Antique Armature Testing Growler [Restoration]
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- This restoration is on a 1920s armature tester or "growler" made by the the Armature Rewinding Co. I believe this is the patent: patents.google.com/patent/US1...
0:00 Intro
0:30 I do the thing
16:54 How a growler or armature tester works
Even though this is a simple tool with no moving parts, it proved to be quite a challenge as I have never rewound any electrical components for my restorations, until now. It was really fun to learn what needs to be done to rewind a simple transformer and exciting to see if you did everything correctly or if you perish from electrocution.
I am having a very hard time finding information on this specific tool as my research has only lead to a few mentions of the company and some advertisements, but nothing on this exact tool ever existing.
I also have to thank the gracious viewer who helped me source some ORIGINAL wire grommets for this tool that make it look as close to original as possible.
I do hope to use this tool for testing armatures for many restorations going forward.
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Podcast (with Jimmy DiResta and Andrew Alexander) - anchor.fm/fitzall 
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My father was a partner in an automotive parts rebuilding business. I worked for him one summer and one of my jobs was to check armatures for shorts using one of these. I never thought I'd see one again but here it is. All the tables in the shop were metal and that was the days before everything was grounded. I'd grab an armature off one table to place on the growler while moving the one I'd just checked to another table. You only made yourself the connection between both tables once! To use the thing, I'd run a metal blade around the armature while the growler was energized. If the blade vibrated when over one of the windings it indicated a short. It was usually in the commutator and could easily be remedied by clearing any debris shorting across the segments of the commutator. All the rebuilding took place in that room, including the baking of the armatures in a walk-in oven. Temperatures in the summer were 130 degrees or more. This brings back memories - thanks!
Sounds like fun as a kid lol. Can you imagine trying to get a teenager to try doing that kind of work in today's world?
@@frankierzucekjr I do know a few kids who would, including one of my grandsons. They are rare but probably easier to find in rural areas.
It was hot dirty work. I went home coughing and blowing copper dust from polishing those commutators (even though I wore a paper mask). I wouldn't have missed the experience and, in fact, was disappointed I didn't get to learn every aspect of rebuilding those armatures. When I was even younger, Dad sometimes had to work in the office on Saturdays. On those occasions he would set me up checking valves for some other part they were rebuilding (maybe a fuel pump?). The valves were maybe 1/2" in diameter and I would place them over a small hole in a vacuum table. If the gauge showed the would hold 10 psi vacuum, they were good enough to be reused.
Dad was blessed to get in on the ground floor with the company. The three men who started it each took on a veteran of WWII to mentor in the business and ultimately become partners. I was disappointed when the business was sold back in the '80s. I always had an unspoken desire to join Dad in the business. The company started with starters and generators. The guy who actually started the company was know as Lec, and the company was Lec Electric. They sold nationwide and had their own truck fleet. When I worked there, they were also doing alternators, voltage regulators, fuel pumps, brake shoes, master cylinders, clutch assemblies, and maybe more I've forgotten.
The company sold to Southwest Wheel and Drum, and later closed. My guess would be Chinese competition.
@@frankierzucekjr yes. Many do. Unfortunately though pay has fallen very far behind living costs for decades. This means that people now work harder for years on end than you ever have. Maybe you could listen a bit instead of blowing hot air for your ego.
@@GoingtoHecq wow man, speaking of egos, lmao, sounds like the shoe fits?
It also looks like my little comment struck a nerve lol. I've been running my own company for 13 years, but thanks for the laugh and proving my point. Next time try not to be so butt hurt about a comment on the internet.
You get paid what you're worth.
@@texomatinker414 that's a great story, sorry it was sold and you could do what you may have wanted. They say everything happens for a reason tho. I bet you went home with spiked hair hahaha. Jk. Take care bud.
I like that back in the day you did not need a fancy name for your company.
