make it up some of them are loose and breaking away the carbon brushes which causes sparks and arks which is making it smell like it’s burning. I wasn’t sure how to tighten up these copper “teeth” or if there was a way? Not trying to use the vacuum just trying to make it sound a little better and maybe not smell like a house fire . Thanks.

 

[madman]

The armature is the entire spinning part of the motor. The commutator is the copper or brass part that the brushes ride on and make connection with. If those sections of the commutator are loose, repair is basically not an option. You need a replacement armature. I mean... I suppose *maybe* you could epoxy glue it back together, but then it'd probably need to be turned on a lathe to make it true again, and then you risk it breaking apart again while in use. Replacing only the commutator (if you could even get one) - though not impossible - would be about as difficult as making an entirely new armature assembly from scratch.

Take some pictures so we can know for sure.

 

[huskyvacs]

No glue would hold it together with that kind of centrifugal force. We're talking about a precision of nanometers. If no replacement armature assembly or motor is available, find a small electric motor shop locally and get a quote on getting it rebuilt. With how old it is, likely will have to be rebuilt anyway as you won't find replacements after 80+ years. Good luck! It's a great trash find.

 

[madman]

A motor shop rebuilding an armature with a broken commutator would likely be in the several hundred dollar range, if they would even entertain you.

 

[huskyvacs]

They would. There's plenty of small and large motor repair shops around, and yes that would likely be the cost but it all depends on the degree of work needed and the motor itself. Small motors require a lot less effort and labor than a giant turbine motor. If all it needs is a commutator rebuild, that's easy stuff for a motor tech. What takes a lot of time and patience (and a special machine) is rewinding an armature, and it has to be dead-on perfectly tight.

But yeah, free stuff is never free. Can get a car for free too but will take $3,000+ to get it back to driving condition. Same with buying a fire-bombed/vandalized house for $5,000. That's just how it works. I've gotten vacuums at Goodwill for $10 that need another $85 in parts to get them back to museum quality before they are good to go.

The R4D is a rare vacuum already, once they are all gone they are all gone. It's about saving as many antique vacuums as you can. So many vacuums from the 90's that got tossed are even rarer now and go for $150+ for a vacuum that 20 years ago could be found at a yard sale for $5. I wish I never sold my Dirt Devil MVP, that is for sure! People go nuts for that vac now!

This is a local motor repair shop near me that does walk-in repairs: https://tinyurl.com/y8rkd3s5