Your Drill Spews Sparks? You Can Fix That.

The following are affiliate links:

Amazon and some other links are affiliate links, we get a small finder's fee for referring purchasers to their sites. Its part of how we pay for producing GardenFork

Produced by GardenFork Media LLC ©2019 all rights reserved

No Editorial Excerpts without permission, Violators agree to pay $5,000 per second + $10 per view + all collections & lawyers fees.

GardenFork Media LLC
PO Box 130
Colebrook, CT 06021

Music: Happy Hour, Composed by Dale Herr (ASCAP) , Toast Factory Publishing (ASCAP) Recording Licensed from the UniqueTracks Production Music Library Inc. Other music used under license from AudioBlocks.

[sandylamovsky]

Eric, The brushes are called so because in early D.C. motors they actually were brushes. In order to maintain contact with the commutator, very fine copper wire strands were grouped together. The brushes were similar to a thin paintbrush as is used in art. You can easily viisualize this by stripping a braided copper wire and separating the strands. These were connected to a d.c. source and made contact with the commutator, while allowing it to easily spin. Modern motors use solid graphite in place of these copper wire brushes. The graphite is kept in contact by a spring. But, unlike copper (which is very ductile and malleable), graphite is brittle. Even so, graphite conducts electricity well and produces very little friction, thus allowing the commutator to easily spin.

[alext]

Working with plastic, it's a good idea to turn the screws counterclockwise until they drop into the threads. That way you know you're in the original threads and not cutting new ones which would not be as sturdy.

[russtex]

My dad just passed away last month. I used to take apart his broken tools and fix them and put them back together as a kid. He was amazed by it! I was just having some fun!
Great video and very informative, Eric!

[deefong]

You are a professional, the demonstration is clear and clear, there is no nonsense, it is very comfortable to watch, I have learned it, thank you!

[doradean]

Love your calm vibe and awestruck attitude towards the inner workings of an electrical tool! felt like that the first time I saw the insides of a transmission, lol!

[swingbelly]

Wow, a GREAT hands on DIY channel. Had a similar experience many years ago when someone threw out a used GE electric lawn mower to the curb. Looked in good shape but ran erratically. Took it apart and not really knowing what I was doing, removed the carbon brushes from the holders and sanded them down until they were flat, reinserted them and cleaned the rotor contact points. Much to my amazement, the machine ran PERFECTLY! Gave great service for years afterwards. I now have 2 1960's heavy solid aluminum power drills, with no replacement parts available, that I hope will run after similar investigation and maintenance. Hey, you can't replace the old solidly built machines of yesterday with the cheap crap on the market today!

[TheWeebs]

I love when I pull things apart and see an obvious problem. But it sucks when you do and can’t see anything obvious but it still won’t work. And when it’s already broken you have nothing to lose by having a crack at fixing it, and it’s very satisfying when you get things working again.

[ΙάκωβοςΒρανίκος]

Hi, nice video. I liked what you said, "sometimes you can fix it, some times you can't" That is exactly how I think, but it's sure worth trying. I did the exact same repair today - only the type of carbon brush holders were different-.
I could not find the exact same carbon brushes, so I had to carve a guide slot on the carbon with my dremel. See, the brush holder has a bend part that is used as a guide for the carbon brush. it worked and I am happy to share with you. Be safe!

[magdalenaklara]

Great video. I like you enthusiasm and attention to details.
After watching the video I decided to fix my drill tomorrow. Wish me luck.

[HHIVR]

Ive had the exact drill for 20+ years..It still works great even if it is old tech.

[mrshawterry]

You're good sir, and shows and explain things like a teacher.

[johnfiott]

Really enjoyed watching this video. I really like how you simplify things - it almost feels like you are a father explaining things to your kid. I am currently replacing the brushes on my (old and heavy) Black and Decker drill and thanks to you I now know that I should also lightly sandpaper the commutator. :-)

[KatherineCrosbie]

Hey Eric this is great! My town library is hosting a first time Repair Cafe next week where people can bring in stuff and get it repaired by volunteers for free! Great idea in this throw away society we live in now.

[echofeatherston]

I would have tried to jimmy rig it before i tried ordering but it is still a learning experience. I am so thankful for people who take time to make informative videos to help other people and educate anyone that may be going through the same thing. Thank you brother!!!
Your time and effort is greatly appreciated!!!
Sincerely,
Patrick Mulcahy
Y

[wilsongonzalez]

Loved your video, well explained and mainly you talked during the whole process and explained everything in a very simple way. Most of the videos in relation to repairs just simple show the process but do not talk and to me that is a minor. Congratulations and greeting from Lancaster, PA. WG, (US Army Retired) and proud to serve.

[dubmasterz]

Very DIY genuine video. I like. Exactly what I’d expect in this video. Very informative and Eric is sincere in sharing his knowledge.

[tammygurl]

I read about brushes earlier today while doing research. Historically, the brushes were made from copper wires that actually looked like a brush so when the carbon material started being used instead, the term “carbon brush” was coined.
IMO, even though it no longer looks like a brush, it's logical to have kept "brush" as part of the name since its purpose is the same.

[theycallmemcgyver]

Kinda funny to see a drill being used to dismantle another drill. Cannibalistic. 🤣

[hanzon]

Nice instructional video with a happy ending. I know that feeling when you manage to restore a device to working order yourself. Yay !

[NikolasKarampelas]

Thanks for this video, my black n decker started giving me a lot of sparks like that and the repair shop said didn't worthed to fix a 30 euro drill. But thanks to your video I will go get the little carbon tubes and clean that part they touch and hope it works again.