"What do we do?" "We rewind armatures" "All right, call it the Armature Rewinding Company"
'ARC'
I guess weirdo marketing people weren't a thing back then 🤔
50 years ago I worked in a shop that did automotive speedometer and electrical work, including rebuilding starters and generators. We had a growler mounted on a bench next to where we made up speedometer cables. That growler got used every day.
I look forward to the sandblaster gag every time, and this one got me good. Great stuff!
so short tho eh ?
lol knocked himself ouut .🤣🤣🤣
@@WillSurvive2TheEnd
Or it is just outer space.
Or sandblaster windows into infinity
Agreed! I'm glad he keeps it up.
This channel always intrigues me. Never heard of a Growler before today. Proper restorations with knowledge and laughter. 👌
I've heard of it. A small engine mechanic was talking about one. "Taryl fixes all" is his RUclips channel. You might like his content.
To me, a growler is a large bottle of beer. So new lessons being taught here
To me, a growler is something I take the day after eating too much.
Isn’t a growler also a communication device - used by Navy, sound (pressure) activated? …
Here in England a growler is also slang for a hairy lady area
Used to have an old machinist/mechanic in my hometown that had a growler. My dad was very good friends with him so naturally took all of our machine work to him. I was fascinated by the lathe, mill and other equipment we didn’t have in our farm shop. The growler mystified me! Every so often when using it sparks would fly and he would get a good jolt! I asked him one time “doesn’t that hurt”, “just a little” he replied, “I actually think it might do me some good “!😅😅 RIP Martin
I genuinely thought he started sanding with a piece of ham for a second.
That's why I love this channel, it's something he might do.
Bravo on the sand blasting cabinet skit, I've missed those.
Ham is like 7500 grit
You can touch the two probes together safely (following normal 120V safety, of course), as the light bulb _is_ the load, the probes complete the circuit. There are two circuits here for the device, one is the main ‘growler’, and the other is a light bulb continuity tester in parallel.
Yes they would act like a switch, you would still get some sparks thou, just not a dead short
It could depend exactly how it's wired, but the light bulb should be first, so if he wants to switch off that feature. He could unscrew the bulb
Even if you make the probes the neutral path to the bulb, the bulb will back feed one of the probes hot.
When I started working in a hospital biomedical engineering department in the early 1980;s we had to test the conductive flooring the in operating rooms with a Megger. Two weighted conductive pucks were placed ten feet apart on the floor and wired back to the megger. You would crank the megger and it would put 1000 volts to the pucks and the current would indicate the resistance. If you were sloppy, you could get a hell of a shock. Shenanigans were also common. Shocked more times that Edward Delequois.
Hey, when winding coils, mount your wire on a spool holder, and use a thick piece of felt to guide the wire and control tension. That's what I do when I re-wind guitar pickups and it works so much better than trying to do it all with the spool.
I have two homemade growlers that my grandfather made. One for armature, and one for fields. He was an electrician for the C.B.&Q. Railroad. He repaired and rebuilt all of the many motors used in passenger cars. He showed me how they worked and how to use them. I'd like to find a museum or antique motor shop where they would be preserved.
I don't know how many railroad museums would exhibit them, but I can easily see how a museum restoration shop might find them useful in doing restoration work.
Try the Spencer Shops in Spencer NC. They have restoration facilities there. It was a huge roundhouse back in the day.
Supposedly where Cash Jones was trying to get to "on time"
A "Growler" is not only a handy piece of equipment when testing old motors but that one looks cool while doing it! Great video!
I've been a car electrician for 40 years. Always wanted one of these simply because they look so cool. The "danger factor" doesn't bother me.
@@billh230 until it electrocuted one of your kids or wife. Or whoever you care for. It's a piece of history and should stay that way. I'm sure a much safer version can be designed that still looks cool.
@TorpedoX that’s awesome those technical books get harder and harder to come by ever year.
Nice job! You could build a nice wooden block with two properly sized holes to safely store the probes. Or you could build a wooden base for the growler to sit into and store the probes in that base with two holes.
