How to clean an electric motor rotor commutator without a lathe

Graphite brushes rub against the electric motor rotor commutator, so it gradually wears out and becomes covered with soot. As a result, the contact on the lamellas deteriorates and sparking appears. To remove it, as well as to carry out prevention, it is necessary to periodically clean the collector.

Tools:

sandpaper P1000 and P2000;
needle file;
paste GOI;
felt attachment for drill;
needle;
metal brush.

Collector cleaning process

The rotor must be dismantled and the bearings removed from it for ease of operation. The first step is to restore the plane of the lamellas. This is usually done on a lathe, but at home everything is done manually with P1000 sandpaper.

Ideally, lay it on a thin block so that only the convexities of the lamellas can be sanded. In this case, wear is minimal, so it is enough to rub them without a lining to remove micro-irregularities.
Next you need to chamfer the sharp edges of the lamellas. To do this, you need to draw a corner of a file between them a couple of times. The tool is guided in a smooth motion from the winding to the edge of the rotor.

After chamfering, the rotor is clamped in a drill, and the lamellas are polished with P2000 sandpaper.

Then their surface is brought to perfection using a felt wheel with GOI paste.

Finally, you need to remove metal dust between the lamellas by cleaning the gaps with a needle. Then you need to brush off its remnants with a soft wire brush.