[Vwdiesel] The demise of the brush

[Shawn Wright]

On 15 Jan 2006 at 8:36, Val Christian <val at mongobird.com> wrote:

> 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.

Funny, my cheap, Chinese made angle grinder came with a spare set of brushes. But I have 
several US made tools that I haven't been able to find brushes for... at least at a decent price.

How's this for a start, seems like mostly bigger stuff though:

http://www.helwigcarbon.com/order_online/index.cfm


Shawn Wright
http://members.shaw.ca/vwdiesels
'88 Westy 1.6TD 5 speed
'82 Diesel Westy 1.6NA
'85 Jetta Diesel 1.6NA