I remember seeing one of these (or something extremely similar) mounted on a pedestal in the shop class at high school. Same probes and everything. We literally never used it as a tester, it was only ever used to keep pipe from rolling when you wanted to drill a hole in it. I would want to have a push button (or foot switch) for those probes so they were not energized all the time.
The probes will also cook hotdogs and turn pickles into lightbulbs according to the science class down the hall from the shop class. :D
I had a severe retraction of body parts watching you demonstrate that. Nice work, and always enjoy your videos.
A retraction...🤣🤣🤣🤣
When unsoldering old connections like that switch, I find it's easier if you apply fresh solder first. It helps transfer the heat easier. I hope that will help you in the future.
@@ralphgesler5110 Yes. So many people don't use flux. USE FLUX. FLUX IS YOUR FRIEND. A FLUXING FRIEND HAS BENEFITS!!!
This is a good point - refloating the solder joint helps in removal.
Also - solder wick and/or a "solder sucker" helps remove it all together.
If you have retired infant nose-suckers laying around those work great as well.
@@TS34675 even easier, just suck it up with a straw.
@@Doramius So it's good to have a flux buddy?
@@carebear8762 yup, and especially good now hes got two new nuts !...
Years ago, I visited a starter and generator rebuilding facility where growlers were routinely used. Since all starter and generator armatures were rewound as part of the rebuilding process, a growler test was used on each one to make sure the rewinding was done properly. Very neat old device, very nice restoration. Thanks for posting this video.
Definitely felt that aggressive self loathing when that cable restraint snapped. It's aged, cracked and fragile so . . .
I know that feeling all too well myself. It usually starts out when I first see the restraint, just because I know it's a 99% chance it'll crumble by looking at it wrong. 😬
Honorable gentlemen practicing self control.
I felt way more cringe when he unwound what looked like a perfectly good coil. Jeeeze. High pot test. First. Then Shenannigans....
@@Zonkotron i guess it was busted but he didn't mention it. i mean why else would he just straight up unwind it. Because of potential as best is ?
Those cable restraints are still available new. IIRC, I have bought them at Ace hardware. You just have to know the hole size they go into.
Made me think of a time when just having electricity was potentially risky. I worked for an old electrician running cables once, and he talked of replacing “cabling” in 19th century houses. The original conduit was a U shaped gutter of 3 wooden strips with a bare wire laying each side. Layed in roof spaces with gravity keeping the wires apart, the gutters were about the width of an average rat, increasing the risk of a short & subsequent fire… thankfully insulation technology improved
Don’t think I’ve ever skipped your intro once, it’s a good un.
Best sandblasting intro to date!
I use a growler nearly everyday at work! We rebuild/restore classic and vintage vehicle dynamos
Those probes should be wired so they only complete the NEUTRAL side of the circuit, AFTER the load (light bulb). While there is 120v potential when they are open, as long as the bulb is good, it acts as the load and draws all the current. The probes are nothing more than a switch on the neutral. If the bulb is bad, the 120v potential is lost by the open circuit of the filament in the bulb.
Just double check that the bulb has the line side of the circuit, and the probes have the neutral side.
This just makes on of the probes (the grounded one) safe, The bulb would still pass enough current to electrocute you if you bridged from the bulb-side probe to the other probe or to ground.
The only way to make this safe is to add a low-voltage (e.g. 12V) transformer and replace the bulb with one whose voltage matches the transformer. That way the voltage between the probes would be limited to a safe level and would also be isolated from ground.
Kevin Martin is correct that the bulb side probe would still likely shock you, but had a bad description of why. A dry hand holding a wire is anywhere from 1000 ohms to 500,000 ohms and inside your body is a few hundred ohms. Since you have much more resistance than a bulb which is usually 10 ohms to 100 ohms, if you grab the probe you can think of the bulb as basically a ~0 ohm wire that doesn't really drop any of the voltage off before getting to yourself. Thus you will get most of the 120V, especially with moist skin, and will still get shocked. In terms of ohms law, since you have much much larger R than the bulb, then you will have much larger IR, or voltage, across you than the bulb. And you can approximate this as you basically having all the 120 volts. A transformer would work well for safety, just any cheapo 12 volt transformer that could maybe even fit inside the tool. Then a GFCI outlet would also be a good idea, as it could sense if current is leaking thru you to ground.
