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MMD > Archives > June 2000 > 2000.06.30 > 13Prev  Next


PianoLodeon Motor Lubrication
By Al Sefl

> I can hear a slight hum of the motor but it does not run.

Hello Kent:  The vacuum motor for the Piano Lodeon is a shaded pole
C-Frame "phonograph" motor with a vacuum impeller attached.  Usually
all that needs to be done to these is a good lubrication of the
"lifetime" sleeve bearings.  The hum you hear is the motor trying to
run with dry bearings that have seized.

The absolute worst oil to use is "3-in-1" because it is a
paraffin-based oil that oxidizes and hardens with age to become a
substance akin to Superglue.  Use only the best sewing machine type
oil which is clear.

To loosen the old hardened oil you may have to disassemble the motor
and impeller, but I have found that a few drops of WD-40 left on the
bearings and applied several times may free things up.  After that a
few drops of the light machine oil will allow the motor to get back
up to its nominal speed of about 2800 RPM.

Occasionally the impeller has moved and is in contact with its housing.
All that needs to be done in this case is to reposition the impeller
and apply oil to the bearings of the motor.

WW Grainger did carry the replacement C-Frame type motors.  They even
had a ball bearing motor that made a nice difference in operation when
used to replace the old sleeve bearing units.  The lessened friction
allowed a bit of extra vacuum for better player action.

The hardest part to find in this toy player piano seems to be the
plastic hammers that break when the child was less than gentle.  I have
one piano with six broken hammers and have considered making molds and
then using casting plastic resin to make new copies.

Good luck with your project,

Al Sefl
Now going back to lurk mode...


(Message sent Fri 30 Jun 2000, 18:36:14 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Lubrication, Motor, PianoLodeon

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