Flash Activator Making A Bad Sound

[Trox]

Is it somebody in this forum who knows these ovens. I got an old Whitfield and Wylie flash activator from a shoe repair shop I sold for a friend. This was a leftover from the sale and I thought about using it in my leather shop. I cleaned it up and checked the wirings before I tested it. I turned it on and the infrared bulb was working, then I pushed the boost button and a terrible sound started. The boost was set for 12 seconds and the sound lasted these 12 seconds as well. It produced heat as I suppose it should do. I never tried a "machine" like this before, and it sounded like a very loud microwave. Perhaps it is a kind of microwave for all I know. Are they supposed to sound like this, or is something very wrong with it? It has a fuse inside and nothing happened to the buildings fuses. Somebody with knowledge about these please give me some help here.

Thanks

Tor

[openroadboots]

Does it have a fan?

[electrathon]

Let me start by saying that I have no specific knowledge of the specific oven you have.

The sound you are describing should like a transformer hum. It is not a desirable condition but is not necessarily something to be afraid of. Oftentimes the contacts get corroded and they start vibrating. If it is working I would leave it. If it gets horrible or is it stops working replace the contactor.

[Art]

Call the friend who owned the shop, see what he says. Check all the boxes, actually open them and look at connections etc. Corroded terminals, loose solder joints, frayed wiring all can cause various symptoms. Components can slip Q or value and cause all sorts of oscillations. You probably don't have this problem where you are, but I once had a snake in a control box and another time a squirrel (at least that's what I thought with what was left of him).

[Trox]

Thank you all for the answers and sorry for the late replay.

The oven has no fan. I took off the back plate and cleaned out all dust/dirt before starting it the first time. It had a timer inside set to 12 second, a 3 position switch, a infrared light tube and a fuse. I could not see the heat elements because they where protected with a plate and placed inside the ovens ceiling. There where no other visible components, only good organized wiring inside it. It looked pretty straight forward.

Electrathon, I know what a transformer hum sounds like,but this sound is what I will call horrible. I looked true the wiring inside, it was very well organized and looked like it was made for high current. In fact I have never seen any such electrical component better organized than this. It was built by someone that was very concerned about safety, thats for sure. That is why I wondered it perhaps should make some noise during its boost period. Not as much as this one, thought its an old "machine".

I would have asked the previous ovner if I could, but I do not know his whereabouts for the time being. I had never heard the term "flash activator" either, before I started searching about it on the Internet. I suspect it is a British term. It makes perfectly sense when you think of its use; to activate the glue on shoe soles. When you turn it on the red light tube produce a bit of heat, then you set it to the 12 seconds boost mode and the heat is intense.

http://www.standardgroup.co.uk/ http://www.standardgroup.co.uk/shoe-repair-ancillary-items The Withfield and Wylie LTD Company Kettering UK who made this and many other shoe machines, is now a part of the Standard group. They make similar ovens today and you can see the timer is placed outside on the front panel on them. Perhaps there are some shoemakers/cobblers out there that use these that know how these are suppose to sound like. I just want to know if it worth using more time on, before I start searching for any errors on it. I can always send an email to the Standard group and ask them if its a well known problem or not. But I am afraid they just will tell me to send it in for refurbishing or buy a new one.

Thanks

Tor

[celticleather]

These units do tend to make a loud buzzing noise when the flash heater is activated. At this time, they draw a lot of electrical current, which causes the transformer to buzz louder. This vibration can often be transmitted to the casing of the unit, which amplifies the sound. Try pushing on the top and/or sides of the unit when the flash is operating (preferably using something insulated), and see if the note changes or disappears.

[Trox]

These units do tend to make a loud buzzing noise when the flash heater is activated. At this time, they draw a lot of electrical current, which causes the transformer to buzz louder. This vibration can often be transmitted to the casing of the unit, which amplifies the sound. Try pushing on the top and/or sides of the unit when the flash is operating (preferably using something insulated), and see if the note changes or disappears.

Thank you Celticleather, I will try that the next time. Perhaps it was extra loud since it been standing idle for some time too. Now I have the courage to try it again, I can perhaps locate the parts that vibrate (It they do) and eliminate some of the loud noise.

Thanks again, this was just the kind of answer I was looking for.