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Bob Coates
06-07-2022, 7:12 PM
My 1968 MW-RAS stopped working today. Looks like one of the brushes have excessive ware. Any one know how to get replacement?

Thanks
Bob
Paul F Franklin
06-07-2022, 9:14 PM
Mcmaster Carr sell a variety of motor brushes. If you can't find specific replacements they might have something that will work. You can file the brush to adjust the radius of the curved part if necessary. You could also try any local motor repair shops in your area.
Bill Dufour
06-07-2022, 11:27 PM
Find some old ones of a similar cross section and carefully file them to fit. They file very fast and easy. The hard part is getting wire attached. solder may melt under load. I pick up old vacuums in the alley just to save the brushes. Never throw away a tool with brushes.
Bill D
Curt Harms
06-08-2022, 9:42 AM
My local Ace hardware sells a few styles of motor brushes. If your local hardware does, you might find something close and be able to file it to fit.
Rick Potter
06-10-2022, 12:05 PM
Never filed brushes, but reading this, my immediate thought is that if you use a drill powered sanding drum the size of the arbor (?), you could shape them quickly and more accurately.

If I am wrong, go ahead and pile on...it is just an idea.
Paul F Franklin
06-10-2022, 4:17 PM
Never filed brushes, but reading this, my immediate thought is that if you use a drill powered sanding drum the size of the arbor (?), you could shape them quickly and more accurately.

If I am wrong, go ahead and pile on...it is just an idea.

That would certainly work...the brush material is fairly soft on purpose...so they wear, not the commutator. It would be a bit messy, but so is filing them.
Bob Coates
06-10-2022, 8:48 PM
Just an update. Finding most of the motor shops either not selling or out of business I found a generator repair shop that had some that would work. Original were 1/4 x 1/2 and one was only 3/8 long and other 1/2 inch. The new ones were close to 1". Replace the outside ends on the new ones with the old cap and shortened the wire. The spring seemed to be the same size so didn't need a change. Put it all back together and bing go it works.
Thanks for all the help. I will check local ACE and see what they had.

Bob