Late teens to '20 Century electic motor

[sprucetop1]

Bruce, thanks for info. on the Century motor on the 1937 era Savage nibbler that is similar to mine...any pix? The serial no on my motor is F923712 with the "37" in a bolder font....so maybe this is the year of manufacture? It was being used to power a 1920's lathe when I got it and the workshop had been there for at least 60 years, so a 1937 date seems reasonable.

 

[SpongeRich]

OK, I'll see your 3/4 HP Century and Raise you with my 2HP model :-)

This was in my barn when I bought my house. I noticed it sitting in the corner and didn't even give it a 2nd thought until about a week ago when I ran across someone's motor restoration.

I pulled it out and it looks to be in great shape. From the research I've done, I believe it's a 1916. I'm hoping to drag it onto a scale this weekend, but I think it's close to 200 lbs.

I'm a little torn about what to do with it. I really have absolutely no use for it, so I'm thinking about doing a light restoration and seeing if I can find a buyer who can put it to good use. Someone on another board suggested that the scrap value of the copper might be a few hundred $, but I can't bear the thought of destroying what I assume is a pretty rare and definitely beautiful piece of machinery.

 

[Ed the Metalhead]

wow!, an I thought my 1Hp was heavy, that 2Hp version must weigh 150lbs!

beautiful motor though, looks like much of the factory finish is there too, a bit of TLC and elbow grease and she will be a stunning collector piece.

In Australia you would be lucky to get $75 for the copper that's in it, and its worth way more than that as a complete unit!.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Sprucetop:
Here's the thread about my Savage Nibbler:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/savage-sheet-metal-nibbler-111868/

You can see the Century motor in the pictures. I'm nearly certain that the motor is original and dates to the late 1930's.

 

[loggerhogger]

I have a 1hp Century on my drill press as well. As well as cleaning it out, and re painting it, I also took some 1/4" hardware cloth, and made some screens to cover the large openings in the end bells wo keep out any wandering chips. I mounted the screens on the inside so as not to change the appearance of the motor. Very easily done.

 

[sprucetop1]

Bruce...thanks for link to the Savage Nibbler +Century motor pix., and your motor looks an identical design to mine, except mine is 1/3 hp as stated before. I've just got it into use powering a 12 in. swing (in the gap) lathe......John

 

[Owen S. Paulsen]

OK, I'll see your 3/4 HP Century and Raise you with my 2HP model :-)

This was in my barn when I bought my house. I noticed it sitting in the corner and didn't even give it a 2nd thought until about a week ago when I ran across someone's motor restoration.

I pulled it out and it looks to be in great shape. From the research I've done, I believe it's a 1916. I'm hoping to drag it onto a scale this weekend, but I think it's close to 200 lbs.

I'm a little torn about what to do with it. I really have absolutely no use for it, so I'm thinking about doing a light restoration and seeing if I can find a buyer who can put it to good use. Someone on another board suggested that the scrap value of the copper might be a few hundred $, but I can't bear the thought of destroying what I assume is a pretty rare and definitely beautiful piece of machinery.

I was a Electrical in the Shipyard,and a the San Diego Railway Museum, The unit can be take apart an the Winding on the fld
in while the individual outside wind a find the right bolt and space so the align in the fix.
Don't snip the wire but take the whole Field out if possible.
The Bear can be dunk the a solvent. The Armature is removed an the when the coat do not let the Commutator the get that coat.
The Brush should be equal length an long the non-long the pig wire touch the face on the Brush. When install the Brush make sure the equal space on the 4 holder.
Check the Commutator for Round and the mica 1/32 deep.
The Armature heat to 180 F to drive a solvent and an Field to 180 F also.
Glyptal No.1201 Red emanel and No. 3 Zahn Cup at 77 F If you need how-to
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/manual/alco-em-00.pdf
Page 20
Check with G.E. wholesale for Glyptal in 1 gal can but it need to be diluted.
The old film can be remove with Perchlorethylene, Go the WWW an type perchlorethylene to see the MSDS and the name like perk.

Smile

Stan Paulsen

 

[tubeandplate]

Hi All-Not sure if this is in the archives, but it's letting me post, so here I am bumping this thread.

I wish there was more out there on these motors.


I have mainly a bearing oil question.

We all make a big deal of what bronze bearing oil to use in our lathe spindles, but this doesn't come up in any discussion I've read about these motors.

I have a 1 1/2 HP Century single phase 110/220 motor...YES HEAVY....I've been cleaning it up and painting it, and had I known some of the weight figures mentioned here, I prolly would have used the front end loader instead of my back, as it is certainly 100-150# easy.

