Several tools broke this last week or so.

[rustic]

I guess tools only break when you use them, but some tools that I didn't expect
to break finally do.

This week it was my air compressor and an electric drill.

So last night I set about them.

The compressor flashed, banged and took out a 13amp fuse, and tripped the seperate circuit that I have in the garage with a 30 amp trip.
I just started it to check and top up my Mav tyres, and it hadn't got to full pressure.

I stripped it down, and found that the plastic cased capacitor had sheared at the bolt holding it at the end, and the live terminal had earthed to the motor chassis, leaving a weld mark on the frame.

So I re- attached the bolt assembly with epoxy, replaced the crimp, and added a second support to the capacitor, replaced the fuse and re-assembled it.

I used a long extension lead, and plugged it in from a distance...
It worked phew... :lol i didn't fancy buying a new one at £200


The drill was an old ( 35 years+) Black and Decker D720 H, orange cased version, metal gearbox. Last week I repaired the cable where it goes into the switch, And this week it failed again. This time I found that the field coil had gone open circuit.
On taking the coil out, I could see that a wire from the coil had broken at the connector, so a quick scrape and some solder... Fixed.


So why do I use tools that are 35 years old?:doh

Last year I used a plastic bodied drill and I managed to easily shear the gears in the gear box... So I scrapped it.
Last year I also managed to burn out an SDS drill, it was on rotostop and I was using it to break up concrete on an old fence post. I finished off using the air chisel.

So are tools not as well made as they used to be.

How old is your best tool:augie:augie

Best regards,
Rustic

Edit: I expect solarman to win this one lol..

 

[solarman216]

Easy I still got a gas welding set that I remember in my dads garage when I was a kid, so must be more than 50 years old to my knowledge, and I do not know how long my dad had it, also have an air compressor, a bench grinder and a lathe all from about the same time, and lots of hand tools that must be older than me, Rick

 

[spiderpig37]

My tool is 47 years old and working perfect third son due in december to add to my three daughters
Think its time to retire it

 

[MudLifeCrisis]

My tool is 47 years old and working perfect third son due in december to add to my three daughters
Think its time to retire it

Or at least give it a clean ;O)

 

[Terranical]

Someone told me once that tools for the home domestic market such as electric drills are designed for a life expectancy of 2 to 4 hours. When I appeared dubious, he explained that you use a drill for maybe a total of 10 mins on a particular job, then put it away for three months, so 2 to 4 hours would equal several years use - makes sense!

 

[richtheracer]

I have a clarke air compressor at about 22 years old ..still fires up but the thread has stripped where hose goes on. Have tried to fix soo many times but refuse to throw it away as I know eventually I will find a solution to get it useable again..lol

 

[Tony]

I have a black and decker side shear metal cutter ,was my dads its over 60 years old, also a wolf sapphire 110v pistol drill (with reciept) from 1977.
Lots of hand tools chisles hammers podgers rivet snaps and hand drills from the 1960's. Cant bear to throw tools away always a use somewhere, sometime.(must clear our my workshop but not today)
Tony

 

[Tony]

To fix compressor get male /female of right thread and araldite on
Tony

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

For my 16th Birthday in 1981, my dad got me a Kamasa socket set, a Halfords Trolley Jack, and a Bocsh Drill. I still have all 3.

The Socket set has been used to remove more Engines, gearboxes, and fix clutches than I care to think about, and is still going strong.

The Poor Halfords trolley Jack, is still going strong, but is objecting to lifting the Terrano...

The Bosh Drill, has had the slow speed burn out, so only has one speed now, and the bush that keeps the hammer drill turned of, has gone, so it only works as a Hammer drill, but it is still going great, and gets abused with sanding, grinding and wire brush attachments on a regular basis.

Last Night, when I went down to see my Mum, she gave me Dad's old Red and Cream Stanley Bridges Drill to use in my Pillar attachment as the Bocsh is now no good for that since it started wanting to "hammer" everything, and that is probably older than me.

 

[rustic]

My tool is 47 years old and working perfect third son due in december to add to my three daughters
Think its time to retire it

It's taken me a while to think of something to respond to that comment...:doh

I was thinking more about electrical tools, not HAND tools :augie:augie

 

[96terrano]

I found that the new draper tools are crap, I had a draper electric drill that lasted about a year of just general use until it stopped, just needed to replace the brushes, simple fix, then about a month later, I was cutting holes for speakers with my hole cutters, the thing over heated, violently smoked and that was the end of it

Here's what happened with a 3 month old draper 7.2 v battery drill. Bought from wilko for 24 quid, the battery life Is about 15 min of continuous drilling.....don't laugh:augie and it went bang, and locked up, found a gear dislodged so fixed it and it worked fine for about a month then I wouldn't take any torque, opened again and discovered gearbox chewed to bits. (plastic gears)

:nono: DON'T BUY DRAPER ! :nono:

 

[Tony]

With battery drills you get what you pay for,Ryobi makita hitachi ,dewalt , milwaulkie elu and metabo will all do what they say on the box with bosch there are several grades of kit green (diy) light blue(semi pro) and dark blue (pro)
Drills made by draper etc tend to be old designs both battery and mechanicals and go west rapidly.

Tony