453 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

I was just going to post the same link Mike. My buddy Rodney and I both build a lot of vintage cars we both stepped up and bought one of the Carlisle magnetizers and not just for Pittman type motors. Vintage Champion and Mura can motors need zapping too.

 

Alan one of these would really complement your CNC machines. Once you have one you'll wonder how you got along without it. 

[MSwiss]

I tried the zapper in post #368 , and it "works".
 
When you hit the white button, it hums like mad, will rotate an arm in a motor to a different position, and was able to easily reverse the polarity of the ceramic mags in a Falcon II motor, back and forth, twice (4 zaps).
 

[Alan Draht]

Thanks Mike and Rick!!  

 

I knew posting photos of a Neo magnet in a replica of Gene Husting's dragster would draw attention and allow me to start a conversation about re-magnetizing Alnico magnets for vintage slot car projects.

 

Problem solved.  

 

I followed the link...  https://e-slotcar.co...zapper-csp-cmz/

 

PCH has brand new Carlisle magnetizers in stock, and I'm embarrassed because I gave up looking for these things a long time ago, just assumed that they were still virtually non-existent.

 

So, I grabbed one and can't wait to receive it.  It's actually more compact in size than I thought it would be.  Awesome.

 

I can build more motors for my "Re-creating Howie's rocketship" project using original Alnico magnets.

 

This has been a very productive conversation.  

[Alan Draht]

Rick,

 

What kind or brand of gauss meter do you recommend, like the one in your photos?

[Alan Draht]

To be clear, I'd like to build my own versions (not copies) of each of the dragsters in Rod & Custom's "Fuel Top Eliminator Division -- 36 volts":  Modified Roadster, Competition Coupe, Dragster, and maybe but doubtful, the Unlimited class.

 

The next magwinder I plan to build is a replica of Manuel Maldonado R&C "Car of the Meet" dragster (it looks almost identical to the one Manuel's buddy, Chuck Blaney, built for the 1966 R&C drag race meet, pictured in the "Dragster" class in the R&C drag race rules posted below.

 

Until I learned today that a good slot car motor magnet zapper is actually obtainable, I was doubtful about proceeding with any magwinder projects beyond the one replicating Maldonado's dragster.

 

This is all good.  

Attached Images

• 

[dc-65x]

I'm glad you got the remagnetizer Alan. Now you can build the kind of cars you want. You'll wonder how you ever got along without one!

 

I like the Wright Way magnet matcher:

 

 

For can motors you simply set the magnet in the designated area on the unit and get consistent repeatable gaus readings. There are lots of commercial gauss meters but not with this feature:

 

 

There is also a probe for the older motors. I move the probe around and find the highest reading and mark the location with a Sharpie:

 

 

That way I can return to the same spot and see exactly the improvement after zapping:

 

 

I can't find this unit for sale now. Maybe you can contact Wright Way through their Face Book page:

 

https://www.facebook...ghtWayProducts/

 

 

[Alan Draht]

Hi Rick,

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

I don't do Facebook, but I did Google "Wright Way ceramic magnet matcher" and found this one link, although like you said, most slot car sources say this item is "out of stock":

 

https://www.toycarci...og.php?item=889

 

This is not an inexpensive piece of diagnostic equipment.

 

The Carlisle magnet zapper is a "must have" tool for my future scratch-building projects.  The gauss meter will have to wait.

[Alan Draht]

In post #368, second photo from the top, I assume that the Ram 850 motor could have been rotated 90 degrees between the Carlisle zapper's jaws, with the armature shaft oriented vertically (after cutting the shaft's ends down in length a bit to provide clearance), with the same results in terms of the magnetometer's "before" and "after" readings.

[dc-65x]

Yes, I would simply rotate 90 degrees as you suggest and zap away. This is another plus for having a digital unit to measure a before and after gauss reading. No wondering.....no guessing. 

[MSwiss]

Hi Alan,
Have you had any luck with your new zapper?

Both Mark Mattei and Chuck Gambo came by last Thursday, and after a few poor runs with his "fast"(1.10 @ 55 mph) rail, and admitting he switched the magnet, to what he hoped was a better one, we used Chuck's vintage Trik Trax gaussmeter, to figure out polarities of the motor, and the zapper, and was able to zap the motors in that car, and another that has never run well, without disassembling them at all.

We also zapped a separate padlock mag of Chuck's.

In all cases, the #'s went up noticeably.

The index card shows the info we jotted down.

It's pretty jibberishy, but starting #'s are on the left.

The performance of both cars went up noticeably.

[Alan Draht]

Hi Mike,

 

I haven't received my order of the Carlisle magnet zapper yet.

 

The order was placed on July 5th.  I was thinking it was in stock and ready to ship.

 

The last time I enquired, July 15th, PCH said, "We are making a new one up for you now... it should be done very soon."

 

That's when I came to realize each unit is fabricated/ assembled after the order is received, i.e. the Carlisle magnet zapper is "special order".

