Vintage power tools sparks in motor.

[ironpyre]

I have several old power tools that seem to work fine, however when in use I can see bright electrical sparks in the motor. Is this normal or safe? thanks.

[jmccustomknives]

On old power tools, oh yeah and accompanied by the smell of ozone B) . If they are really bright and irratic and/or the tool is loosing power the brushes can be going bad. Had that happen to my Dewalt chop saw :( , ruint the armiture.

[macbruce]

It's normal, all power tools with brushes do this but on the older ones you can see the brushes allot easier....If the sparks are long streaks that means worn brushes. Time to do something about it before burnout. Brushes can be made for even old electric tools quite easily.

[ironpyre]

Wow! Thank you for the quick answers. I've love these old tools because they're heavy duty, but was kinda of afraid of electrocution.

[pkrankow]

You can cleanup turn an armature a number of times, but getting new brushes in early is way better.

On those old metal body tools, the ground wire has frequently been clipped. It was there for a reason. It is also worth recording them and grounding the chassis properly. 120V is kinda ticklish if you are getting some bleed-over, but a solid hit can really hurt you, or worse. Make sure the ground is present and hooked up.

Phil