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baby got back...er...kickwheel

updated tue 4 feb 03

 

Hendrix, Taylor J. on mon 3 feb 03


Hello all y'all'uns,

Me so happy, so very happy. Happy happy. Happy
happy happy (sung to "This land is Your Land").

I just got my hands on an old square paragon kiln
and Lockerbie kick wheel with motor for a woppin'
$60 donation to the local arts center. Whoooha!

I just pulled my first cylinder on a kick wheel and
it felt great. Some adjusting to do to my methods,
but I think this is going to be a blast. Soon my
own wheel will be finished and they can be friends.

My teacher was also fortunate enough to get a Lockerbie
w/ motor. She tried it, but the motor doesn't work.
I have taken off the motor and it is on my workbench
at home, but I have no real idea what I should be looking
for--brushes? I have given the switch under the table a quick
visual inspection and it looks fine.

This is a 1/3hp ac motor. What should I look for
when I crack that baby open? Is there something I
shouldn't disassemble?

Appreciate the help, as will my teacher.


Taylor, smilin' in Waco

Fredrick Paget on mon 3 feb 03


There are a number of different kinds of small AC motors . If it has a
large cylinder thing on the side it is a capacitor start and the capacitor
is possibly dried out and shot.
If it does not have a capacitor it is probably a split phase type with a
starting winding which is switched off when it gets going . The switch is a
centrifical switch and is inside the motor on one end of the rotor, The
switch could be dirty or full of clay. If it is cleaned out the motor may
work.
Besides these things there can be a broken wire somewhere or bad bearings
etc. You never know.
I would not expect that there are any brushes in the motor. The kind with
brushes are too small for this application.

The motor should be easy to get apart. If there are four long rods with
nuts threaded on the ends holding on the end bells you take off the nuts on
the end opposite the shaft and tap and pry off the end bell which may have
wires attached inside to the body of the motor. Then you can see what is
inside. The rotor is a solid cast aluminum and steel structure and probably
is ok. The wiring and coils are in the outer shell. The centrifugal switch
if any is in the end bell and part of it is on the rotor.

A new motor would probably run around 100 -150 US dollars.

Hope this helps
Fred

>............This is a 1/3hp ac motor. What should I look for
>when I crack that baby open? Is there something I
>shouldn't disassemble?
>
>
>Taylor, smilin' in Waco

From Fred Paget, Marin County, California, USA

Lorraine Pierce on mon 3 feb 03


Taylor I am SO happy for you. You will have wonderful glazes from that old
thick walled Paragon. That was my first kiln and I was so uneducated to the
ways of pottery I did not know what I had until I didn't have it any
more...what a disappointment my first new modern electric kiln was!! I did
not know about slow cooling; the old Paragon did it for me! Lori Pierce in
New Port Richey Fl.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hendrix, Taylor J."
To:
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 6:24 PM
Subject: Baby got back...er...kickwheel


> Hello all y'all'uns,
>
> Me so happy, so very happy. Happy happy. Happy
> happy happy (sung to "This land is Your Land").
>
> I just got my hands on an old square paragon kiln
> and Lockerbie kick wheel with motor for a woppin'
> $60 donation to the local arts center. Whoooha!
>
> I just pulled my first cylinder on a kick wheel and
> it felt great. Some adjusting to do to my methods,
> but I think this is going to be a blast. Soon my
> own wheel will be finished and they can be friends.
>
> My teacher was also fortunate enough to get a Lockerbie
> w/ motor. She tried it, but the motor doesn't work.
> I have taken off the motor and it is on my workbench
> at home, but I have no real idea what I should be looking
> for--brushes? I have given the switch under the table a quick
> visual inspection and it looks fine.
>
> This is a 1/3hp ac motor. What should I look for
> when I crack that baby open? Is there something I
> shouldn't disassemble?
>
> Appreciate the help, as will my teacher.
>
>
> Taylor, smilin' in Waco
>
>
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