Challenge (Argos own brand) brushes for angle grinder

[Bill Smith]

Bought Argos Challenge angle grinder (cat no. 711/0591, 9" Angle Grinder (NOT "Extreme"). After two short bursts of light use, installed brushed gave up. Replaced with spare set included, also gave up very quickly.

Quite likely that I applied too much pressure (ne yo these particular tools) but Argos can't replace brushes, can't give me a supplier contact, and say I should return item and get a new grinder from store (still well under guarantee). No problem, but surely something like brushes should be a stock-replaceable item? I said I'd a washer-drier bought from Argos costing £450+ which would also require brushes sooer or later, and would they suggest I return this, too, to the store for a new machinie? No clear answer!

QUESTION: Has anybody info about how/where to buy a simple set of brushes for this grinder? I'd guess they come in standard sizes, but just don't know!

Thanks for any help.

Bill

[Harry Stottle]

When you say "gave up", do you mean that the brushes wore down very quickly? If so, and this also happened to the second set, this could be due to a rough commutator in the motor, which is the part that the brushes rub on. If the commutator is rough, it will act like a file on the brushes, so a replacement unit could solve the problem.

[Palindrome]

I'm afraid that there is no such thing as "simple set of brushes" for a motor. The shape, material and brush pressure can vary widely.

I purchased a similar tool and noticed (before using it) that the brushes hadn't been shaped to the commutator and weren't bedded at all well. Presumably the manufacturer hoped that it would be little used by most home users or that many hours of very light use would proceed any serious work and give the brushes chance to wear in. I dread to think what the effect would have been of using it under heavy load, with the brushes in that state.

IMHO, the spring pressure was also very low for brushes of this hardness of material.

I bedded the brushes in myself and added a second spring behind each brush. I use it in a jig to cut steel bar stock and it works beautifully with no visible sparking..

So I am not sure what you mean by the "installed brushes gave up" - mine, bedded-in and with greater spring pressure are wearing quite slowly and it should be a long time before I need the second set.

If the commutator is burnt or otherwise damaged, no amount of new brushes will help. It may clean up - a fibreglass pencil can often do a reasonable job. A broken hacksaw blade, shaped to the gap width on a bench grinder, can sort out the gaps between segments.

Of course if a winding is damaged, it is probably only fit for land fill.

Back to your original question - my local government surplus yard ("Bogie Knights" to those in Plymouth familiar with it ;) ) usually has a variety of the "wrong" brush packs selling cheaply. They can be cut/ground to size, with a bit of patience. It probably won't be the right material - so, if you make your own, you may have to adjust the spring pressure to suit.

[barry makepeace]

[cerberus]

I've just used a Challenge SDS drill to remove approx 80 square meters of plaster off of concrete/flint & pebble walls...no problem at all...a lot cheaper than hiring & still going strong!

Don

[Harry Stottle]

You shouldn't need a receipt to return faulty goods, Q7 on the following link

the use of thermal printing now on a lot of receipts means that a receipt is just going to be a blank slip of paper when you find something is faulty and need to return it, making the details on the above link even more important when the shop says they can't do anything without seeing the receipt.

[barry makepeace]