# Ghetto brushes for t-jet



## al_xv (Dec 10, 2007)

Ok, this may make some cry, but I've figured out how to make my own brushes for t-jet chassis and I'm sure this works for other chassis that have the little puck style brushes. 

I discovered this when I was trying to get some junker t-jet chassis going but didn't have enough little brushes to go around. So I started thinking of what could fit in the little holes as a good conductor... well I found that one of my favorite things works perfectly... Steel Wool!

Yes, I just grabbed some of the finest steel wool I could find around the house, wadded it up into a small ball about the puck size, flattened it a little to make it more puck like and dropped them into the brush holes. Sure enough they worked like a charm! 

I can't say I've done any analysis of the benefits or detriments of this method. The chassis I got running with this method were just as fast as the others t-jets. I assume there would be a bit more wear on the armature, although the steel wool does seem to keep them a little cleaner.

Try it out if you have an old junker. Just be sure the little ball(s) of steel wool are tight and there aren't any wishers hanging out (that could catch and pull the ball out). Also probably the cheapest brushes you can buy, considering you could get thousands out of 1 steel wool bail.


----------



## Gear Head (Mar 22, 2005)

Uh...I'm speechless


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

some people have been using steel wool in conjunction with pick up shoe springs in place of copper/carbon brushes for a long, long time. many that do use a light lubricant to ease wear on the comm plate.


----------



## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*Interesting...*

I will keep this in mind..


----------



## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

If it does not damage the com plate I think you have something going for this fix, I would guess your going to see some com plate damage, and brushes are cheaper than arms for most of us, but you also get some arm damage from normal brushes, so it may be a wash. I would think something like 0000 might work if it did not break up too much, any idea what grade you used, it would be either of the following grades, (fine to coarse) 0000, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, & 3.

Boosted


----------



## al_xv (Dec 10, 2007)

Yeah, I only tried this because I had a couple chassis that were abused and had some damage, plus I had 5+ armatures in addition to those in the junk chassis, so I wasn't too worried about doing damage. really just curious if those chassis would run again.

Upon closer inspection, comparing the brushes I made to the steel wool I have on hand, It actually looks like I used #1.



> some people have been using steel wool in conjunction with pick up shoe springs in place of copper/carbon brushes for a long, long time. many that do use a light lubricant to ease wear on the comm plate.


Good to know that I'm not too far out there, also sad to know I'm not too far out there.  I did use a little extra oil on this since it hadn't been run in who knows how long.

The armature does look worn, but it was worn to start with, so I can't say how much damage it is really doing. Maybe I need to take one of my extras that's in decent shape and run that for a while to see what happens.


----------



## Mexkilbee (Apr 17, 2008)

My local hardware store has 000 copper wool. So I had heard pankcake dragracers used this instead of com brushes. So I bought some tubing & a solid rod the size of the com brush @ the hobbie shop and wadded up some copper wool and stuffed it and packed it down in the tube on a flat surfface making 1/8"? bushes out of it. T-Jet did scream, but it did not last long. the com of the arm that is. You may get many passes down a strip with it, but two minute heats chewed it up. 
For not knowing this thou and having to come up with something on our own, with what you had @ the time... good job of Maguyverism


----------



## tabcomary (Jun 2, 2010)

In my last venture into slot cars, when there was no internet, and no local parts suppliers, I started using pieces of "lead" (graphite) from a drafting pencil, trimmed to fit in the brush hold sideways. They were very dirty, but they would run for a while. It was better than no running at all!


----------



## Sir Slotsalot (Jan 23, 2010)

Just curious, is the average price of a pair of T-Jet brushes really expensive even if you buy in bulk?


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

about a dollar (US) apiece bulk. $2 a pair. not sure about retail.


----------



## tjetsgrig (Nov 1, 2009)

Yes, will wear comm! I use pickup springs stuffed with silver shunt wire for drag racing, along with some oil as Al stated. Comm wear is relative to rpm.....the more you get, the more they wear!


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Oh the horror!*



Sir Slotsalot said:


> Just curious, is the average price of a pair of T-Jet brushes really expensive even if you buy in bulk?


 <This was my second thought...

...my first thought was that unless your a bonafide slotcar drag racer, steel wool is absolutely the worst thing to have around slot cars as it is conductive, magnetic, highly abrasive AND has a natural propensity to flame out or become dis-incorporated under duress.

In a sane world the brushes in a motor are to be considered the normal wear item... NOT the armature!


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Bill, some of the armatures I have are only going to last about 10 passes anyway. might as well get the most they have to offer before they let the smoke out. 
LOL !


----------



## Sir Slotsalot (Jan 23, 2010)

I agree Bill, I would not allow even talking about steel wool near my track. Yikes!!! Now in the kitchen, that big copper bottom kettle could use a few passes. LOL!!


----------



## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Back before the net,and parts were harder to get,we used to fill the ends of the stock springs in a Tyco with silver solder,and then stretch the spring.
Wouldn't reconmend it though,as it was hard on parts,and it was only a stop gap method to keep the cars running with no parts


----------



## HadaSlot (Oct 22, 2007)

Another thought, my friend Howard Kilgore once told me was the lubricant factor. It is the non-coonductive lubricant used in old tv's. A radio shack item. He would then just stretch out the springs and glue them so that they don't corkscrew back out along with teflon lubricant it was full current flow racer. Now, let me tell you that he would never do this to any of his thousands of pristine TJets. I try to keep steel wool out of the room like car painters hate silicone. Gold chunks from an ex-wifes wedding band could become very useful.......Hmmm. Oh wait, for my 'Jets


----------



## slotking (May 27, 2008)

as kid, with no money, lost a brush, then found I could use the shoe springs, and use the case sponge for the shoe springs

I was competing with old men(30, 40 & 50s), must have been pro sandusky type of guys playing with toy cars!! LOL the old where re-winding arms and i was just as fast!
i would oil the car, and place tape on the bottom of the car! never had a problem


----------

