Re: Motor cleaning

On 10/5/2024 7:29 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 5 Oct 2024 12:31:55 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:
 

sci.electronics.repair seems dead so I'll ask here:
>
Is there a solvent that's OK to dunk the whole rotor and stator of an
e.g. Lionel universal motor in to clean it up? Like say fill a bag with
the solvent and parts and then toss it in an ultrasonic bath. Would
something like anhydrous isopropyl be appropriate?
>
The disintegration of a nearby carbon-zinc battery has made this
assembly a sooty mess. 8-(

 Ultrasonic cleaners work through cavitation, which uses the energy
from imploding bubbles to break up dirt and your sooty mess.  What
want is soap and *HOT* water.  I use Dawn Ultra or Dawn Platinum
dishwashing soap in my 3 liter ultrasonic bath tub.  I sometimes use
solvents, but only if I'm certain there are no plastic, rubber or
painted parts involved.
 I've also seen a few too many underpowered ultrasonic cleaners.  Do
the aluminum foil test before blundering forward:
"How to Test an Ultrasonic Cleaner"
<https://blog.sra-solder.com/knowledge-base/how-to-test-an-ultrasonic-cleaner>
If the test foil looks like it was hit by a shotgun blast, it's
working.  Another method uses frosted glass and a pencil.  I haven't
tried this, but it does look interesting:
"Tips on Checking the Performance of your Ultrasonic Cleaner"
<https://iultrasonic.com/blog/tips-on-checking-the-performance-of-your-ultrasonic-cleaner/>
 Good luck.
 

Thanks, I picked up a surplus Branson 1200 similar to this one:
<https://americanlaboratorytrading.com/lab-equipment-products/branson-1200-ultrasonic-cleaner-7863>
The heater seems on the fritz but I had heard of the ultrasound test and it shotguns foil very well after a few minutes in the bath. I figure the heater is probably an easier fix but I haven't had time to peek inside.
I put some of the non-electrical parts inside a ziplock baggie filled with Simple Green and then submerged that in the water bath and that seemed to work great with the purely mechanical bits and it cleaned them up real well, but I had concerns about putting the rotor and stator in the same way.
So long as I let them dry out thoroughly maybe not so bad? I'll probably want to pull the carbon "brushes" on the commutator first, though.
For re-lubing gears I use "Red & Tacky" from Autozone, for toy parts one $10 tube of the stuff should probably be good for a long time