We all like to tell stories about idiots; maybe to chuckle, maybe to vent. I've got the opposite kind of story to tell.
I dug an old router out of my Dad's garage, a Rockwell 150-B with a D handle. I turned it on and it worked, but there was some corrosion on the collet and collet nut, and the motor cap was missing.
A few days soak with WD-40 and the collet seemed to operate OK, but the top of the motor seemed too "exposed" for my taste; it would be a shame to ruin a nice 50 year old tool by getting excessive wood chips and dust in the motor.
After some searching online, I found a recommendation for "a guy" to call for old Rockwell (and P-C) parts; no web site, no email, just a phone number and a name: Dick Journiman. I finally got to him yesterday. He was a genial sounding fellow who's been collecting Rockwell and P-C parts for 50 years.
He explained that the original caps were bakelite, and they all disintegrate after a while. Direct replacements are no longer made, but he's got a cap that *almost* fits; it needs to have a third recess carved out of it for the power cord exit.
That sounded OK to me, so I asked, "How do we do this?". He replied, "I'll pack it up tomorrow and send it to you. You can send me a check when you get it."
I paused for a moment, then remarked that his payment policy was, well, unusual. He replied that this was really more of a hobby for him, but added that he's had very good luck with getting paid. He says that people who fix up old tools to use are "some of the best people in the world".
We had a nice pleasant chat. He assures me that the router is a gem that should outlast us all with a little care and lamented that tools like that are no longer made. I guess I'll have to treat it well.
Oh, and yes, I'll degrease the collet before I use it.