[Jewelry making - Article 00246] - Re: [Orchid] Techno X handpiece problems

[Peter W . Rowe]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

>>         Opening and closing the collet on the techno while it's still
>>     rotating shouldn't hurt anything internally,  since it doesn't
>>     cause anything to generate friction. 

>     Some time back, I made the same claim on Orchid about the Techno X
>     (which I've used for years). A couple of posters shot back that
>     despite the frictionless innards, metal dust could/will get into
>     the mechanism and mess up the works. They insisted that it was a
>     bad idea to allow the handpiece to run while changing burs, for
>     instance. YMMV.

    there are not spots on the Techno, or it's recent copies, open to
    dust, grindings, etc, while the collet is loosened to remove a bur,
    that are not pretty much equally open to the stuff when the collet is
    closed. 

    Opening the collet does not expose  the innards to dust. It pushes
    the center shaft forward, lifting the collet out of it's tapered
    "socket", so the jaws open.  This increases the space around the
    collet into which dust could get. But dust can already get into those
    spaces with the collet closed, via the slots between the collet jaws.
     Plus, the collet does not rotate within that socket. The two parts
    rotate together.  There will be little opportunity for friction and
    wear between those parts or other internal parts they connect to,
    again because they rotate together as one assembly. 

    The parts of the Techno style handpiece that are prone to wear are
    the ball bearings, which are sealed, but as with all bearings, will
    wear and eventually will need replacing.  The symptoms of that are
    noisy bearings, vibration, and side to side play, which is with the
    collet tightly gripping a bur, you can move the bur side to side,
    along with the whole collet assembly.  That indicates wear in the
    bearings themselves.  The wear comes simply from use, and is not
    affected by whether the collet is open or closed. 

    Also, the collet jaws themselves wear from friction with the burr
    shanks, especially if the collet is not adjusted to grip tight
    enough, allowing the burs to slip in the collet. And the outside of
    the collet also can wear down, letting it pull further into the
    taper. The collet, like the bearings, are replaceable. 

    While less mechanically inclined users might want to have worn
    bearings replaced by service people, it's not actually all that hard
    to do.  The Techno style handpieces are a lot easier to disassemble
    (enough to replace bearings, at least), than, say, the Faro style. 
    In fact, the main long term problems I've had is that after a number
    of replacements of the bearings, the aluminum housing,  which is the
    outer red and silver colored casings of the handpiece, can become
    worn inside so the bearings no longer fit quite as tightly when you
    replace them.  Makes the handpiece rattle some.  The other main
    problem I've had with these is the annoying habit of the little screw
    that holds the quick change lever in place, to loosen up.  fixable
    with a little Lok tight, but that is a debatable fix, since the screw
    hole itself is also the means by which one lubes the handpiece... 

    By the way, if you're looking for Techno style handpieces, you'll
    find two versions now available.  The Swiss copy, called the
    Technique (at least on the 46rei and Borel web site), which is quite
    similar to the Techno other than a changed lever, and an American
    made style which I found on the Contenti web site.  That one differs
    with also a different lever style, but also in that it's colored
    blue, not red.  It costs a little less, and they did a few bright
    things in designing it.  Of particular note, that little set screw
    down inside the collet that needs to be adjusted to change the collet
    adjustment, is not a slotted screw as with the Swiss style or
    original Techno, but uses a standard hex wrench.  That seems a good
    idea to me, as it's a lot easer to both fit that wrench down in
    there, as well as getting that always stubborn screw to turn without
    stripping the screw, and also to find replacement wrenches when the
    supplied one goes missing (the Techno screwdriver has a nasty habit,
    on my bench, of doing just that)  But it seems to me that the overall
    fit and finish of the manufacturing on the American made version is
    not up to the same standards as the Swiss.  Just my opinion, but
    there it is.  It seems a bit noisier, and again, that pesky screw
    that holds the change lever (also a hex socket screw, which THIS time
    I'd have preferred to be still a slotted screw) is even more prone to
    getting loose than the one on the original Techno. 

    One note, if you've got the original TechnoX,  is that according to
    the Frei and Borel catalog, bearings and collets for the new Swiss
    Technique handpiece will still fit the old TechnoX handpieces.  Other
    parts are not interchangeable.  I don't know if the American made
    handpiece also uses bearings, collets, or parts that would fit the
    other versions, but would expect that it would not. 

Peter Rowe

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________