I had a rather rough day today but this guy cracked me up at 2:50. I love this guy, I love the Intro, I love the channel. I just can‘t be in a bad mood after watching this. Awesome work
That was so interesting and you have quite a Knack as a Restorer and I have always been a "Tool Nut" since I was a small child 75 years ago and especially like the old time things. Your abilities are rare and very much appreciated by many and thanks for putting out these great videos for all of us to learn from and enjoy~!! 🤓👍👌✌
First completely mysterious (until the end) restoration. Obviously many viewers knew what a growler is. But I appreciated your closing, top-level. explanation.
That little sigh before deciding to unwind the coil... story of my life
I'm glad Emotionally Distant Garbage has stayed with the series, even after hitting the bigtime they never forgot their roots.
I have never heard of a growler until this video. it is a very simple tool but dangerous. Your explanation of how it works and show us how it works. This video is very educational and your comentary was perfect. love your channel and content. Thank you very much for an amazing video of the Growler. ❤🇨🇦
6:23 Those gaps are there to prevent the magnetic field from saturating the whole core, which would affect operation. Same thing as having laminated plates instead of one solid chunk of metal on a transformer.
2:50 NO, you're NOT human garbage. your actually one of my top 3 favorite RUclipsrs of all time...
Wow that brought back memorys I'm a retired Electro Mechanical Engineer and used one of those at least a couple of times a week when i used to rebuild almond Winding Machines and other Winding Coil Winding machines Nice Job , love your Videos your a old School Like Me When things were made to last and be repaired Great channel
Garbage on the floor.
Socially distant garbage on the floor
Emotionally distant garbage on the floor.
A story in 3 parts.
Great restoration! I learned to use one of these when I was employed in a automotive electrical rebuild shop many years ago. I don't remember ours having test leads; if we got a "growl" we'd use a multimeter or continuity tester to further diagnose. They're very useful tools and I haven't seen one since. Thanks.
As a winder I agree, never had test leads, we always used a mega or flash tester for testing the com to the stack.
Another machine which I have never seen before and which I had no idea even existed. As ever, nicely restored!
This one was so fascinating. We watched in awe trying to figure out wth this even was. Thanks for the explanation and demo at the end. I have two major things to say:
1) your expressiveness with your hands is the most entertaining thing ever
2) I cannot NOT laugh at your intro. Every time. Without fail. It's 80's perfection.
You could make plastick caps for the live pointers it dusent modify the meshine at all but would make it safer to use with out frying your self! Thankyou I love your clips so nice to see how you fix some things!
nice restauration..i liked the spoken explanation on how the device works..u should do that more,and i think a lot of people like it too
I have heard about growlers and have even seen a few but have never seen one in use or knew how they work. Thank you so much for this video and explaining how they work in terms that are able to be understood.
Love the slap stick style of humor in your videos, especially when always using the media blaster bench @ 6:08. Became a new subscriber. Please keep the sense of humor up. Love watching these old and useful tools being restored back to their glory days.
12:35 For future reference, you shouldn't tin wires that aren't getting soldered. Stranded copper wires going into a screw terminal would ideally have a ferrule crimped on. Clamp terminals sometimes can take stranded copper wire, but often not. The reason screw and clamp terminals do work very well with solid copper wire is because copper has elasticity: it tries to return to its original shape, pushing back against the screw or clamp. Solder however has virtually no elasticity: it deforms plastically and therefore doesn't really push back against the screw or clamp. This can cause a bad connection, if not immediately then over time.
