Cool Old Barrett Brake Riveting Machine

[ndnchf]

I'm a self-confessed vintage tool junkie. I've had my eye out for one of these machines for several years. But you know how it is, you rarely find an affordable one nearby. Its always on the other side of the country. But every once in a while the stars align and the tool gods confer their grace upon us. To make a long story short, I finally found this old soldier locally. It was priced higher than I wanted to pay, but made an offer. To my surprise, he accepted my offer and I'm going to pick it up tomorrow

I'm not sure of the model, but its made by Barrett. It is one of the higher end versions with a brake lining sander and 90 degree gearbox with drill for drilling out old rivets and drilling and countersinking the new linings.

Do any of you guys have experience with one of these? Comments and questions welcome.

Steve

 

[454ragtop]

I ran a very similar model years ago when I worked in an automotive machine shop. When you go to pick it up, see if the seller has any of the brass rivets hanging around, we used to have boxes and boxes of them in different diameters and lengths.

 

[ndnchf]

I'll ask - thanks. Here are some bits that are included with it.

 

[grumpy ol' mechanic]

I worked in a car/truck shop back in the 70's where they had a similar tool. I would use it to replace large truck brake linings (they were available separately from the shoe back then, don't know about now). There was a small rack on the wall behind the machine where there were hundreds of different size rivets if you needed any, but new rivets came with the linings for the most part. You had to stand on that foot lever quite hard sometimes to knock the old rivet out (using the pin type bit in the picture) and equally as hard when compressing the new rivet to the shoe to make sure the new lining was on tight. Never used the grinder or shoe archer, truck shoes were too big. That shop was around since 1951 and I was told that all car brake linings were replaced that way back then.

 

[ndnchf]

I imagine these were pretty common and found in many repair shops back in the day. I need to disassemble the grinder and drill parts for a thorough clean and lube. They are pretty dirty and stiff, but the motor does seem to run ok.

 

[Roberts210]

Is replacement brake shoe material readily available nowadays?
I've got some shoes I'd love to get re-done.

 

[ndnchf]

You won't find it at your local auto parts boutique, but automotive restoration supply houses sell it.

 

[dep5]

Is replacement brake shoe material readily available nowadays?
I've got some shoes I'd love to get re-done.

I'm going to try this
https://www.mcmaster.com/brake-lining
High-Strength Brake and Clutch Lining

Also known as semimetallic woven strips and friction material, these strips have a brass wire woven into the material to increase strength and improve heat dissipation. They can be riveted or bonded. They do not contain asbestos.