Thread Number: 36167
/ Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Need help to fix cord reel on SuperJ |
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Post# 387877 , Reply# 1   3/12/2018 at 19:17 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Hi François,
Firstly I'd say I'm no expert, so I may be totally wrong, but I have rewound & reassembled the winder of an Electrolux and a few clocks and clockwork-motors. We have special winding-jigs for mounting clock springs. You have to be VERY CAREFUL that the spring doesn't fly open and injure you. More-so with these. They're fast, sharp, and forceful. Wear eye protection and gloves! Has the spring become detached at the inner core? A worn fixing-point on the inner spindle perhaps? A distorted/wonky spool would lose its ability to keep the spring flat and contain it. If yours is already damaged/cracked, that could be the cause. You have no-doubt tried winding it up tighter, so I'd suggest pulling the spool off squarely as you would in removing a bearing. Insert two thin wooden discs of plywood/metal/strong plastic or similar - one to hold the spring down - the other to exert even lifting pressure on the whole spool, preventing it from flexing/breaking while you gently lift it a little. You should be able to see what's occurring before you pull too far. Restrain the main body of spring while working. Use cable-ties or strong wire twists to bind the wound portion, preventing fly-out. The inner face of the spool is probably the gliding surface that the spring rides against. A distorted spool will fail to keep the spring contained flat. That needs addressing. Perhaps adding a thin flat disk between Spool and Coil? Repair the crack. Sand the spool flat. Polish it smooth on the inside surface. Lubricate the wound coil when done. So that tension is even across the whole length of spring, not putting tension at only one point. Cut the ties/wire at the last minute during re-assembly. |
Post# 387891 , Reply# 3   3/12/2018 at 21:40 (2,208 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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The way we remove a car's blower fan blade is to have an assistant firmly but gently hold the spool (or blade on a blower) - with two hands like they're choking somebody, (around the inside center part of the spool, where it's still strong, don't hold it by the thin disc-like outer portions of the spool, they will easily break), while you take a medium-small hammer and tap on the center shaft with firm even strokes that should be just forceful enough to get the shaft to move a little bit at a time, but gentle enough to not damage/mushroom the end of the shaft.
You should definitely follow rowdy's safety advice though. That spring will go flying when it all pops apart and it will hurt somebody if you don't take any precautions. Zipties are a good idea, put a couple of zipties around different parts of the spring (where ever you're able) to bind it to itself, but also while you're separating it, make sure you or a third person is FIRMLY holding that spring. Don't use pliers or anything that will scratch the spring though. As long as someone is holding on to it REALLY WELL, it won't be able to fly off anywhere, but it will still pop. Once the spool is loose on the shaft, you may want to catch the bottom part of the thingy instead of allowing it to separate from the spool, and slowly separate them to minimize chance of spring popping. Also, hold the whole thingy over something soft in case the back part of the thingy falls down. Like a couple inches above a carpeted floor, or a pillow on a table or something. |
Post# 387892 , Reply# 4   3/12/2018 at 21:41 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Okay. I think I see what's happened. Difficult to help remotely - but your explanations and pictures are helping a lot!
The spring obviously has two ends. One (still attached) goes to the Inner-Spindle of the Spool. The other end is the problem? It has to be secured. Otherwise the spring would just turn and turn. These often slide over a POST or fit into a SLOT to secure them. Then the spring has something to pull against as it coils-up and tension builds. In your first posting, Picture-2 shows FOUR posts. Assume we number them left-to-right 1,2,3,4. I'd say Post-1 or Post-4 look like the ones that stray end fits over/into. My money's on Post-4. It has the room around it for the thick metal. I'd try prying up the end highlighted by the arrow and hooking it over Post-4. Bent needle-nose pliers would grab it and allow you to manoeuvre it. All while keeping the remainder of the spring trapped by the spool. You can usually pull these around a fair bit (within their elastic-limit) and they retain their original shape. When I tried describing discs, I meant something like a circle of hard-flat material that would slide between Spool and Spring-coil to prevent the coil from suddenly jumping apart. In your latest picture, it looks as though the spring is wanting to escape already, and you've only lifted the spool up a little bit. But if you don't have any tension on the coil yet, don't worry too much about restraining it any more than you are. (BTW: You're not wearing your gloves in that picture) |
Post# 387898 , Reply# 6   3/12/2018 at 22:16 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Post# 387900 , Reply# 7   3/12/2018 at 22:32 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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That's a better angle. I think I see what that WHITE Spool is doing now. I had presumed it was just part of the ratchet mechanism.
Now I THINK the Spring winds from one Spool to the other. At rest, when the cable is fully retracted, the Spring is tightly wound onto one Spool (WHITE). As you pull the flex, the GREY Spool spins, and the Spring is transferred from WHITE Spool to GREY. It might be the other way, but you see the principle? Look for an Anchor-Point at the centre of the WHITE Spool. |
Post# 387901 , Reply# 8   3/12/2018 at 22:39 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Post# 387902 , Reply# 9   3/12/2018 at 22:42 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Post# 387906 , Reply# 11   3/12/2018 at 23:13 (2,208 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Okay. It could be that the spring attaches to itself, or as you say, winds around enough that tension holds it in place - never unwinding fully-enough to come off.
You may not need to remove the large Grey Spool. If you can jiggle the stray end over the White Spool and wind it on a few turns, that may be all you need to do. At least we've determined where it goes now. You were right, the tell-tale sign is that metallic deposit on those white Fins. |
Post# 388082 , Reply# 16   3/14/2018 at 23:47 (2,206 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Type of glue/repair to the spool really depends on the type of forces acted upon it. If the breaks are clean and it's not warped or missing chunks, I'd say Gorilla gel super glue, then reinforce with some kind of epoxy glue. Especially on the top part of the spool with the square indent pattern, because there's room for epoxy glue, it won't interfere with any moving parts.
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Post# 388169 , Reply# 18   3/15/2018 at 21:04 (2,205 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Post# 388194 , Reply# 19   3/16/2018 at 02:01 (2,204 days old) by rowdy141 (United Kingdom)   |   | |
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Well done getting that far. These are always a nightmare, they try the patience of a Saint. [glad the zip-tie-trick helped].
My first experience of fixing one of these was when I was a Teenager. My Mum's brand new Electrolux with built-in cord winder had just arrived and I was fitting a mains plug for her (they weren't moulded-on in those days). I accidentally knocked the cord-rewind button and the flex shot into the machine! So I took in all apart. When my Mum arrived home, the first thing she saw was her lovely new vacuum in hundreds of pieces scattered all over the lounge floor! |