 

When done, all 50 lbs. of it has to ship from Carlisle, PA to PCH in Ventura, CA, and then back across the country to my place in Chicago, IL.  

 

I disassembled my Husting replica to airbrush another clear coat on the body.  I've left it disassembled while waiting for the zapper to be delivered.

 

I don't consider the Husting replica dragster project to be complete until the Ram motor's original Alnico magnet is re-magnetized by the Carlisle zapper to full strength.

[Alan Draht]

Meanwhile, I have begun working on my next project, replicating Manual Maldonado's 1966 Rod & Custom "Car of the Meet", a Fuel Top Eliminator dragster.

 

Work has started on the magnesium side rails.

 

I will begin a new build thread devoted to replicating this classic magwinder from the golden age of slot car drag racing.  

 

 

[MSwiss]

Hi Mike,
 
I haven't received my order of the Carlisle magnet zapper yet.
 
The order was placed on July 5th.  I was thinking it was in stock and ready to ship.
 
The last time I enquired, July 15th, PCH said, "We are making a new one up for you now... it should be done very soon."
 
That's when I came to realize each unit is fabricated/ assembled after the order is received, i.e. the Carlisle magnet zapper is "special order".
 
When done, all 50 lbs. of it has to ship from Carlisle, PA to PCH in Ventura, CA, and then back across the country to my place in Chicago, IL.  
 
I disassembled my Husting replica to airbrush another clear coat on the body.  I've left it disassembled while waiting for the zapper to be delivered.
 
I don't consider the Husting replica dragster project to be complete until the Ram motor's original Alnico magnet is re-magnetized by the Carlisle zapper to full strength.

My post demonstrated Mark Mattei's vintage zapper will do the same thing as the Carlisle.

PM sent.

[MSwiss]

I got to see this baby in person, on Sunday, ccx as Alan came by to zap the motor, and spend quite a bit of time on the Fiedler Flat track.

[Dave Crevie]

Did he make a run?

[MSwiss]

No, he did not.

I would of mentioned it, if he did.

The picture doesn't show it, but the back of the car is partially disassembled.

He might be back, this week, during the day, to make some passes.

I was pretty distracted, running the wing races, so we didn't talk that much.

We did discuss the prospects of the the vintage style, airplane rubber, working.

Freshly cut, I think it might.

What we did not discuss, is looking at the vintage pickup system, I'm a bit skeptical it will work at any really fast speeds.

My assessment is based on watching Mark Mattei's car struggling for contact, on 50+ mph passes.

[don.siegel]

I used mostly German rubber (recently cut or recut) at the proxy races in Florida and they seemed to hook up pretty well. Didn't compare to more modern rubber however. 

 

Don 

[MSwiss]

Regular drag racers characterize the traction level on my track as very, very high, with a good portion of them, saying it's the highest they've seen.

The same mega traction is why optimal tire width is so important, to getting good contact.

[Dave Crevie]

If Alan exactly reproduced the pick-up and braids/stranded brushes of the Husting original, it should handle the speeds. It did back then, and the

braids are far better than what we used. I usually used Cox guides, and I don't remember any breaking. Remember, these cars are not turning corners,

all the force is in a straight line. 

 

The German rubber used in Grumbacher flying model aircraft is what most guys used. But if you are not a stickler for originality, I have found the JK

soft natural donuts to be very good on your strip. And I have been turning some pretty respectable times.  

[MSwiss]

The bit I handled the car, the blade didn't seem very long, or more importantly, deep.

As far as the stranded braid, part of that is unfamiliarity.

Maybe it's superior, and something to emulate for modern cars.

[Dave Crevie]

Stranded braid burns up in a hurry. But I think everyone changed braid after each run. Certainly not good for road cars. I stuck with the silver braid longer

than most guys, combed out with a small wire brush. But that stuff was really stiff. Modern braid is so much better.

[TSR]

 

The German rubber used in Grumbacher flying model aircraft is what most guys used.

 

I am sure that you meant "Graupner" Rekord Elastic tires... Grumbacher is in the business of artist oil paint. 

[Phil Smith]

Philippe, you may have missed this thread: http://slotblog.net/...og-founder-pdl/

[Alan Draht]

I had a great time that Sunday at Mike's track.  I must have been there for about six hours, all that time on the flat track since the king was in use for wing car races.

 

I ran my two re-creations of Howie Ursaner's "rocketship", a Can Am and a F1 car.  They were the first cars I put down on the track that day.  I thought they handled pretty good, but straight line speed was lacking.  More on that later.

[Alan Draht]

I also brought the Husting dragster replica and with Mike's help, zapped the Ram motor's stock magnet.

 

I had brought a gauss meter and probe with me to the track for this occasion.  I measured the "before" and "after" readings of the magnet and there was significant improvement as a result of re-magnetizing the 55 year old Alnico magnet.

 

I was disappointed, however, that the re-magnetized stock magnet wasn't nearly as strong as the Neo magnet I took out of the motor a week earlier in preparation for my Sunday visit to Mike's facility.