'Flash' from my drill press motor - a concern?

[SledDriver]

Good afternoon,

I recently restored a drill press from 1969, and dismantled/reassembled the motor to check it's condition and clean it out. I'm fairly sure it went back together correctly and there were no obvious signs of damage.

When I turn on the drill however, perhaps 1 in 7 times I get a flash of light/spark from the motor. It seems to work fine, no loss of power or other issues, just a flash.

I wonder if I should be concerned, or whether this is a normal feature of certain motors.

Many thanks.

 

[alfredeneuman]

If it's a capacitor start motor it may be the centrifugal switch that's sparking.
If so it's not a big deal

 

[kaymccampbell]

I thought the same thing about my drill press motor that ended up shooting pretty blue flames out the top and huge aluminum droplets onto my bench. I'd give it a looksee, just to be on the safe side.

 

[nadogail]

When the smoke leaks out of your motor, it is a goner.

 

[MBfreak]

I presume it is a 1 phase motor with a wound rotor and collector running on 120 VAC?
The start current peak will depend on the phase angle when you close the switch.
So a spark on the collector at 1 out of seven starts seems reasonable.

Ola

 

[TheJay]

How's it been working since?