I couldn’t find anything in a forum search, but just wondering if anyone has done it?
Thinking I can tape the holes, spray it, and then brush spray paint around and over the holes.
It really clashes with my black and blue build.
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Not that I am recommending this…
I’ve seen carpenters just spraypaint their tools, holes and all, so that they knew which ones were theirs on a jobsite. How much it affects the longevity of the tools, I can’t say. Jobsites can be hard on the things no matter what.
Some paints contain solvents. I’d say to test with a cotton swab on an inconspicuous area if you’re not sure…
Or… Go buy a Makita. 
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If you’re going to that much trouble why not partly take it apart before you paint it? You’ll get a better paint job.
AvE has taken a bunch of DeWalt tool apart and they’re well made and if you do t go crazy like him you should be able to put it back together after you paint it. Just take pics along the way for reference and keep all the parts organized and labeled.
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I don’t think a little paint in the holes is going to hurt it. They are built pretty tough. But the case is also easy to remove.
@jeffeb3 I wouldn’t want to get paint in the screws. To me it just looks awful. And if you have to open the case it makes things a pain. But that’s my opinion based on dealing with screws covered in pain.
Plus I’ve learned taking a few extra min for prep makes things look so much nicer.
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Good to know thank you. Couldn’t find any videos on disassembly so just knowing it is in the realm of possible I will give it a go.
Definitely agree. And the look is more important than time and trouble… at least until she starts gettin’ dirty.
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Use a hot glue gun to put some glue over the screws. Then after you paint them, you can use something pointy to pull the hot glue out.
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Ok so lesson learned here I wanted to post before I forget about this thread… when you go to put the assembly back together, pop out the magnets. They have a spring on them which will push the magnet in, and they will catch. Then when you screw on the piece it will snap the plastic magnet holder…
Going to get jb weld now…
Magnets or motor brushes?
Square carbon dust shedding blocks with slight curves on the ends. Blue wires coming out of them. Held against the spinning shaft with a cheap coiled spring. Held in place and semi square by a square tunnel made out of very very brittle plastic.
I know I messed up, and it is assumed that anyone opening this would know what they are doing, but would have been nice if this piece were a little more durable.
I’ve almost got it fixed. Round two of the epoxy dabbing is curing now.
Motor brushes.
Interesting name for solid blocks. I would have called them motor rubs or rubbers, but I guess on bigger motors they must have flexible fingers to maintain contact.
Went ahead and ordered the replacement part for $12 plus shipping. But now there is a thread on this for the next guy… A smart man learns from his own mistakes, but a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others … sometimes by searching a forum 
They don’t have “bristles” except sometimes on very tiny, low power motors, as it happens. The larger the electric motor, the bigger and more solid those things get. They are wear parts though, and are designed to be allowed to wear down over time, and eventually be replaced as a part of maintenance.
Yup. That’s why they have springs. As they wear down, the springs keep constant pressure.
Cool. Figured that out when searching for parts.
Which by the way, like anything else, the parts if bought separately would cost 10X the cost of a completely new one.
The calculus is such that It would be better to buy a new one for donor parts, If I had bought just the brush holder and a spare set of ‘brushes’ or anything else.
I suppose that if you went through brushes a lot and bought them in bulk it would work out better financially.
In all my time woodworking, I’ve only ever known a handful of people that have used a hand router enough to require brushes to be changed. And most of those people are on this forum running their 660 multiple hours a day.
I have a few tools that I’ve replaced brushes in. Plus car parts, lol. Starter brushes are also a wear item.
If you’re not in a hurry to buy them, they can be cheap. If I have to replace them once in a tool, I usually buy multiple sets. Often ones from the same manufacturer can be used in a different tool, too. Sometimes ones from completely different manufacturers can, too. Also, they’re made to wear down, so oversized ones can be filed to fit. I’m 99% sure that the brushes in my ~35 year old skillsaw are actually filed down starter brushes originally bought for a 1977 Chevy. They’re made from material much softer than the copper contacts that they brush against, so they’re very easy to shape.
Anyway, you ought to be able to get those for much less than the cost of a parts router.
You may also want to know that these parts are why they are called a “brushed” motor. Compared to a “brushless” motor.
A brushed motor has the coils on the spinning part and the magnets on the outside. The current needs to flip from one direction to the other as it spins, so the magnets change polarity and it will spin. The brushed just touch different pads, so it is easy for it to change directions (it is simple).
A brushless motor has the magnets on the spinning shaft and the coils on the outside. The current needs to change direction in the coils, but there isn’t a mechanical solution for that, so you need a smarter driver.
Steppers are brushless motors with two coils.
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Thx Jeff I see what you are saying, but not sure it explains the terminology of “brushes” or “brushed”.
Unless I guess, the blocks aka brushes, “brush” against the different copper pads. That may have just made the logical lightbulb flicker. So “brush” in the original application of this to a motor is verb not a noun… still having cognitive dissonance calling these block things brushes tho.