When you're wrapping on the lathe, if you drill a hole through a dowel pin held in a tool holder, it does a nice job of keeping the tension equalized and you can even use the power feed if you get the ratios just right. Shadon HKW has a really good video on it making coils for heat treating ovens
My heart skipped a beat each time you grabbed the pointy metal darts XP
Subscribed just because of the intro? Hilariously 90s
It's like every video tells a secret story :) Well edited as always!
120V doesn’t bother me, 240V shocks make me jump and swear, 415V I treat with great respect. The guys who work on the HV networks I think have a death wish, even saying 11,000V makes me shiver.
Now capacitors are a different matter. I vaporised a 38mm spanner across a capacitor bank. BIG Bang!
The don't call electricians 'Sparky' for nothing.
Yeah, when I was young and stupid I got bit by 120V. It'll certainly put a pep in your step and make your arm numb for a few hours. Just ... don't be anywhere hear HV, especially if there's current involved. I've had 40kV (no amperage) a couple of times (one in high school with the Van de Graff static generator, and once pulling the coil wire from the distributor of a gas engine that wouldn't shut off). Don't do either.
It was funny in the HS science lab, teacher told us to hold hands in a chain across the room, then "Jason, put your hand on the generator."
Everybody's hair stood on end.
"Now, Jennifer, grab the faucet."
I was in the middle and had worked with my father in an electrician-adjacent job (HVAC install) during the summer. I said "Don't do it, Jen, you'll ground u-ERK!"
It's probably that demo in science class that convinced me to wear EH-rated boots and keep one hand behind my back when messing with anything over 12V later in life when I could afford nice boots.
There were also some pretty hilarious/potentially deadly pranks at the HVAC shop. Charge up the starting capacitor for a compressor motor, wrap tinfoil around it just so with a bubble of empty space around the contacts, yell "THINK FAST!" and throw it at the new guy. Of course he'd reflexively catch it and crush the foil onto the terminals, the cap would dump and the foil would vaporize harmlessly (these are the caps that will melt notches in a screwdriver shaft, btw. I forget the farad rating, but 400V and about the size of your fist) . Or so I'm told, never saw that prank in action, apparently that had been deemed much for hazing when I was hanging around the shop in the late '80s/early '90s. But I believe it, bc that shop was an OSHA inspector's nightmare (or gold mine, depending on how you look at it) when I was there, the ceiling fans in the open-air metal fab shop were scavenged condenser fans from dead A/C units, with very sharp sheetmetal blades, hanging from a very low ceiling. I did see my father walk into one and get an inch-deep notch in the brim of his ballcap (which was flung across the shop, but as a Vietnam veteran, he had catlike reflexes and was on the floor before the damaged hat began to fall), and Dad is a pretty short guy at 5'7" ... his six-foot brother/coworker, otoh, knew exactly where every fan was. Or was just ridiculously lucky, could go either way with that guy.
Note: a electrolytic capacitor does not increase voltage, at any time voltage would be no higher than the voltage applied.
@@Buster2058 I am well aware 8n fact the capacitor that did the damage was only charged to 50V but at 47,000uF it dumped a hell of a lot of power in a fraction of a second hence no more spanner and 2nd degree burns.
Based on the last several videos I thought you forgot how to sandblast, but this video proved you can.
Just an idea here, but for safety's sake: you could now build a simple harness and plug the probes into one end. The harness might use a foot switch that requires you to hold the switch down in order to use the new probes at the other end. That way, if you happen to shock yourself, your muscles will contract automatically and release the switch. You wouldn't compromise the original design this way.
Beautiful restoration job, as always!
Howdy stoppin by to say you never cease to amaze me with your restorations either way have a good one
Wow! Showing us how to use the tool. Thanks. Very informative.
Always a great day when we hear (or not hear) from HTR.
X-Files zoom ins and screwing with those wires has already made my day. Guess I'm easy to please.
At first I thought it was some sort of strange de-gauzing tool. Really neat, and great work.
