White Cross - Finished, sort of.

So the past couple of weeks have been fairly busy, though mostly socially. Fret not, the project front has been alive and well, if only slower going. To start with, a couple weeks ago I went with the Bard and some of my friends to a place known as Boot Black Heaven, or I. Sachs and Sons. They have everything one could need to maintain, repair, or even replace bits from shoes, boots or leather garments. What does this have to do with the White Cross? Back in the early parts of the previous century, leather was the material of choice for the washers that dampened and isolated the business end of the vibrator from the metal housing. The original washers were basically nothing more than gummy messes, and while they still retained some shape, they were not really of any use or benefit. As a result of this necessity to replace the original washers, I picked up a scrap of leather for cutting new washers out. In fairness, I tried to find a source for them that were die cut, but nothing really panned out. Considering the material was between 1/8" and 3/16" thick, I only needed three of them for the project.

I tried several methods for cutting them out:
1. Tracing around a solid object of the correct diameter, which only proved that I can't exert enough pressure and cut cleanly.
2. Using a drill with a standard hole saw and arbor, which mangled the material too much to be useful.
3. Using a drill with a collared hole saw for cutting 3/4" antenna mounting holes in vehicle roofs, which proved to be the winning combination, along with the dremel.

The cutting with the hole saw was not as bad as it could have, but it was after being cut out that the real surprise (and pain in the ass) came out. The washers were far too large on the outside diameter, which I knew already. I tried to sand them down, but the 80grit sanding wheels made a huge amount of fuzz, for lack of a better word. It was floating through the air, and settling on everything.  I gave up on the dremel for the time being, switched over to the xacto knife, put in a new blade and went about shaving them down to size. It was far from an ideal solution, but a whole lot cheaper than getting a die made to cut 3 pieces of leather. In the end, I had 5 washers cut, and 3 of them were trimmed for use with the WC. The other two can be worked over if/when appropriate.

I did not take pictures of the process, only the final outcome. The reason I say it is "almost" finished is that I need to do some work on the case for it, to reinforce the cardboard insert with the wood blocks that were originally attached, and to get the bottom of it glued back onto the frame. But the vibrator itself is finished.

Here's the rundown of what was done:

• Replaced the felt oil wicks in the rear bushing, and in the oiler tube of the front bushing
• Diassembled, polished bushings and rotor shafts.
• Polish fan blade surfaces, brush tubes, commutator and speed control electrical contacts
• Resurface original carbon brushes
• Wash and wax housings, handle, and chrome pieces
• Fabricate replacement leather washers
• Inspect line cord and clean plug ends/prongs
• Polish rusty screw heads
• Clean, polish and regrease piston, and operating rod
• Lubricate bushings and felt pads as per included maintenance guide

Seems simple enough, right?


So without further ado, the results are in:

Now that this one is basically done, there are 3 more Hamilton Beach units coming my way. One is waiting for my attention tonight, the Bard has another, and the third is on the way. Looking forward to those, too.