Would a 9 to 18 VDC hobby motor be too fast to use as a rod dryer and finish applicator? I have no concept of this kind of speed. Radio Shack has them for $5.49 each
Thanks,
Bruce
What’s the RPM?
Kelly
Hi Kelly. I can’t find the RPMs. It says super high speed so I imagine it would turn too fast to use as a dryer and finisher. Maybe you or someone could suggest a motor? I have a 2-rod dryer that I bought from Ebay that was handmade. I like it and it does the job. I was hoping to replace its motors with something faster. Do those motors have the RPMs written on them as a standard practice? Maybe I should go home and check them tonight.
Bruce
I’ve been looking around and it seems that most drying and finishing motors go from 10 to 20 RPMs. Am I correct?
Bruce, that’s about right. There are some slower motors that you can pick up, but up to 20 or so RPM should do the job. The best buys I’ve found have been on ebay. Just search under drying motors or rod drying motors and you’ll usually find several in the category you’re looking for and fairly reasonably priced. I’ve gone to most of the motor and hobby sites and just can’t seem to find what I like for a decent price. Cabela’s sells a fairly nice one, but it’s at a premium price.
Kelly.
Jann’s sells one for around $13. I would check Ebay. I need to get more of them, too.
Any old “wall warts” (AC power adapters for electronics) can be a treasure trove for DC motors. For example, if you have an 18V DC motor and use a 6V AC power adapter you will only turn the motor at 1/3 it’s speed. On the other hand if your computer is close by, you can actually power a turner with a USB port. USB only draws about 5 volts DC (+/-). Just take an old USB mouse and cut the wire at the mouse for a 6 foot cord to work with. Use the red(+) for the load and the black(-) for the ground and disregard the white and green wires.
You might take a look at Surplus Center. They have some synchronous motors starting at about $4. They have AC motors in a variety of RPM’s. At one point I purchased a ebay motor. I found that it ran hot. I had safety concerns about running the motor over a period of hours.
Thanks All. Now, what kind of motor should I buy? I don’t know the implications of DC, AC, synchronous, etc. I know nothing about electronics or motors. I saw a rod dryer with a self centering chuck for $70.
Do you think I could replace my current dryer motors with the new motors? I mean just switch them?
This motor appears as though it would fit right into the space where I’ll take my old motor out. What do you think of the motor and price.There’s free shipping and I’ll need 2 of them.
Bruce
what I like about DC motors is it is easy to reverse rotation. wire in a double pole, double throw switch th swap + and - leads.
Hi Bruce… You can get a potentiometer (rheostat) from radio shack to control the speed of a dc motor… Same thing as a dimmer for your ceiling lights at home. The other guys have good points as well. My drying motor is one I built, and it uses a turntable motor out of a dead microwave oven. I got it for nothing. I’ve seen the same motor on ebay for about $12 new. The thing I like about it is whenever you turn it off and then back on it reverses direction, a function designed for the microwave application. It runs about 20 rpm or so. I just ordered a new motor from Jann’s as was previously mentioned so I can build another dryer. I’ll let you know how that works out…Dan
http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?numrec=20&lastrec=20&sort=1&search=synchronous&catname=electric&UID=2468030418594776
AC is electricity from a wall outlet like used for a lamp or TV. DC is usually a battery powered motor.
$70 does not seem bad for a dryer and self centering chuck.
20 RPM is a faster speed than I would prefer.
www.surpluscenter.com Is were I got mine at. 10rpm 110v ac.
You might want to go with a slow RPM motor, for IMO too fast a speed may cause you headaches when trying to apply epoxy to finish the rod. When I was first starting into rod building, I rigged up an old BBQ rotisery motor which worked pretty well, but soon found it to be too fast when it came to doing a nice job with the epoxy. The drying motor on my rod lathe runs at 7 RPM and is just right for my kind of work. As everyone has their own preference, do lots of research before you spend your money and perhaps ask your question on some of the rod building sites as well. I’m sure you’ll get lots of variations to choose from. Check out www.rodbuilding.org
Hi David! My dryer runs at about 4 RPMs and I enjoyed finishing with it, but I’m thinking I may be able to keep my lines straighter if it was turning a little faster–maybe 10 to 15 RPMs.
I can personally recommend motors from “calljmf” in California. He is a great guy to do business with. I bought a couple of motors and aluminum couplers from him a little over a year ago. One motor died on me after about six months, and somewhat limited use. When contacted, he was very apologetic for the experience and immediately sent me a replacement motor at absolutely co charge to me. NO FINANCIAL INTEREST etc.
Cheers!
Hi aged sage! I was looking at his stuff and it’s what I want, but shipping is almost $11. I was looking at a 10 RPM motor and rod chuck for $31.00 The shipping cost is 1/3 of the total.