Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Help with projects


freebird914

Recommended Posts

Sadly you are pretty much on your own here, the closest you get are the old champion catalogs that are available on CD. It is experience and reverse engineering all the way on these types of rebuilds, generally if repeated soakings with your favorite penetrating oil doesn't fix the blower most people are sunk, if you have a machine shop, and are a skilled machinist (even a good hobbiest:-) you can get more done, but like I said penetrating oil and maybe sometimes applying a little heat will break things free... Jr could probably fix it, and probably several other guys here who are also excellent mechanic/machinists, the guys who ooze common sense and confidence:-) Me I still have a blower that I can't get going after extended soaking with liquid wrench, strong arm and kroils...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll share a secret on blowers. The compound gearing that makes the fan spin merrily with only a few turns of the handle also works in reverse. That means you can often reach inside the housing and turn the fan long before you will budge the handle. Most blowers are not worn out because they were made well and used fairly little in many instances. The problems happen when the thing is tipped over in the dirt or sits under a tree for 75 years. I typically remove the handle and put the blower in a bucket, pour in diesel until it's covered then let it sit for a week. A friend of mine once brought one to the shop that was buried in sand for at least 30 years and frozen tight. We soaked it in diesel for several days and were then able to open the housing just enough to wash the sand from the gear box. It was then reassembled and oiled - he is still using it.

You should be able to fix most any common blacksmithing tool if you have some mechanical aptitude and basic hand tools. They are pretty straight forward.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello,
Some more thoughts. You also have to remember that most of these tools are made in a way that a small amount of maintanice is all thats needed to keep them running good. It also goes to say that fixing them should also be as easy! As long as the shaft of the fan blower is not pitted, pouring babbit bearings is fairly easy. If it's a newer blower it'll have brass sleeve bearings. Very easy to replace them also. If it's a problem with a gearbox driven blower, it gets a little harder but no where near impossible. Broken castings can be complicated, but also no where near impossible to fix. Just remember, your not the first one to run into these problems. We've all had these problems at one time or another. Just keep asking questions. If you have a part that just has to be replaced or is beyond your skills or shop capabilities, maybe somebody here could help you!

Thanks
Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's my problem, The fan spins but clatters when it slows down I have movement on the fan side.. up and down and side to side not a lot but I was gonna shim it with brass... In the gear box their is a same amount of binding I am sure it's a adjustment the gear not on the blower handle is missing it's set screw therefore giving some movement.. I was trying to get it apart and see the three screws that hold the gear box to the body.. The shaft on the fan ends has been hammered on so they are flared out slightly... Does the shaft come out thru the body side or removing the fan allows the gear box the be removed ... On the blower hand gear side in the gear box body I see a stake is that correct or a temporary fix...

I consider myself able to repair this thing really just need a diagram gonna make my own as I take it apart.... Lots of little problems just love to tinker with old metal also have a couple of post drills to work on .....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

something I like to do as I take things apart is keep a running log of what I do and a description of the part as I go that really helps as for the flared end take a file or dremel tool with a good burr on it and take it off then do whatever you have to do. On mine the shaft that runs on comes out through the gear box(I think it's been alonng time since I had mine apart)
Good luck and have fun

Buck
If opportunity doesn't knock build a door

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 400 says so on the front of the fan case - and the fan runs at right angles to the handle on a shaft with a worm gear. They are made like a Rolls Royce and if cared for, should last for 1000 years...

You probably have a smaller one so the straight cut gears are all running parallel with the handle and the fan - everything is in the same plane.

Take a hand file and get rid of the mushrooming on the shafts. You should be able to remove the fan after that but it may be that the fan is only clipping something as it runs and may not be centered in the case.

Some Buffalo blowers were designed to run in one direction only but I am not sure that Champion made any that way. However, I have usually found that most blowers make less noise in a particular direction - so if they blow equally by cranking either way, then I pick the one that makes the least noise and stick to it.

The brass shim is a good idea if you can get the fan off and make something to fit. Another option is to wrap a piece of shim around the shaft and slip it into the bore. May be just enough to stop the rattle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well it's apart sort of... The shaft that goes to the handle is out which gives me a good look inside the beast... No ball bearings this must have been the cheap version... shaft worned which gives the play... Its all in carb cleaner now soaking over night gonna take some time to get the build up down.... Cant figure out how to get the other two gears out no keys or sense of which way they come out hopefully I see something after the soak..... gear has a key that holds the gear in place and shaft only comes out one direction.... was fun though ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

freebird: I'm posting the link to the question as you posed in on the Practical Machinist board. Any replies by Joe Michaels are worth reading. He is as thorough and considerate as it gets, so I thought I'd share his help with the rest of this board. Hope you don't mind.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=001537

Don't forget that machinists love metal as much as we do. They just love it different. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

freebird: Welllllll.... technically I think you still have bearings... they just aren't BALL bearings. :roll: I've only repaired two different styles of Champion blowers, so I'm not much help. I did replace the loose bearings and race with sealed bearings in one blower which worked fairly well. A little stiff, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Ed,

Thanks a million for posting that link to the machinists forum concerning taking Champion blowers apart. You can find just about any info you want on the internet EXCEPT info on Champion equipment. The only way that his reply could have been more helpful was if it had had photos too.

I have two Champion blowers and the second one I decided to "experiment" on since, at the time, I couldn't find any info. I wanted that Champion Catalog CD Rom that they have listed on the Anvilfire site but it is out of stock and my e-mails inquiring on when it might be back in stock have all gone unanswered.

Now, my question....The Champion blower that I disassembled seems to have a hard rubber sleeve that surrounds the (non-crank handle) gear shaft and the fan shaft. I can still use the original ones but I thought if there was a modern replacement part that I would do that. Any suggestions? I also need to find a gearbox cover for it too.

David

Link to comment
Share on other sites

David,
I do not know the answer to your specific question. But I want to caution you that just because one blower has certain parts does not mean the 2nd one will have the same setup or parts. Often times much of this gear had in house made parts and even in the same year of manufacture the smae model of blower might have differetn sized bearing etc. So just a word of caution.....

Ralph
8)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ralph,

One of the blowers that I have is one of the small rivet forge style Champion blowers and the other one is a larger style blower but not a #400. The gearbox on both them are almost identical. Neither of the blowers have a model number and the only numbers that I have found on the larger blower is the number 53 stamped on the gearbox. That number appears to be a part number instead of a model number.

If anyone ever assembled a good reference book on Champion Blower & Forge equipment they would probably sell quite a few copies since there appears to be a definite need for that info.

THanks

David

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...