[Vwdiesel] The demise of the brush

[Val Christian]

Just like the glass 1qt oil container, with the tin spout, it's 
getting harder to find brushes.  The local parts places, which used to
have a modest selection, now have virutally no brushes in stock.

This makes starter or altenator partial rebuilds virtually impossible.

Not only that, but electric tools [acknowledgement of loose VWdiesel
coupling] are getting harder and harder to service.  Last I tried,
DeWalt wouldn't sell me brushes, saying that they were not a consumer
replacable item.  The local outlet would replace them for me, but it 
would cost about $60.

My primary source for brushes is altenator and starter rebuild houses, 
and there are two OK ones in the area.  One run by a young guy in a 
tough part of the city is priced very reasonable.  About $1/brush.
The other surburban one, sees allot of automotive work, and has a
4 bay shop.  Different kind of operation.  They like $5 to $10/brush,
probably figuring that they have you over the barrell.

There's an opportunity for "Brushes by Mail", a new internet site.
One can browse through brush selections, and sort by brush type, 
dimension, leads, material, and yes, even application.  Brushes at
$0.50 to $5.00 each, and a $3.00/order shipping charge.

My "friends" say that I dream too much.

Val