Do electric motor brushes deteriorate in damp/lack of use?

[tinnews]

I needed to use my Bosch 1/2" router today, started off fine but after getting half way across the first cut of a piece of worktop it went all 'sick'. Lots of sparking from the brushes and lack of power. I took it apart to look at the brushes and both had a corner chipped off them, not sure if that's cause or effect.

So, I got my cheapo Ferm 1/4" router out to complete the job and it fared pretty well actually but just as I was finishing it died almost completely. One of the brushes had worn too short to reach the commutator at all.

I don't think either router has really had enough use to wear the brushes out though the Ferm *might* have I suppose, the Bosch definitely hasn't. However I haven't used either router for a year or more, probably a couple of years at least and they have just been sitting unused in the garage, fairly dry but damp enough to make unused tools rust a little if you're not careful. Do brushes deteriorate in such conditions? The Ferm had one brush that looked like it had partly disintegrated whereas the other was still pretty well OK.

While I'm about it where's a good source of replacment brushes?

[Pete C]

Hi,

Somewhere like this for the Bosch:

If you post a pic of the Ferm ones, someone may have seen something similar. It might still be under guarantee if it came with a 2 yr one.

If you end up getting another 1/4" router I'd recommend a Trend T3E.

cheers, Pete.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I could imagine that if the brushes had got stuck in their normally sliding mountings, the results could be exactly as you describe.

[tinnews]

They didn't seem to be sticky in their mounts but it's a possibility I suppose. It's just odd that both seem to have failed in a similar way and I've not had other similar failures to saws or drills etc.

[tinnews]

Thanks, what an excellent site.

I think my Ferm router is actually the same as the Trend T3, or a pretty close clone so I'm going to risk ordering a set of T3 brushes along with the Bosch ones.