I’d say that before you restored it that growler was still being used in a Pakistani workshop. Great job and I’m glad to see you have respect for eelectrickery. I’m extra careful as well because we have 240 volts so you really know about it if it bites you. Cheers mate, Stuart 🇦🇺
Haha. Yes. Pakistani Truck probably has one there using right now.
Sir, your voice is not what I expected. Great video as always
Ok, we watch this channel with 2 and 4 year old girls often. And they somehow really enjoy your shows. Better than any other loud cartoons. Thank you
Your content is awesome! Thanks for helping me ignore my work and responsibilities!
I really appreciate your videos. Please keep them coming.
Glad you lived thru this one,
to restore again another day.
Take some heater hose of the right diameter and slip it over each AC probe. When you need the probe slide the hose down toward the wire connection just enough to expose the tip. Do your testing then pull it back so the tip is no longer exposed. A safe guard for you and makes no permanent alteration. And sir, very nicely done on the restoration.
Love your videos! Historically interesting, technically fascinating and always with a dash of hilarity 👍👍👍
It's a good idea to use some solder flux when you're going to solder thick wires. Simple rosin or liquid RMA no-clean non-toxic (there're many toxic!)
It's much easier to make a quality solder joint with soldering tip with large contact area which has lower thermal resistance - like PX-60RT-5K - it's just an example how it may look, it has many names from many makers
And 16:00 such soldering requires very good heating with powerful soldier with good tip or you may receive so called "cold solder joint" - it looks soldered well but may detach easily from a part with high thermal capacitance.
Rosin core solder Bubba,,,,,,But now they want that worthless lead free crap that really sucks... and you end up with "tin whiskers' blowing out ICs and MOSFET devices that old 60/40 lead never had.
Missed opportunity respooling on the wire wheel.... "wire wheel EVERYTHING.
Thank you for continuing to make content, I cant get enough.
What an angelic voice that we get to hear so little of. Awesome restoration as always.
The whole time I was watching this video I was thinking of Lin Guoer, a RUclipsr whose special talent is rewinding motors and generators. She lives in rural China and fixes all the motors and engines around her village - usually generators, agricultural pumps, and old belt-driven diesel motors for factories. The old Chinese farm diesels are similar to the old Japanese ones I see Japan. Her engine maintenance is crude, but her motor winding skills are top-notch It’s amazing to watch her fab missing parts with such a small collection of tools. I’d love to see HTR reach out to her for a motor rewinding when needed. There is a lot she could learn from HTR as well! ruclips.net/channel/UCNwBSVzAmfDaH2G04bA0jJQ
I love watching her channel
At least she is genuine, unlike the “financially poor” orientals that commit fraud on RUclips in the same parts of the world. There was another oriental who called his channel “Mr Electricity” who did the motor re-winding thing with the motor working after he had cleaned it and rewound it
Seems like that channel is produced by the state as a form of propaganda... Besides, how would you get that object from canada to rural china and back?
Interesting way to make a taper on a lathe, I generally just turn the top of the compound to half the angle of the taper I want and do it that way. But still, really cool way to do it. And, in the right hands, a growler is indispensable to test and diagnose armatures. You should get a lot of life out of this guy.
But then you don’t get the torpedo shape 👍😀
This is about the most basic way I learned in machine school?
I can turn tapers without even trying !
@@tacticalty9693 I never went to school for machining, the way I learned was a good friend found out I wanted to learn to use a lathe, so he found and bought me a little Atlas 618, that I still have in my garage to this day. I have used much bigger lathes, but wanted to learn on a small one because the big ones are man eaters if you let them be. A little bitty one can absolutely hurt you, but won't rip your arm off or suck you in. I learned through trial and error, and just use my lathe for random crap. Not to make parts for anyone else or anything. I even have a milling attachment for my little lathe. I have a LOT of respect for machinists, that is a lot of math and a lot of knowledge to make parts right.
@@jesperwall839 very true. The torpedo shape is awesome. But, you could in theory cut the taper normally, then use the file like he did to finish it to the torpedo shape.
