Hi,
I am once again looking for I have a tumbler in
which the motor has died. I am need a replacement motor. I
have a great frame that my husband made for me so I don’t need
the whole tumbler. Also, I have no clues about motors or
wiring…I haven’t taken that class yet! I have tried lapidary
supply houses but they only sell the whole unit. Any help would
be greatly appreciated.
Linda Crawford
Linda Crawford Designs
http://www.jps.net/lcrawford
@Linda_Crawford
Willits, CA, USA
Hi Linda… Take your tumbler motor to the Grainger Co. … they
have almost every motor in stock.If you have to remove any wires
yourself, first unplug the machine, then mark the location of
each wire that you remove on a piece of paper.Wires are usualy
color coded and must go back where they were originaly
connected.
On small tumblers, the wires need to be removed from the switch
… as they are sometimes not removable from the motor without a
fair amount of experience.Use a magic marker to mark the black
wire location. the green wire is ground ( if there is one) and
put the white wire were it originaly was . Make sure the
connections are tight and that there are no loose straggly wire
ends that can touch other wires. Hope this helps. visit the
workshop when you get a chance.
http://www.racecarjewelry.com
Daniel Grandi
Hello Linda, There is a company called GRAINGER. The number is
(209)466-2036. This is a Stockton,Ca. number, but they will have
a store in your area. This company has every motor ever made.They
will help you, just tell them what you need. Have fun. Tom Arnold
Take off the old motor and bring it to Grainger or some other
industrial supplier. They have dozens of motors in different
configurations as well as controlls for speed etc. Try them
At Graingers I was able to replace facetor motors and controlls
Leon Kusher @LKusher
Hi Linda , Finally a question I can answer! Get the frame ,
horsepower, rpm,(voltage should be 110- 120v),and service factor
off the old motor nameplate. Places like Graingers or
McMaster-Carr should be able to fix ya up. If there are any
electric motor repair shops near by they may be able to help/
repair. Hope this helps. Jim
Hi Linda,
Check in your yellow pages for Electric Motors or Electrical
Repair. If you can’t find anything there, try Grainger’s, they’ve
got lots of different styles & sizes (63 pages) of replacement
motors. They’ve got stores all over the US. There’as probably a
web site also but I don’t know it, try www.grainger.com.
Dave
Linda,
I would look in your local yellow pages under something like:
Electric Motors - Sales, Repair and Parts (that’s how it’s
listed here in Eugene) and explain what you want it for or better
yet bring them the tumbler with the motor or just the blown
motor . They would likely be able to order any size motor you
need - possibly even repair the one you’ve got and re-wire it
or explain the process to you. Good luck, Michelle
Sumiche Handwrought Jewelry
Creating what you want in gold, platinum and silver
http://www.efn.org/~sumiche
Two places that sell “low” price industrial surplus aRe: H&R
(Herbach and Rademan) www.herbach.com in New Jersey
Surplus Center
800-488-3407
Lincon Nebraska
A lot of the stuff they both sell is new and a real bargin
compared to original prices. I have used motors from both to make
up a tumbler. horizontal lapidary machine, vertical lap machine,
power my trim saw, and rebuild a faceting machine and other
stuff. If your husband built the frame he can probably select
motor $10-$20 for you.
THere are some industrial surplus outlets in LA but I have never
dealt with them. These two both have good stuff and ship
promptly. Jesse
Linda: call an electrical supply place one that specializes in
electric motors. Look in the yellow pages under electric motors
or electrical supply or anything related. There’s a place like
that here and they have used motors of all types…Dave
I have a tumbler in which the motor has died.
Dear Linda, I’m not great at knowing exactly what I need when it
comes to motors or equipment in general, so I’ve found great
help from jewelry making suppliers. Many of them accept used
equipment as trade-ins. If you’re lucky, you can find an old
tumbler with a good motor despite no bowl or a broken stand. I
wish you lots of luck!
Joyce back on my mountain in CO
W.W. Grainger is a nationwide wholesale supply house that sells
many motors. http://www.grainger.com is their web site, but I
suggest you take the old motor in to the counter with you for
matching. It may take some modifications as motors are some
times produced in limited runs for a specific OEM.
Also take a copy of your business liscense as Graingers won’t
sell to you with out some such proof.
Happy motoring!
Many vibratory tumbler motors are manufactured to specifications
to suit the application. i.e. larger shaft and bearings. Having a
motor rebuilt is an expensive proposition. The best bet is to
contact the manufacturer and inquire if they have a replacement
motor.
I had this problem with my tumbler after 11 years of service. I
tried to find a replacement motor through Grainger. They were
very earnest in their attempt to line me up with a suitable
motor, but the motor had been designed and manufactured to the
specs of the tumbler manufacturer and there were no off the shelf
replacements.
I finally bit the bullet and bought a replacement motor from the
manufacturer for $250 (it is a large tumbler). No one ever said
this would be an inexpensive way to make a living.
Kenneth Gastineau
Linda, take your frame (and old motor) to the local shop which
repairs washers/dryers etc., and ask them if they can fix it up
with a new or rebuilt motor for you, or where they might suggest
you get it done. Those people are as helpful as Orchids are!
Good luck. Sharon Holt