Non functioning CP air tools

W

wrndln

Well-known member
I bought a couple pneumatic air tools about 25 years ago - a CP D/A sander and CP dual piston inline sander. Both were fairly expensive. Anyway, I have been doing all the sanding by hand and the quality has been very good, but quite time consuming. I thought I would break out the air tools and see if they would reduce the work for an old man. Neither tool will work. I took them to a local body shop to see if they could get them to work. They had no luck either. They thought the pistons inside the tools were probably rusted and frozen. They weren't sure what the best product to use to squirt in the air inlet to hopefully free up the pistons. I thought there was enough lub from the factory to protect the pistons, but it probably dried out over the years. If anyone has had this problem before or has a helpful suggestion, please post a response.
Rusty Nelson
 

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Your supposed to put a couple drops of oil in any air tool each time it is used.. do we all do that ? NO. Lol

Marvel mystery oil MMO or trans fluid ATF can be used...

Make sure you have a good inline filter from your air supply to keep water out of the tools..
 
Mitch//pa said:
Your supposed to put a couple drops of oil in any air tool each time it is used.. do we all do that ? NO. Lol

Marvel mystery oil MMO or trans fluid ATF can be used...

Make sure you have a good inline filter from your air supply to keep water out of the tools..
Click to expand...

X2

I used to take my CP air tools apart to clean and check them every few years. Your sander probably has an air vane motor, and maybe the air vanes are stuck in the slots from light corrosion or someone using the wrong oil to lube.
 
Like Tom says, take them apart and see what's wrong, you aren't out anything because they aren't working now!
 
Blaster has a product called Air Tool Conditioner. You can look it up at www.BlasterCorp.com I have used it and it has done a good job for me more times than not. It can be fun watching a discarded tool come back to life stronger than it was when new.
Tom
 
MMO makes the air smell good too. :p

I have a CP 1/2" drive impact and a 3/8" drive butterfly that I have had since ~1975. Both still work, they got a squirt of MMO before and after every use.

Try lubing them up and if that doesn't work as others have suggested, take them apart and clean them.

Side note; Has anyone noticed that you can no longer 'delete' a post?
 
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Body tools never get oiled much because the last place you need oil mist is around bodywork.Take them apart,clean them up,and give them a try.That straight line sander will give you fits putting it back together though.Mine has some kind of two piston rack affair that has to be assembled in just the right order,or it won't work.That DA is a smooth one,I have one like that I bought in the 70's.The OEM pad for it was horrible,and the Harbor Freight ones are worse.It wasn't until I bought an expensive pad that I realized how smooth that tool could be.The drawback to that tool is the trigger on the back.I tend to lay the tool on it's back on my lap to change paper.It lights off and the little eccentric weight behind the pad will beat my fingers up pretty good.I just forget I'm not using the one with the front mounted trigger.
 
Y-Blockhead said:
MMO makes the air smell good too. :p

I have a CP 1/2" drive impact and a 3/8" drive butterfly that I have had since ~1975. Both still work, them got a squirt of MMO before and after every use.

Try lubing them up and if that doesn't work as others have suggested, take them apart and clean them.

Side note; Has anyone noticed that you can no longer 'delete' a post?
Click to expand...


http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214032

And you cant edit a post thats more than a couple days old
 
MMO down the air hole with the trigger pulled, hold it open with a tie or something. Leave it sit overnight with the air hole up, next day manual try and move the head back and forth.
You may have to do this several times, it's kind a like freeing a stuck model "a" motor !
 
Most air tools are very simple inside and with some cleaning and lube most will come back to life. Years ago picked up an 3/8" air drill at Menards that was in a bin for $5.00. Took a chance and the air inlet valve was assembled incorrectly. Put it back together correctly and works great. My old air powered orbital sander quit working. Took it apart and cleaned and relubed it and sanded the entire Model A before painting. It is also stillo working. Just remember to oil every time you use them. Have a number of air nailers and staplers that are probably close to 20 years old and they all work fine.
 
Bondo is your friend. Hand sanding is a waste of time. Metal work is for dinosaurs. :D:D:D

Edit, AND CP tools are the best.
 
Marvel Mystery Oil, use 10 drops daily.

Lubrication and clean dry air is the life of an air tool. Still using a DA sander, CP air wrench, a a str line sander, and a CP grinder that I bought back in the mid 1960's when I got into Collision repair at a Pontiac Dealer, The dealer is now gone but my air tools still work just fine.
 
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DeeGee said:
Bondo is your friend. Hand sanding is a waste of time. Metal work is for dinosaurs. :D:D:D

Personally, I enjoy working metal. For me, using the least Bondo and fillers, the better. Several of my cars are so rare, that I have to make all of their metal parts from scratch, and often that is a real challenge, and the most fun part of restoration. Building new brake drums: I made a pattern, new Ductile iron casting poured, machined, and installed. I do a lot of sheet metal work too.
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