Overheating L&R machine

[arron]

Hi Guys,

I not sure if i should be concerned but my L&R cleaning machine gets pretty hot right under the name plate and speed control knob; about 139 deg F.  I refurbished it myself (not an electrician) a couple years ago and it has always done that.  I didn't change any parts but did some re-wiring to get it to work.  I don't use it often but i'd like to not burn down my house when i do  .  Should i be concerned or is this normal for a vintage machine.  thanks, Arron.

[JohnR725]

5 hours ago, arron said:

I didn't change any parts but did some re-wiring to get it to work. 

Basically you're saying you just replace the old wires with new wires?

Will have to find somebody in the group Who is currently using one as to how hot it gets. How easy it is it to turn your motor and have you ever lubricated the motor? Under the plate is the non-electronic speed control and as to how hot it gets as a guess would be determined by how big the load is like the motor's of the motor has a lot of friction I am guessing that the very larger variable resistor would get hot.

[arron]

correct, i replaced the old wires and rewired it based on a schematic posted online because it had been wired incorrectly by someone along the way.  i also took apart the motor.  it's been a while but pretty sure i lubed the shaft.  the motor is not getting hot at all.  

as you suggested, hopefully someone with a similar machine can post the running temp of their machine.  thank you John.

[JohnR725]

I was thinking maybe we need to invite somebody to the discussion @LittleWatchShop . I think he may have one of these cleaning machines. I have one but I don't use of like about all I ever did with it was turned it on and verified it worked and from the amount of dust that had before I'd be concerned about turning it on again.

Problem with mine was first I got the machine with no jars. Then I acquired baskets but no idea where they are. Then I finally inherited some jars but I just don't clean watches at home now what I can run a watch to the cleaning machine at work. So maybe someday I'll put it all together and make it work but not when I have the machine at work

Not sure this is going to workSometimes I don't understand things with the message board normally if you put the@symbol in front of somebody's name there supposed to get a notification that they been invited the discussion but it also supposed to look different which it doesn't

Edited September 14, 2023 by JohnR725

[RichardHarris123]

@LittleWatchShop, worked for me @JohnR725, weird. 

[JohnR725]

Okay what did I do wrong? Yes it's supposed to be highlighted like that.  For the fun of it I will try again @LittleWatchShop Visually as in chains let's see what happens when I enter it but no matter what you got it up there that will call attention to the discussion and we should get some technical knowledge

And yes he did it again and as you can see it doesn't like me.

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by JohnR725

[RichardHarris123]

3 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

Okay what did I do wrong? Yes it's supposed to be highlighted like that.  For the fun of it I will try again @LittleWatchShop Visually as in chains let's see what happens when I enter it but no matter what you got it up there that will call attention to the discussion and we should get some technical knowledge

And yes he did it again and as you can see it doesn't like me.

 

I've no idea why it's not working for you. As I said, weird. 

[JohnR725]

I suppose but I'm too lazy to check it out conceivably it might have something to do with the browser I'm using?

Out of curiosity when you do the @ Symbol then place the user's name after it does it change change or do you have to wait until you enter it?

[RichardHarris123]

I enter @ and the initial , then select the name from the list. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by RichardHarris123

[tomh207]

12 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

I suppose but I'm too lazy to check it out conceivably it might have something to do with the browser I'm using?

Out of curiosity when you do the @ Symbol then place the user's name after it does it change change or do you have to wait until you enter it?

I usually put a space after, don’t really know if it makes a difference 

[Neverenoughwatches]

20 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

I suppose but I'm too lazy to check it out conceivably it might have something to do with the browser I'm using?

Out of curiosity when you do the @ Symbol then place the user's name after it does it change change or do you have to wait until you enter it?

I have always that same problem when i try .  Its a good way to summon a member into the discussion @JohnR725 , ha i just did it. @ symbol then a space then you are give an option of members to choose from.

[RichardHarris123]

I don't need the space??  

[JohnR725]

@LittleWatchShop

2 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I have always that same problem when i try .  Its a good way to summon a member into the discussion @JohnR725 , ha i just did it. @ symbol then a space then you are give an option of members to choose from.

Okay I figured it out. First I do the symbol then nothing happens then exactly as described above a space then up comes the box with a spinning symbol and I went away for a few minutes to see if it would ever figure out what it's doing and it just kept on spending that was looking bad but the first letter and then it came up with a list of but it was a short list is the second letter the third letter then it zero the list down to what has looking for I clicked on it and there it is. So finally know how to do that I would've preferred to just copy and paste is now after umbrella spell things which I don't which is why use dictation software

now if somebody appears in the discussion wondering why we summoned him possibly you look at the above question find out why it's running so darn hot. If the person had not had Fahrenheit on the thermometer I would've been concerned about somebody running the cleaning machine in Europe when it was designed to run at 110 V but the clue was the Fahrenheit that will probably be at North American person but I don't think the control for the motor speed should be running that hot it will run hot as is not a great design for speed control even if these things about around for the last hundred years practically.

The other day as looking at eBay and I was surprised somebody wanted over $1000 for one of these cleaning machines but with your options limited for anything commercial there is the clone from India of a Elma machine at least a clone of one other vintage machines their cheapest machine now is a couple of thousand dollars and the last I saw for a video on YouTube that are having a hard time shipping it and keeping it intact which is rather sad I'm waiting to see how that video turns out as to whether he ever gets a functional machine. Otherwise the number of choices of watch cleaning machines for hobbyists are limited there is Lititz in the US produces a really nice automatic machine but I think there manual machines about 3000 not quite in the hobbyist range normally

So where the Chinese they like the clone stuff I should clone a cheap cleaning machine preferably one with ultrasonic

so I'd like to thank everyone for helping me with the problem of something that should've been simple but wasn't and I don't think it's even in the instructions in the message board is a lot of instructions that are missing off the message board

After reading all the comments again I did come back here and discovered something interesting you don't need the space if you enter a letter. The messageboard soft bird must grasp what you're doing and as soon as you enter the symbol followed by a letter it pops up a list but I found by list was limited to a small quantity of people's I needed the editor the second the third whatever letter to narrow the list down otherwise I don't see the entire big list but at least they how it works now. As I said stuff like this should be somewhere in how to use the messageboard.

Edited September 14, 2023 by JohnR725

[arron]

@JohnR725 thanks for asking about that @ sign.  i had wondered about it myself.

[LittleWatchShop]

Sorry guys. I am on a canoe trip in The Quetico. Had no idea I would have a cell signal in the wilderness, but I do have one bar. Your @ did indeed notify me.

[PeoriaScott]

Hi. Read the post regarding a hot L&R watch cleaning machine.  I have a Master unit from 1948 that I too rebuilt using new wire.  Same issue for me.  Hot right under the name plate.  I needed a heat so installed a resistor heater, changed heater light to a 110 volt bulb (that also gets hot).  New switches rated for correct 110 voltage.  Im chaulking it up to age, variable resistor, etc.  Like the post, the motor assembly does not get hot.  I enjoy this web site.

[JohnR725]

One of the problems with the vintage devices that use variable resistors for speed control would be there are going to get hot. What we don't know is how hot  supposed to get? Probably be better just to replace the speed control was something solid-state.

On the other hand they been around for a while and they do seem to work.