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10-11-2019, 12:41 PM | #1 |
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Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
After having no luck finding a quality back up powerhouse without a broken brushholder, I am researching making/manufacturing of replacement rings for the powerhouse generator. Pricing is going to be partially a function of demand and how many are needed (three-brush and five-brush). I am curious how many fordbarners have been looking for quality bakelite replacement rings. Please note that this is "rings only" and people would need to install the actual metal parts themselves. Let me know via this post if you think there is demand. If i can "prove demand", this becomes more realistic.
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10-11-2019, 01:05 PM | #2 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
I think Bratton's is already looking into this.
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10-11-2019, 01:28 PM | #3 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Yes, I am the person who approached Jeff (at Brattons) after doing some of the legwork. I figure he is a good person to work with as I am not a parts retailer or manufacturer. I know he posted to one of the other sites.
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10-11-2019, 01:31 PM | #4 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Couldn't they be made of modern insulating fiber instead of Bakalite?
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10-11-2019, 01:34 PM | #5 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
That is one of the questions I have out to a plastics engineer. "What alternative materials that look like the original could work better? Why would it be better? Is there a material that won't be as fragile as the original?"
Last edited by sethkestenbaum; 10-11-2019 at 02:08 PM. |
10-11-2019, 02:30 PM | #6 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
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10-11-2019, 03:30 PM | #7 | |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Quote:
Seth, draw it up in SolidWorks and have it 3D printed on an as-needed basis. Will last forever. You really just need to pull the print and draw off of that. Then export the file to someone who has a decent quality printer. |
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10-06-2023, 05:55 AM | #8 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Did this project ever get off the ground? There certainly is a need for them.
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10-06-2023, 06:29 AM | #9 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
If there is a CAD file already made, I'd be happy to print a test part on my 3d printer.
If there is no CAD file made, does anyone have some measurements and details on fitment? I could try and make something up. There is no need to have new bakelite made today, unless it's for show judging, which even then, you can 3D print brown plastic. 3D printing one of these rings would probably take only an hour and cost a few dollars. |
10-06-2023, 08:11 AM | #10 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Nope. The Benson Ford Research Center has been closed all this time where none of us can go look at the print(s). I was just up in Dearborn a few weeks ago and asked a couple of curator friends about the possibility of it re-opening. They said they had not heard of any plans being discussed for its re-opening.
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10-06-2023, 08:34 AM | #11 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Can the pieces of a broken one be measured to give the needed information for a 3D printer?
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10-06-2023, 10:25 AM | #12 | |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Quote:
Just one more part of this too. The scope of this project is not really as simple as it initially seems. The piece will need to be drawn in a modeling program. We use Fusion 360 at my shop but SolidWorks is likely better software. Then it will need to be 3D drawn and modeled. For our printer, it is likely a 15-20 hour print. Then it would need to be tested and flogged for awhile to make sure it is not going to have issues due to heat or vibration. This may require it to be printed with several different types of filaments to see what is best. Then it will likely need to go to a 3D Print Farm to have a small beta batch made to put it into the hands of some folks who can make sure there are not going to be issues. So as you can see, while it appears to be a great idea, the logistics is a tad more involved. |
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10-06-2023, 03:31 PM | #13 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
The real challenge is not so much the fabrication of the insulated ring as it is transferring the three legs and brush holders. A person would need the correct tube rivets and tooling to drive them plus keeping proper alignment to the housing and the commutator end of the armature. It's doable but would certainly require a careful procedure. Fabricating multiple parts would require accurate jig set up to repeat a quality fabrication.
To manufacture new parts, all parts would need to be accurately reproduced. It would be easier to rebuild the originals utilizing the original pieces that are still serviceable. |
10-06-2023, 03:45 PM | #14 | |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Quote:
It seems to me that 3D printing or CNC machining of a suitable fibre material would be the way to go.
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10-06-2023, 06:41 PM | #15 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Being a late 28 owner I would be intersted in more than one. I have many units that have been robbed.
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10-07-2023, 10:08 AM | #16 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Thanks Brent
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10-07-2023, 11:24 AM | #17 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
Wouldn't it be easier to just find a doner powerhouse generator with an intact brush holder? They're at pretty much every swap meet I go to.
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10-07-2023, 04:22 PM | #18 |
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Re: Powerhouse Bakelite Rings
A lot of them may be cracked so it pays to pull the cover and look at it closely. There is usually a reason that they were taken out of service. Bakelite was good plastic but 90+ years would be hard on anything made of plastic. It's not getting any easier to find stuff like that.
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