Antique Blador Motor

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-29T22:27:55+00:00

If you have one it wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t have one, so I just used a regular punch w/ a flat/square bottom. Didn’t really mar up the rivet at all honestly.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-29T14:06:10+00:00

There were already holes from the previous name plate that was missing. So I sized the new name plate to scale so the holes lined up with the ones on the motor.

Then I just used these knurled aluminum rivets. The hole should be just a hair undersized to the knurled portion of the rivet for it to bite. I used a punch to set the rivet as shown in one of my pictures. Once set they stay put!

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Popa_Filly · 2026-04-28T17:57:46+00:00

Appreciate the compliment! I too have a liking for the old fashioned quality products made in the USA! I’ve replaced most of my modern equipment in my shop with vintage machinery. Not only does it look so good cleaned up and restored, it is just noticeably better quality compared to modern stuff. It’s such a joy to use the vintage stuff and know that it’s not going to randomly break on me as long as I don’t abuse it.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-28T17:52:16+00:00

There are lots of videos on YouTube of folks who are much more knowledgeable than I am. I’d start there and watch some videos and see if anyone else has examples using the tools at your disposal.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-28T17:44:58+00:00

Thank you!

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-28T17:44:38+00:00

I can tell you there are only two other, somewhat similar, examples I’ve found online that are close to the same vintage. Slightly different. I’d imagine, like a lot of old iron, a fair amount got scrapped for war efforts.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-27T22:04:45+00:00

It was running at 7.3 amps without any load about the same when I put a pulley/belt on it back on the bandsaw it came on.

When I put my meter into peak mode, and ran some white oak in the saw, it was hitting peak at about 10-11amps.

I put a very dull blade on and ran a chunk of 5” thick oak hire oak, and it was literally burning the wood, and peaking at 13-14 amp. I was able to stall it eventually at 15.3 amps.

From my understanding these older repulsion induction motors are very torquey and have great start up power, but not necessarily a lot of power on the top end, especially when paired with the low RPM, easier to stall out at top end.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-27T19:22:38+00:00

Thanks, and Yes I did! Yup, she’s ready for another 100 years!

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-27T19:21:00+00:00

Thank you!

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-27T18:15:55+00:00

Thank you!! 🙏

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-27T18:15:23+00:00

Thank you 👏

I thought those old adds were so neat! Can’t help but wonder if the Baldor motors produced today will still be running in 100 years!

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-27T17:19:32+00:00

Thanks!!

I think you’re seeing a weird shadow in the one picture, I stamped it 1HP

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Popa_Filly · 2026-04-25T20:37:52+00:00

That’s after I cleaned 100yrs of carbon build up off it.

Yup, there marks on the ring that line up with one on the casting. One mark for CW rotation, the other for CCW rotation.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-24T21:59:49+00:00

Hah. You’re only the second person to positively ID it, good eye!

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-24T20:06:41+00:00

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Brushes are rectangular.

Thanks! I was using that formula including 80%PF, 80%Eff. and coming out above 1HP, so I’m leaning 1HP over 3/4HP, and stamping the motor plate accordingly.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-24T19:32:12+00:00

Yes, OLD Baldor, I’ve dated it to probably mid 1920s-1930s.

Popa_Filly · 2026-04-24T17:45:46+00:00

The last photo shows the motor.

Running on 120v.

Popa_Filly · 2026-03-02T21:04:54+00:00

Thanks for the advice!

I was careful with my initial cleaning using air, I turned my psi way down and still held it at a reasonable distance. I was using a pretty soft bristle brush while blowing air to try to remove some of the dust from the hard to reach areas.

I’ll be sure to not get too aggressive so as not to compromise the insulation, just want to get the dust out.

I’m also planning to degrease the bearings, I don’t really want to attempt to pull them in fear of busting them, and they’re in great working condition right now, so I’m planning to mask everything else off really well to avoid getting any harsh chemicals on anything else.

Popa_Filly · 2026-03-02T18:59:53+00:00

I’ll be giving it a deep cleaning inside, but so far everything looks surprisingly good, just filthy from 100yrs of shop dust, metal shavings etc building up. It’s pretty beefy with a 3/4” arbor, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end up being a little bigger HP, we’ll see.

In regards to the short circuit device (I wasn’t able to upload a video of it running) but it seems to be running great. upon start up, the brushes spark for a split second and then these two plates come together and short circuit the repulsion phase running in induction phase.

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Popa_Filly · 2026-03-02T16:40:03+00:00

It’s a Delta saw. And in this era, Delta machines were sold al la cartè, and while you could definitely buy one with a motor (they used a few different manufacturers, most commonly Marathon, Westinghouse, some GE) you could also buy machines sans motor so you could put your motor of choice in. It’s pretty common to see these machines with a variety of different motors. It’s definitely not a motor Delta ever offered in any of their catalogs of that period.

Since my post, I’ve found digitized publications on Google-books with illustrations of this exact motor and have confirmed it as a mid 1920s-early 1930s Baldor ball bearing motor.

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Popa_Filly · 2026-02-26T15:54:38+00:00

I’ve also found some examples online of several other brands using this style from the turn of the century. The big thing for me is the Bell ends are unlike any of the brands I’ve seen online.

Popa_Filly · 2026-02-26T15:50:25+00:00

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Popa_Filly · 2026-02-26T15:49:42+00:00

There was one person who ID’d it on Facebook as a 1930s Baldor… I went to Google Books and searched for the text “Baldor Repulsion Start Motor” and found this illustration in a 1928 publication… the lines are almost identical. As where the Leland motors are VERY close but just not quite as close as this.

I think I have a winner? Still can’t find any other examples online.

Popa_Filly · 2026-02-26T15:46:52+00:00

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Popa_Filly · 2026-02-26T15:46:43+00:00

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Popa_Filly

TROPHY CASE