Cleaning / Polishing / Dressing Of An Electric Motor Commutator

Today we show you a way to clean and polish the commutator of an electric motor. The electric motor seen in the video belongs to an electric drill I have found in a crate with its motor opened. I do not know what has caused the grooves on the commutator but they need to be removed for the motor to work properly.
► YOU WILL NEED
- Cleaning rag
- Sponge
- 400 or better, 600 grit Sand paper (aluminium oxide)
- Cleaning gear: Brush / air compressor / vacuum cleaner
► DISCLAIMER
Always make sure you operate in a safe and secure manner.
For this project, take your time, work slowly and check progress.
It is essential to thoroughly clean the motor after polishing the commutator since fine metallic particles left may create shorts in the engine.
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[@slomac9177]

You just saved my ass!! Thought my PTT motor was bad. They are discontinued and was about to drop $500 on a USED replacement motor. Then I watched this video and saw some details that I over looked on my initial rebuild. Broke the motor down again and did everything you taught. Installed it back on the boat and bam💥. I had a better working motor then ever. Thank you so much for this insight! Keep it up!

[@TheLabOtomy]

Nice and congrats for fixing it!

[@MalaRhynn]

Thank you for the video! I bought a used compressor which has been soaeking, and its sort of my project to leaen about motor maintainance now. All in all youre helping me keep this purchase of mine well and worth it!

[@TheLabOtomy]

Nice!

[@ehhhh1246]

Needed to learn this because the online support for my mini grinder told me to clean the carbon brush, the setting 1 and 2 wouldn't work

[@mattjones7621]

Very good! I use a soap stone most of the time and use an air compressor or shop vac to get rid of excess dust.

[@TheLabOtomy]

Nice

[@habibithebro7670]

i subscribed and just left your longest playlist on autoplay. going to buy some supplies. you just saved me 600$. my central vacuum stopped working and this will get it fixe!

[@TheLabOtomy]

Thanks HabibiTheBro!

[@krislink1761]

If you stick it in a drill press or lathe, the process goes faster and the finish quality is much better as well

[@TheLabOtomy]

Indeed, thanks for sharing

[@KeyboardBuster]

@@TheLabOtomy Even better just chuck it up to an adjustable speed hand drill

[@TheLabOtomy]

@@KeyboardBuster An option indeed

[@mathematiquesinformatique1423]

merci

[@TheLabOtomy]

Merci de votre visite

[@muddassirsheeraz]

Brilliant

[@TheLabOtomy]

Thanks!

[@happymann839]

Super 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@TheLabOtomy]

👍

[@georgedennison3338]

When you use abrasive on the commutator, stay away from metal based abrasive, particles can embed in the soft copper & damage the brushes. Use a fine stone or fine grit carborundum sand paper; most paper backed wood sandpaper is carborundum, but watch out for aluminum oxide. I generally clean/scrape/undercut the mica between the segments before turning or polishing the commutator. Unless you have a commutator undercutting machine, (if you did, you wouldn't be watching this vid), & undercutting by hand, it is very easy to slip & scratch the commutator. A wood pick will clean the muck out, but if you get down to the mica, it'll take a steel tool to scrape the groove deep enough. If you do the between the segment work first, your slips & scratches can be cleaned up as you turn & polish or polish the comm. Go slow & be careful, tearing up the bare copper insulation or breaking a comm lead will hose the armature.

[@BillyCrystal-hc5jp]

So I’ve gotten mineral oil down in the commutator and now it smells weird when I’m using. Any ideas on how to get it off? Same process maybe brake cleaner and sandpaper??

[@TheLabOtomy]

The important is to use products that will not damage the inter-slots mica and / or wire insulation

[@BillyCrystal-hc5jp]

@@TheLabOtomy thanks sir

[@gambiarrautil]

Hello! My 775 DC motor works and after a while it stops. Could this be dirt in the Commutator? I checked other components and everything seems to be normal.

[@TheLabOtomy]

Anything at this stage is subject to suspicion

[@habibithebro7670]

you showed that you checked the carbon brushes against it. how do i know its good or it needs replacement?

[@TheLabOtomy]

Visual inspection will tell you a lot: no broken parts? Making adequate contact with the communicator? Enough carbon left on the brush? Also, often, issues with carbon brushes will lead to sparking.

