Fellowes 8-722C Paper Shredder "Repair"

[VK5RC]

A friend's paper shredder 'died' recently so he, like most today threw it out and bought another. No magic smoke or melted plastic so I had to dumpster dive and "take it apaaarrrt".
I laughed out loud when I opened the case.
Below are before and after photos and the 'weapon of choice' a hand held LiIon 18V blower (normally saved for PC clean outs) used on the lawn.
Needless to say it worked after a quick clean and oil.

[VK5RC]

I foolishly opened it up inside my 'shack' , some of the fine paper powder went everywhere!
I think it was just paper dust one of the multiple optical  sensors that caused it to shut down.
Gave me a good laugh!

[SeanB]

Put some oil on the cutter rollers and you will find it is a lot quieter and does not strain so much. That will make it last a lot longer as well.

Amazed the plastic posts have not broken off, the one at work is held together with steel all thread rod, nylock nuts and M4 washers. The plastic went brittle with age.

[LA7SJA]

The most common mistake with shredders are motor overload, followed by overheating. This wil trigger the thermo fuse, this fuse self RESETS when the temp on the engine assembly is down to normal (can take as much as one hour). So I am not convinced that you actually repaird it 

JFG

[VK5RC]

I have no doubt, I did NO repair!
It didn't work at all when I plugged it in at home, no lights etc, it had been left outside for about a week  including some light rain (hence the bit of surface rust on the cutting teeth) when I plugged it in I got a nasty buzzing sound from the switch, I suspect some water had got in. I proceeded to ignore it for a few days (always a good repair strategy!!! HiHi)  hoping it would dry out, then I opened it up and found the paper shreds and dust everywhere.
The best thing about a 'dumpster dive' project is because I haven't paid anything I don't care that much, so I have more fun!

[GreyWoolfe]

I, too, have a Fellowes shredder-not sure of the model, I am too lazy to go out to the office to look.  I have a dispenser filled with vegetable oil that I use to lube the shredder after emptying the bin.  i have also caused a thermal shutdown.  It took about a 1/2 hour to cool down enough to work again.  Paid $16 for it(almost brand new) at a thrift shop compared to the $60 new pricetag.  It work fine business.  Enjoy the shredder.  Loved the tool of choice for the "repair"

[madires]

I have a dispenser filled with vegetable oil that I use to lube the shredder after emptying the bin.

I don't think that vegetable oil is a good idea for lubing. I'd use it for French fries

[saturation]

Vegetable oil in shredders is used for safety.  The flash point is 2x more than mineral oil, about 370^oC vs 185^oC.  Add oil vapor to paper, paper dust, and a hot motor as an ignition source and you have the ingredients to start and sustain a good fire, if the thermal switch fails.

FWIW the ignition temperature of paper is about 232^oC,  mineral oil vapor will further fan the fire while vegetable oil may contribute to extinguishing it.

[GreyWoolfe]

I have a dispenser filled with vegetable oil that I use to lube the shredder after emptying the bin.

I don't think that vegetable oil is a good idea for lubing. I'd use it for French fries

Saturation is on the money.  The manual says to use vegetable oil for the safety reasons.  I spread it across the opening and run a sheet of paper through it to make sure it gets all over.  And, yes, I do french fries with it also

[VK5RC]

I need to read more carefully,  initially I thought madires was recommending  putting fries through the shredder! HiHi.

Seriously I think shredders probably need overhauls with modest frequency,  the amount of paper shreds /dust that had accumulated was probably at risk levels.

[RobertoLG]

Bloody hell! There was a board under that. Somehow it reminded me of the 1971 movie "The Andromeda Strain". But times 1000.

yep lol! after the sterilization chamber

[RobertoLG]

Bloody hell! There was a board under that. Somehow it reminded me of the 1971 movie "The Andromeda Strain". But times 1000.

yep lol! after the sterilization chamber

Ahh! didn't think of that. I was thinking of the sliver of paper getting stuck in the teleprinter bell mechanism.

you meen from that guy who received and passed the messages, rigth?

[RobertoLG]

Bloody hell! There was a board under that. Somehow it reminded me of the 1971 movie "The Andromeda Strain". But times 1000.

yep lol! after the sterilization chamber

Ahh! didn't think of that. I was thinking of the sliver of paper getting stuck in the teleprinter bell mechanism.

you meen from that guy who received and passed the messages, rigth?

Yeah. The message from the president saying the atomic bomb was not going to be detonated over Piedmont went unnoticed  because the teleprinter bell didn't ring due to the sliver of paper caught in the mechanism.  Everyone at Wildfire was convinced it was essential and the only way to halt the spread of Andromeda.

Anyone wondering what the hell I am talking about. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066769/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I do not advise watching the 2008 version which is a hopeless muddle and not a patch on the original 1971 version. Which was one of the most underrated SF classics.  In a similar way that the original The Day The Earth Stood Still is so much better than the Keanu Reeves version.

oh yeah I remember it, and about The Day The Earth Stood Still that's for sure, the original is much better

[madires]

Saturation is on the money.  The manual says to use vegetable oil for the safety reasons.  I spread it across the opening and run a sheet of paper through it to make sure it gets all over.  And, yes, I do french fries with it also

That's interesting, because vegetable oil becomes quite gooey and is not suitable to lube mechanics. But the higher flash point makes perfectly sense.

[SeanB]

If you want high ignition point use silicone oil, though it does tend to turn into grinding paste if it gets to that point. Otherwise a nice light napthetic oil works well if you just use a drop at each end, or a sheet of paper with a few drops on it and fed through the shredder.

[denelec]

Vegetable oil is also used in certain power transformers.
http://www.cargill.com/products/industrial/dielectric-ester-fluids/envirotemp-fr3/index.jsp

Much better than PCB oil.