Look what turned up yesterday....

Picked this up quite cheap, just need to get the Tarpen running now so I can test it. But I will strip it down first as it's a bit dry....

Its a nail trimmer for a yeti!!!!!

I thought I might test it out on my mum's new Persian Cat.

The blade's nice & sharp, looks like it's just been done recently. Dunno if the motor's any good though. I only paid a tenner for it (plus postage).

Them blades need a bit of a clean before you use it.

Nice find nuts, it looks as if the Tarpen addiction still has hold of you.

Stu.

Yep, I'm going to strip, clean & lubricate the whole thing before running it. The blades are very tight, I think someone has sent them away to be sharpened (they are very sharp & the edges are very clean) then put them back together too tight. (I just hope they haven't damaged the motor).

I had the chance of getting a 240v one very very cheap, but I couldn't see the point. I may soon have a 240v genny working off of one of the engines, but I will probably have light bulbs working off that. Hedge trimmers don't make the ideal exhibit, especially with children about. I know I had one as a child (& never once got hurt) but when I was a kid we seemed to have more common sense than kids do today. I will show this one with the Tarpen though, as that's what they were primarily used for. Alongside the GrassMaster it will make quite a nice little exhibit.

& it still has it's Bakelite screw-in multi-position side handle. Quite often they go missing or get broken.

I finally got round to sorting this one out last week (or was it the week before? I can't remember now). Anyway, I checked the brushes on the motor, they're a bit low, but there's not much I can do about that. I also dismantled the blade assembly & cleaned it all up. The blades are in extremely good condition, the sharp side is really sharp (like you could shave with it!), the other side is flat, which is how it works I suppose. It looks like it had been sent away for sharpening, then someone's got fed up waiting, gone out & bought a new one & forgotten all about this one.

There were 2 minor imperfections on the blade (first one looks worse than it actually is)....





This has some residues of what looks like copper, so I'm guessing a cut through the power cable, or a power cable of some kind (not sure a 110v cable would do this kind of damage, although it might have been DC, but it's doubtful, as most were run from transformers, in which case the most you would get is actually 55 volts, as that's how those "yellow box" site type transformers are designed).

Anyway, I'm not bothered, it could still be used if necessary. Except I've still no idea if it actually works. The motor isn't seized, in fact it turns very freely with no bad bearing noises.

I also replaced the missing stud which holds the blade assembly to the motor body. I had to use metric, but it meant I could use a nylock nut as well. & I had to do some repair work on the Bakelite side handle. This was a selling point with these as it has 3 different positions it can be screwed into & they are often missing. Mine had a bent stud (which became a broken off stud ) & some chipped Bakelite. I replaced the stud & built up the Bakelite with some putty stuff (bit like QuickSteel/plastic metal but for all different plastics & metals & sets under water/seals leaking pipes/holes while they are leaking, apparently).

Last, but not least, I replaced the flex (black plastic, as it was all I had. Might put a rubber one on it at some point though, as it'll look better) & put the blades back together with a smear of grease & a squirt of something. I will oil them when it's running (the grease was more for preservation)....





So, all I need to do now is get the Tarpen back together & test it out. I wanted to do this at Hassocks on Sunday, but the weather forecast was so bad we didn't even drag the Tarpen out.

Nuts with my experience with replacing hedgecutter blades ( i do quite alot at work ) i would not worry too much as long as the surface is flat and smooth , you could always flatten it off a tad if needed . assemble with some lubrication , i use a bit of spray chain oil or some oil from a oil can .

I know on the ones when i reasemble there is bolts holding both halves together with a bolt then a flat washer and a spacer which sits in the cut out in the blades then a special nut . I put a dab of locktite on the thread tighten up so you can just turn the bolt not by hand too much with either a socket .well actually a torx driver as what these are . and make sure the bolts are not causing the blades to bind .

i expect you wont have to go to this exact as you wont be using it much .

Matt

matt86 wrote:Nuts with my experience with replacing hedgecutter blades ( i do quite alot at work ) i would not worry too much as long as the surface is flat and smooth , you could always flatten it off a tad if needed . assemble with some lubrication , i use a bit of spray chain oil or some oil from a oil can .

I know on the ones when i reasemble there is bolts holding both halves together with a bolt then a flat washer and a spacer which sits in the cut out in the blades then a special nut . I put a dab of locktite on the thread tighten up so you can just turn the bolt not by hand too much with either a socket .well actually a torx driver as what these are . and make sure the bolts are not causing the blades to bind .

i expect you wont have to go to this exact as you wont be using it much .

Matt

Cheers Matt. The blade bolts on these ones don't have spacers. They also have old fashioned locking nuts (the ones before nylock nuts) but these aren't very good, I think if I was going to use it I would use thread locking compound, as you have suggested.

I coated the blades with a smear of grease before I put it back together, but they would need something a bit more liquid on them before it's run up. I only did the blade screws up finger tight for now, never quite sure how tight to put them, obviously I don't want the blades binding, but as you say, it's not likely to be used, only to sit there running alongside the Tarpen, so perhaps they're better off a bit on the loose side?