That de-winding is about the most chaotic thing I've seen all day... congratulations!
All motor repair People used a " growler " at one time or another ! I started in1960 , US Navy , Electrician's Mate . Thanks' for the Video !
I've been a LE officer for 12 years whose "beat" includes a historic but sadly derelict notoriously "haunted" cemetery. Before that I was a qualified jumper with the 82nd AB Div. It's not machismo but not alot scares me or makes me nervous...then there is electricity. I'm terrified of it. My father in law even had to wire the cieling fans in my new house. I won't get near it unless I absolutely have to and this machine may as well be a pissed off T-Rex as far as I'm concerned. Must have been a bad experience in a past life. Always has been that way.
Just your brain warning you of danger to keep you alive... I'd be a lot more worried for someone who doesn't have it.
The light bulb not only limits the current, it also acts like a fuse, making the electrocution machine slightly less dangerous. But heavy gloves and a vigilant mind is advised. Also, you handled the probes correctly by just using one hand, you will still get a nasty jolt and/or burn but the current will just cook your hand, not travel across your heart.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense
I built a current limiter to test old tube amplifiers I restore. It’s nothing but a light socket with an incandescent bulb, a plug in, a power cord, and a switch. I use different wattage incandescent bulbs depending on the output wattage of the amplifier. You know pretty quickly if you have a dead short. Saves the components from burning up if someone has done something stupid. And sometimes that someone is me! Ha!
I was taught that trick by my Opa who was forced to check for live wires in the rubble after an Allied bombing raid. "You muss allwayz brink the wires togetter wit EIN hand so dat the volt does not cross your boddy ant stopp your hertz! A burned Hand ist besser !" I already had my first multimeter but thought it most politic to keep schtum.
Assuming some pillock doesn't come along and replace it with a higher wattage bulb when it pops. "Well it kept blowing so I put a bigger bulb in it"
Good to see you diving in to rewinding. A great skill to add to your collection.
I acquired two of these about less than a year ago. One had those 'bulbsafe' probes, and the other had a voltmeter. The probes are just a crude but effective replacement for a multimeter.
Technically one can totally get rid of the probes and bulb, and replace the feature with a built in multimeter or have a holder for one, and preferably analog ones. More complex models have a mini twin probe with an adjustable gap specifically for commutator bar testing.
Armature testers are great at their purpose, and helps diagnose the problem of shorted rotor windings, which is almost always the most difficult operation to do without dedicated equipment; coming in second place is damaged or worn out commutator bars.
These things have been in service for well over 100 years and OSHA hasn't shut anybody down for using them. They are quite safe to use for their intended purpose - If this bothers you I suggest you never so much as LOOK at a 1000V megger and forget about the 5000V Hi-Pot testers but there is nothing especially dangerous about them if you follow SOP.,,,,(Fact is my Mom ran Hi-Pot testers at Bendix Radio during WWII)
Growlers are not dangerous at all but just one thing if working around live circuits bothers you DO NOT trust Playtex gloves for protection from electrical hazards. We have special insulating gloves with leather outers that OSHA requires to be tested at a certified lab and qualified every 6 months. Electrical PPE is no place to use DIY Hacks.
BTW,,,,,Outstanding job on the restoration.
Mate I'd rather lick a 1000v megger than touch mains power... you do know it's 1000v DC right?
Also all that stuff about the insulated gloves but one layer of electrical insulation tape is usually sufficient to insulate bare live conductor.
Not saying you're wrong though.
今みたいに気軽に使えるテスターがなかった頃はこんな危なっかしいテスターだったのか。
So happy you took the time to explain what it was and did, I had no idea! Thanks!
Nice restore on a classic piece of equipment!
Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦
The lightbulb limits the current depending on the wattage of the bulb. It's still not a modern safety standard but you won't get shocked like touching a 120V live wire without protection. The limited current shows when you touch the bare metal with your probes, no arcs whatsoever
Yes, and if you touch the two probes together it just lights the bulb, no horrer involved LOL
There were small sparks. Not 120V ones tho
E Very cool tester, I've never seen or heard of a "growler" before. E Thanks for another very cool video. E (The truth is out there...) E
Thank you for explaining how this worked at the end! Very interesting tool.
