L&R Cleaning Machines

[rodralph]

Very good find. Thanks.

[rodralph]

The machine arrived today. Overall it is in decent condition for a machine from the 1940's. The glass canisters are in very good shape, without cracks or anything of that order. There are a couple items that need attention before I can put this machine to use.

 

1. The basket holder is in terrible shape. It is badly corroded and will need to source a new one which may not be easy to find. This is by far my biggest concern.

 

2. The reverse switch is just ugly looking. It is a momentary push-button switch which I would guess is illegal to use under current standards. I think a modern three position switch will work better.

 

3. The rheostat does not look too bad, but I will feel better once I get it replaced.

 

Most of the wiring was replaced with a high quality (not really) extension cord and electrical tape. That needs to be fixed. 

 

Refinishing this will be fairly easy. The paint comes off just by rubbing my nails against the machine. I think a nice acetone bath and the paint will be completely off, similar to what SSTEEL did with his machine.

 

The heating element works as designed. It even has the correct bulb installed.

 

Taking everything into consideration, this was not a bad deal at all. Here are some pictures.

 

 

What a fantastic and professional re-wiring. Speechless.

 

 

The basket holder is pretty much done. I don’t know if this is a single assembly, or if corrosion joined the shaft with the fan. This may be a bit more difficult to repair, but I am staying positive.

 

 

The heating element does not look too bad. Notice the white insulation beginning to show signs of burn? That wiring needs to be fixed.

 

 

The rheostat is not too bad. There is rust on the terminals, but it seems to work. I had the machine running for a few minutes and I still have all my fingers.

 

This is the most interesting part:

 

 

I am assuming the star-shaped piece is to keep sediment at the bottom of the jar while the machine is running. I just cannot figure out what the other piece is or what it is for. I am guessing this belongs to another model. Any ideas?

 

Not too bad for a machine this old. The motor is in very good shape and runs strong. This will make for a nice project and I am hoping I can put it to use.

[Gryf]

That other piece is intended (I think) to keep cleaning fluid from swirling in the jar. Not sure, but my cleaner has the same parts. It's about as old as yours, BTW.

Gryf

[rodralph]

That other piece is intended (I think) to keep cleaning fluid from swirling in the jar. Not sure, but my cleaner has the same parts. It's about as old as yours, BTW.

Gryf

 

Do you use it? Will the circle part go on the top or the bottom of the jar?

[rodralph]

I was just looking around on the 'bay and saw a machine being sold which has been modified so the motor reverses direction automatically. That will be a nice addition to these older machines.

[rodralph]

Today I've been kept busy around the house, but took a couple of minutes to play with my new machine. I was able to remove the part that holds the basket from the motor shaft. I was surprised that after almost 70 years, this was so easy to remove.

 

 

I am contemplating the idea of repairing this, if I cannot source another one. I am thinking about using a two part epoxy to coat the entire part then sanding it smooth. My one concern is how will epoxy react with the cleaning solution. 

 

I noticed this yesterday. At the botton of the motor housing there is a rod with a hole on the top side. I am guessing this is for oil to keep the motor shaft lubricated right where it comes out of its housing.

 

 

 

As I continue to handle the machine, the paint continues to come of. It is actually kind of funny.

[rodralph]

I've been working on a circuit to automate the forward and reverse motor movement of the L&R machine. Last week I noticed that the motor hesitated to turn on lower speeds. After some testing, I determined that the bearings were bad and needed to be replaced. Ordered a set of bearings from Amazon and today I started working on replacing them. I was surprised on how relatively easy they were removed. As I was getting ready to assemble the motor, I took a closer look at the motor casing, especially the upper half. And this is what I found...

 

 

I am glad I found this before I went further in reassembling this motor. I will be rewiring the entire machine in the next few days. I am guessing the only reason this motor did not go up in flames is because the bare metal is not touching the clamp.

 

By time I am done with this machine it will be practically new.

[OmarHaltam]

Hi everyone

I am thinking of getting a watch cleaning machine refurbished and I found this one on eBay ! would this be a good buy and if so would it do the job well?

here is the link

https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/111945921332

thanks for the input

~Omar

Edited March 24, 2016 by OmarHaltam

[clockboy]

I had an L&R refurbished it was model "vari-matic" . This machine does a  great job and ultrasonic cleans in all three baskets. I don,t know if the model you a re looking at does ultrasonic cleaning as well as the normal washing.

[OmarHaltam]

thanks for the tip

I will check with him and keep you posted

[OmarHaltam]

No ultrasonic just the 3 cleaning cycles and heat dry, all done manually. but it seems like it is in good shape.

[OmarHaltam]

Well ladies and gentlemen I am the new owner of a L&R Master Watch cleaning machine

[OmarHaltam]

it has been refurbished, all the wiring has been redone, motor cleaned and new bearings... should give me good service hopefully for a few years[emoji1303][emoji847]

[OmarHaltam]

Well it is on its way, a refurbished L&R Master all rewired new bearings and ready to clean. I hope I get good service out of it for a number of years to come.

[Peixian]

any more details? how to use it?

[oldhippy]

It looks in good nick. The first jar is where you put the cleaning solution I think you will find the jars are marked with a level so as to not to over fill. The next two is for rinse. The large black nob is for speed, you have forward and reverse switch but I can't see a on switch for the heater. When you have cleaned the parts slow it down loosen it and raise the basket so its out of the fluid but still in the jar and spin it off, then move it to the first rinse, repeat for next rinse, then the heater, make sure the heater is turned on before you need to use it after its been in the heater you will need to spin it to cool it down. The basket will have little sections for wheels and small parts, the plates can go in the large part of the basket, make sure the basket is a good fit and not slack. I used L & R cleaner and rinse but to be fair I'm not sure if there is anything better these days because I retired many years ago. 

[Mark]

Wow. That looks so good. Great job.

I have moved this topic to the tools and equipment section.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mark]

Moved to tools and equipment section

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OmarHaltam]

Thank you Mark

[OmarHaltam]

Thanks oldhippy I he not received the machine yet , so I am not sure where the heater is turned on. But the seller is including the instructions manual and electrical diagram with the machine also an extra heat lamp just for good measure . he specializes in restoring and refurbishing old L&R machines so I am hopping it will be a good cleaner.

[oldhippy]

Mark has a video on how to clean watches you can watch him and his machine doing the work, manual watch cleaners are very much the same. 

[stroppy]

When I first saw the pictures I had no idea of what it was.  It looked like a bottle press from a Fowlers Vaccola bottling kit!  LOL!

[jeffc83]

I was looking for one of these when I ended up with a standard heated ultrasonic cleaner.  I'm jealous;)  Congrats!

[OmarHaltam]

he has 2 more on eBay , they look just as good [emoji1303]

[OmarHaltam]

Well I finally got it in, and I have to say that I am very pleased with the machine. it looks brand new and is very smooth, the guy in eBay really did a good job on the refurbishing... and it was very well packed