I plan on using it to drive the cone pulley that is extant from my Series O South Bend 1926 15" swing lathe's countershaft to run said lathe....I figured this is a great pairing functionally and from a period date standpoint.

Anyway, my motor has excellent bronze bearings with a ring oiling system and the oil bushes have galleys machined into them...these motors and their systems were so well thought out and made it is truly astounding.

SO....my question is, when the paint is dry on the big day for the maiden post-clean up start up......



WHAT OIL is the CORRECT oil for these bushes?

I think they are more like phosphor bronze bearings like a lathe would be than oilites.

I am wondering what weight and type of oil? I will not use a synthetic.

I am assuming a clear clean natural highly refined pure 3 in 1 type of oil in the appropriate weight would be the thing, but I do not know of such an oil.


Can anyone confirm a good choice?


I'm hesitant to do the "just use motor oil" standard ingoramus thing here, so any insightful info deeply appreciated.

When I get it all done, I'll post pictures if I can figure out the computer end of things.


Thanks for any help.


Chris

PS- the serial number of my motor is 9T 10911, but I really thought it was late 20's or early 30's instead of 1910 or '11 becuase of the style of the bell and housing castings....they just look a bit more 30's ish than the ones in this thread that have the air holes in the main housing and very 20's or teens look to the end bells....."Century" is not cast into the endbells, it's just on the tags.

BTW, I removed a gallon of swarf, grease, dustballs, muddobber nests, etc...this was on the lower shelf of a grinding wheel cart next to the floor picking up crud for who knows how many decades, but ran when I bought it.

I fearlessly dumped gallons of naptha through the feild windings as I left them in the main casting, and rinsed much grease out of it.

I felt naptha was harmless, and didn't seem to hurt the cloth windings insulation.

I agree with JST....water shouldn't hurt a think if dried out first before power up, but I didn't go that route.

Mike, I didn't use min spirits just because Naptha really isn't any hotter, it just evaps faster, and I didn't want the oily min spirit residue to hang around longer than my patience level to let it dry out, but possibly it would have cleaned it better in teh long run...???


If any one can recommend the right oil(s), when I get her done, I'll report back.



Thanks!!!!

 

[johnoder]

DTE Heavy Medium or DTE Medium. I.E., ISO 68 or 46 circulating oil

All ring oiled bearings are worth making sure enough black goo is gone from chambers below bearings to allow rings to easily turn with journals and bring up oil.

 

[jim rozen]

Avoid 3-1 oil as it's not very good for the application and tends to gum up over time.

Follow john's advice, especially about cleaning the oil reservoirs. If you don't happen
to have either of the DTE oils on hand, a good make-do until you can get some, is
ATF.

Non-gumming, about 5wt. Available in convenient quart bottles. It might harm the
bearings in my RI start motor over the long term but seeing as I've only been running
it in there for 30 years I can't tell for sure yet.

 

[tubeandplate]

Thank you John and Jim!

I figured it was one of those oils...are the bearings in these motors not considered "tight tolerance/high speed" as the Mobile velocite #3 description states?

What is the difference between Velocite #10 for spindle bearings and the DTE? I have wondered this before when thinking in terms of lathe spindle bearings...is it a speed/viscocity thing?


And yes, the oil reservoirs and ever'ting ess in this motor is noe KKKKKLLEEEEEEEN.....literally, you should have seen it when I first cracked it open...unbelieveable it still ran, especially since the commutator shorting pushrod (one of them) was bent and stuck in place and the spring loaded commutator shorting necklace assembly that also kicks the brushes out was frozen on the shaft.

I'm really trying to give her a new life so I'm really trying to make it clean and nice and tuned up as best I can, hence the question about the correct oil.


While I'm here and we're talking.....

There was a remnant of a fiber washer on one side of the rotor on the shaft on one end bell side only...it was about half of it left, nothing on the other side.

I'm assuming this was a deteriorated "placement shim" not a proper thrust washer or oil seal????


There is a ring on each end bell shaft hub machined into the end bells on the interior side of the bearings....

Was there suppossed to be a real oil seal of some sort to keep oil from getting into the main stator compartment of the motor??????

I can't find the actual answer to this either on any of the other threads.....

...is there an actual thrust bearing, or does it settle by the magnetic feild where it wants to be if you aren't having the belt misaligned?

In other words, if I'm not a doofus with belt alignment, do i need to worry about end play?


I am curious about the potential oil seal and oil sloshing around into the field windings....should I just forget about it?



Jim....I laughed about your last sentence....you're either safe or lucky.

ATF=automatic tranny fliud, right??????


Thanks again fellas......



Chris