DIYbanter - View Single Post - Do electric motor brushes deteriorate in damp/lack of use?

Andrew Gabriel

In article ,
writes:
I needed to use my Bosch 1/2" router today, started off fine but after
getting half way across the first cut of a piece of worktop it went
all 'sick'. Lots of sparking from the brushes and lack of power. I
took it apart to look at the brushes and both had a corner chipped off
them, not sure if that's cause or effect.

So, I got my cheapo Ferm 1/4" router out to complete the job and it
fared pretty well actually but just as I was finishing it died almost
completely. One of the brushes had worn too short to reach the
commutator at all.

I don't think either router has really had enough use to wear the
brushes out though the Ferm *might* have I suppose, the Bosch
definitely hasn't. However I haven't used either router for a year or
more, probably a couple of years at least and they have just been
sitting unused in the garage, fairly dry but damp enough to make
unused tools rust a little if you're not careful. Do brushes
deteriorate in such conditions? The Ferm had one brush that looked
like it had partly disintegrated whereas the other was still pretty
well OK.

I could imagine that if the brushes had got stuck in their
normally sliding mountings, the results could be exactly as
you describe.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]