Home / Series / Hand Tool Rescue / Aired Order / Season 1 / Episode 59

Rare Antique Ball Motor [Restoration]

This restoration is on a 1910s ball-shaped motor off of a medical vibrator. The "Cologne Vibrator" was made and sold by the F.S Betz Co. of Hammond, Indiana. F.S Betz Co. started in 1909 and was the world's largest supplier of medical equipment by time it was sold in 1937. Betz also produced cars and ran an airline for a short time. Oddly, there is not much information about this company on the internet. I hope to find the attachments that were powered by this motor: https://i.imgur.com/xOcZkJu.png. Taking this motor apart was a lot of fun since it was a giant puzzle. The moment I found this motor I wanted to know how it was put together inside and why it was designed in this shape. The motor housings were completely japanned and I did my best to recreate that look with modern finishes. I am hoping to have a large oven hooked up in my workshop so I can do some real japanning soon. The motor was actually in fairly decent condition for being over 100 years old and just needed some de-rusting and cleaning to get back on it's feet. A lot of parts were nickel-plated brass, so I took the chance to remove the nickel-plated where I thought it would look best. The motor now runs well with fresh grease, but spins very fast. I was surprised at how fast it was and I wish I had a tachometer to see the exact speed. I plan on keeping this motor so I can be reminded about finding the attachments to it.

English
  • Originally Aired June 6, 2019
  • Runtime 28 minutes
  • Network YouTube
  • Created August 14, 2020 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified August 14, 2020 by
    Administrator admin