It is good to see that you put out another video. Was a bit worried you had stopped for good. I still enjoy watching your videos.
As an industrial electrician, I'm fascinated seeing this restoration.
We're trained on how to use these, but I haven't touched one since then. Usually the whole motor gets swapped out, as it's faster than rebuilding.
Suppose a motor rebuilder would have more use for one of these? Really cool either way.
It probably dates back to when shipping a motor took 6 months by boat, rebuilding a motor took a week or two and new, unelectrocuted apprentices where very... very cheap
A growler is something completely different here in the Uk
I see what you did there 😏
And something else again in NZ. Unless it means more than a pie in the UK....
This restoration reminds me of my favorite saying...
*"If it doesn't move, force it. If it breaks, it needed replaced anyways."*
You sir have a rare talent with your abilities and humor…very entertaining and I always learn something
If you could tolerate a modification for safety, you could reduce the windings on the armature to 1/4 of the original. Use a transformer on the input line to bring it down to 30 VAC from 120 VAC. It would produce the same magnitude of current in the windings and thus the same magnetic field to do the testing. 30 volts is considered the threshold of lethal voltage.
If you want the continuity tester more safe, replace the light bulb with a 12VAC bulb and add an internal transformer to step 110VAC to 12VAC. If you use an LED bulb (some car tail light LED bulbs don't work on AC, you'll have to test them. Easy way is to wire them up to 12VDC like a car battery and swap the polarity. It should light both ways) the 110V to 12V transformer can be rather small. You'll definitely want an AC and not DC to properly test.
Don't be afraid. This was made as a bench tool. The growler would have been bolted to a bench and the bench would have had two holes in it two store the probes. This is like using a soldering iron with a bench rest for the iron. Great video.
I have an 11 year old and 4 year old we all have been watching your videos for years. RUclips +smart TV. In my house, we refer to you as "smash face" due to your smashing of face into blast cabinet. Keep up the good work! Thoroughly enjoy your videos, and got a 3/8" driver and love it. Thanks again!
I used a growler years ago in a starter/Alternator rebuild shop. It's just as fast and safer to use a DVOM nowadays.
Google what a growler is in Australia..........................
Amazing restoration and thank you for the demonstration and explanation.
Nice project and great explanation of how one works. I agree with you that the probes presents a huge danger issue. You don't even accidently make a mistake...or it could be your last, especially since you use the probes with both hands therefore allowing the circuit path right across your heart! Thumbs Up!
The growlers I've seen had a neon bulb, instead of an incandescent. That way the current it needs to light up is much less, so there are some rather high value resistors in each handle. That limits the current to something painful but not lethal. There were probably neon bulbs with that base style, but they'd be hard to find today.
I agree that this continuity tester, as it now stands, is dangerous.
There are indeed neon bulbs with that base fitting. I can't remember where I've seen them but suspect it was in an industrial power control board for a factory.
This bring back a lot of memories from when I was an Apprentice “heavy vehicle technician” back in the 70’s, servicing 12v and 24v starter motors and dynamo’s on trucks. 🇬🇧
Respect. Taking on an antique electrical gadget is always going to be challenging. Well done. Paul, Scotland
I have never heard of these before and have no idea what they do. But I'm 100% down for spending 20 minutes seeing one get restored.
Good story, keep it up. When soldering, please allow 10 sec or so for the solder to solidify b4 moving the joint. Helps prevent cold solder connections.
I love your twisted sense of humor. And I also restore things but unfortunately I don't have a milling machine yet so I have to make do until then.
Time for another shop tour and an update on that Fairbanks power hammer and metal planer
You remind me so much of a mechanic from my first submarine. The guy's name was Anthony Signorella. Good guy.