Help, please: old gravermeister advice

Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
98
Location
pittsburgh pa
You did just fine. Thanks for the good pictures.
Your pictures and info are sure to be a help to other GM owners.
Gravermeister is a great, basic machine.
john I took pics of every step of the procedure except putting it back together. I didn't know if there would be a following for this. I would be happy to post a how to fix your gm. when aventuraal [I hope I spelled that correct] said it wasn't that hard to do. he wasn't kidding. I believe a curious child could do the hard stuff with very little help. aaa, the wiring might be a little harder only because of the limited space for your hands. lol but then again, they have little hands. lol maybe that's an old man problem. especially one that doesn't have a left wrist. I lost mine one day and haven't been able to find it for years lol. but seriously if it would be helpful, I would be more than happy to post. I would actually feel honored to pay it forward for the help I have received. here are the before pics 20211211_194749.jpg 20211211_194757_resized_1 - Copy.jpg 20211211_194757_resized_4.jpg 20211211_194810_resized_2.jpg
 
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
98
Location
pittsburgh pa
these are the after pics. please if I am gumming up the site by posting so many of these pics, just tell me to stop. I took all these pics just in case I ran into someone that didn't believe I checked it out top to bottom. correction, I didn't regrease the bearings for the arbor but in my defense, I didn't see any wear and I was a little nervous they might go all over the floor and then I would be tossing it out. when I didn't see any signs that there was a gast pump spinning inside that housing, it made absolutely no sense at all to chance it. 20211220_012306_resized.jpg 20211220_012255_resized.jpg 20211220_012219_resized.jpg 20211220_012151_resized.jpg
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
98
Location
pittsburgh pa
Good job! I used my GM for 30 years.
thank you samw and john but I'm not sure the congrates are in order at this point. I wish I knew more about how this is supposed to work. the only thing I do know is it isn't supposed to work like it is now. is that because I am trying to mickey mouse a hand piece for it. is it because I tightened down the head bolts wrong? is it because I monkeyed with the second muffler, and it said right in the manual in caps DONT MONKEY WITH THIS lol. only God knows at this point. the only thing I know is I have to walk away from it for a day or two. if anyone out there in engravers world knows what the torque specs are for the head bolts that might be a good place to start. I assume by the size of the bolts that they are around 30ft pounds. yeah, assume I'm sure everyone knows what that stands for. that has absolutely no Bering on anyone but me. again, I could not be more thankful for the tips I got from a few good men/women? I am going to rip it back down and make sure I didn't cause any harm in that pump. if anyone is checking this out to make a purchase, I'm sorry but at this point it is not, and might never go up for sale.
 

John B.

Lifetime Pledge Member
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Nov 9, 2006
Messages
3,950
Location
Los Angeles area, California.
Tortlieb. it would be a help if you put your general location in your Cafe bio.
Might be someone in your area who has experience with the MG and could tell you if it's running right.
Maybe they have an original handpiece to hook up for a test of your machine.
Just a thought.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
98
Location
pittsburgh pa
thanks john. I just updated my bio, but I am sure I should go back and update it more. for the record I'm from Pittsburgh, pa. I am on the gast site trying to find some more info on the pump now. it looks like I have found some useful info from there. the vanes should be replaced when they are shorter than 5/8 of an inch. mine are way over an inch so I should be good there. the head bolts are to be tightened to 28-to-36-foot pounds. I was trying am old hand piece I had gotten from the old gravermax how these are the old hand pieces that still have the drill bit type holder for the gravers. they work but they are nothing like the convenance of the qc holders. I have them in reverse, but the piston was to light and just shock all the time. I tried a different old hand piece with a heavier piston, but the same thing happened. now when I put a graver in it there was absolutely not enough power to the hand piece and the new throttle peddle did nothing when pressed. I'm not sure I explained that correctly. the hand piece piston was moving but it was not striking with any force I am going to go back at it and try to reverse the desperate attempts I made the other day. I was doing things I knew I shouldn't be but the more upset I got the more irrational things I did. yikes. who knows where this will lead, if nothing else I have met a lot of good people, that might be priceless? I probably have $200=$250 into it at this point for filters, new hoses, throttle pedal, oil jar and the belt kit. at some time, I am going to have to call it quits. I mean it makes no sense to me to through money into a new hand piece and send it to grs to be tuned up and not get enough out of it to pay for the rebuild. like I have said before the original cost of it I forgot about long ago, but don't I wish a few years ago I would have said to myself hey dummy you have an old engraver in the basement. stop spending money on new old stuff. if I could sell after thought I would be a rich old man lol. yikes, it might be better to call it now. aaa I can't do that just yet. well, wish me luck and again thank you all for being good people
 

Latest posts

Sponsors

Top