[@youngplayboy786]

I was wondering... 2:17 What if I fill that gap with the help hard glue. Because that method work for only for 1 or 2 months and than cummutator goes fail.

[@TheLabOtomy]

The gap ensures slot isolation so is important to ensure the motor works properly

[@youngplayboy786]

@@TheLabOtomy yes.... I'm talking about isolation slot, fill hard glue. Hmm...

[@shawzhang4498]

would this fix a shorted armature?

[@TheLabOtomy]

Nope, it just ensure better contact with the brushes and better energy transfer

[@KaitsuMaitsu]

👍👍

[@TheLabOtomy]

👍

[@markwilliams2830]

Great Video and thanks for sharing.I recently replaced the brushes on my B and Q Angle Grinder .I had to wait 6 weeks to get them from China .The only place to get replacements ! I cleaned up the commutator as per your demo.However in use there is some Arcing in the Brush area.Do you think the Brushes need time to bed in ? As far as I can tell they are moving freely.Thank you again,

[@TheLabOtomy]

A brush that does make full contact with the commutator can indeed create arcing (which itself can lead to more serious problems, like a brushing breaking). Bedding seems here the logical first thing to do.

[@justmadeit2]

@@TheLabOtomy How do you bed them in on a washing machine motor ? Ive recently replaced the carbon brushes and notice a burning type smell from the back and sparking noise

[@TheLabOtomy]

@@justmadeit2 Here is an example of brush bedding vid I made: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3zceYOmdrOcmqM Any questions, let me know

[@bobbyhutcherson1333]

arcing is normal and should not be viewed as problematic at all. you should see arcing in this type of motor.

[@lightshine6044]

1:10 What grit is your sandpaper that you are using?

[@TheLabOtomy]

400 or better, 600 grit Sand paper (aluminium oxide)

[@raishadabdul5171]

my commutator doesnt have those empty grooves, its flush with the bars, do i have to dig inside and make a groove?

[@TheLabOtomy]

Yes, google for "mica undercut"

[@sorinpetre6141]

👍

[@TheLabOtomy]

Thanks

[@yabonjin]

So WHAT PROBLEMS DOES THIS CONDITION CAUSE? Does the burnishing and grooves cause any reduction in performance of my motor? Does it lead to any failures??? Why should we care?

[@TheLabOtomy]

Grooves (and more generic uneven patterns on the commutator) mean there are issues with the motor. In our case, grooves can unevenly grind the brushes, which can cause arcing, which further creates gaps and bumps on the commutator, which causes high current to specific parts of the brush, which can cause the brushes to break off, the commutator to be damaged, the windings to overload, an internal short and / or the end of the motor.

[@sergiodallagiovanna124]

Salve amici.... se lo si mette sul tornio... con la carta viene benessimo... Se c'è molto scalino va fatto tornire da uno bravo tornitore con utensile adeguato.... poi smicato e poi carta vera sottilissima per lucidatura. Chiaro che dipende che tipo di lavoro uno vuol fare!

[@TheLabOtomy]

Se hai un tornio, è davvero molto più facile! Grazie per il feedback

[@scolopede]

I'm more dangerous. I plug motors into a variac, use electrical cleaner and q-tips as the rotor turns at a slower speed until the copper shines, doesn't take long.

[@marke8930]

After about 2 minutes of running the motor with the new brushes the commutator is going to look exactly like it did before.

[@ovsiane]

Também estou com esse problema ligo ele e suja de novo e começa sair faísca

[@bobbyhutcherson1333]

those grooves are put there on purpose.

[@TheLabOtomy]

Who said they were not?

[@bobbyhutcherson1333]

@@TheLabOtomy there is no reason to "fix" those grooves. They're machined in by the balancing system.

[@bobbyhutcherson1333]

@@TheLabOtomy ohh, ok. i misread this comment in the description " I do not know what has caused the grooves on the commutator but they need to be removed for the motor to work properly." I thought maybe you were going to do something to remove them.

[@TheLabOtomy]

​ @bobbyhutcherson1333 Indeed, the vertical grooves (on the stacked lamination) are manufactured for balancing and are per design (not the horizontal grooves on the commutator)

[@Moumoulynx]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 souder tout croche contacte se touche un en l' autre 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@TheLabOtomy]

😂😂😂😂😂