electric pencil sharpener on the fritz. How to fix?

David Combs

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Sep 26, 2012, 7:25:52 PM9/26/12

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I have this old (good old) Hunt-Boston pencil sharpener,
in the old style (like the original panasonic ones of decades
or a half-century ago): 8" long, 3.5" wide and tall.

Usual mechanism: three spiral-grooved cutting cylinders,
the whole mechanism rotating (planetary gears?) when
sharpening.

Well, last night the thing stopped. I slip the pencil
into the hold, motor starts (somewhat higher pitched than
usual) but mechanism does not rotate. When pencil tip
reaches far end, it hits something spinning, and maybe
sharpens (that is what it sounds like) that tiny 1/8th
or 1/16th of the pencil. MAYBE. Or maybe I'm just
imagining it.

Anyway, I hit the thing (the sharpener) with the heel
of my hand, and it started working -- for two seconds,
then returned to the motor-going but no planetary rotation.

QUESTION: No, I do not want to throw it away. Especially
if it's just a broken pencil-lead stuck in the gears
somewhere.

Any ideas?

THANKS!

David

The Ghost In The Machine

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Sep 26, 2012, 8:40:33 PM9/26/12

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DONATE IT TO YOUR LOCAL MUSEUM.
TGITM

hr(bob) hofmann@att.net

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Sep 26, 2012, 8:46:48 PM9/26/12

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If the motor is running, then you have a slipped or stripped gears
somewhere. You will have to figure out how to take it apart!!!

Fat-Dumb and Happy

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Sep 26, 2012, 9:49:05 PM9/26/12

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David Combs wrote:

>
>
>
>

I use the bench grinder to sharpen pencils.

Stormin Mormon

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Sep 26, 2012, 10:29:08 PM9/26/12

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High pitch motor likely indicates less load --- stripped gear, or something
broken. Look for 4 or so phillips screws on the bottom, and take it apart.
What is there to lose?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"David Combs" <dkc...@panix.com> wrote in message
news:k402u0$ico$1...@panix3.panix.com...

willshak

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Sep 27, 2012, 9:24:44 AM9/27/12

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Fat-Dumb and Happy wrote the following on 9/26/2012 9:49 PM (ET):
> David Combs wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> I use the bench grinder to sharpen pencils.

I do too, but only for carpenter's pencils. There's less waste and
breakage than with a knife. I use a crank operated pencil sharpener for
regular round or hexagon wooden pencils.

--
Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeros after @

Joe

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Sep 27, 2012, 1:38:26 PM9/27/12

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On Sep 26, 6:25 pm, dkco...@panix.com (David Combs) wrote:

> snip<

Sounds like the death knell to me. Check out prices on new sharpeners
before doing more than satisfy your curiousity about cause of demise.

Meanwhile use a block plane on your carpenter pencils. Hold the pane
in the palm of your hand upside down and drag the pencil over the
blade cutting 4 neat sides, then trim the four corners to get a
precise octagonal point. Technique passed on by a 60 year member of
the carpenters union. With his skills and the wage he was paid it was
wise to pay attention to all the slick tricks he used for better
quality and saving time.

Joe

Bob F

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Sep 27, 2012, 8:26:23 PM9/27/12

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Take it apart and look at it. What's wrong?

David Combs

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Oct 3, 2012, 1:00:32 AM10/3/12

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OK, will do. As someone said, what's there to lose?

Also, thanks for the shop-tricks for sharpening
pencils, esp carpenter's pencils.

David