My Flex's Backing Plate is Shredding on Me

Thanks, guys. I was able to remove the felt ring with some effort. I'll be sending it and the backing plate to Power House today.



I appreciate the need to search and I do realize there are other threads on this topic -- that's how I found this one. What I didn't see, but I suppose I could have overlooked, is discussion about how to remove the felt ring or a thread where someone had to mail in the damaged pieces, which is a bit of a PITA. My felt ring seemed like it was glued in, it was so tight (it wasn't glued, just a bit cooked by the heat, I guess). I didn't want to force it out if that would be doing something wrong.



Thanks for the tip on oiling. I'll do that. At least my gear ring inside the unit looks like it's in good shape, not like some photos I saw in other threads. Once I have a new plate and oiled felt ring, I should be back in business. :waxing:



EDIT - my shredded backing plate looks exactly like this one, but I don't see rust on the bolt or the same wear on my ring gear inside: http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine-polishing/114494-flex-3401-normal.html
 
He did search, the dates on this thread are pretty old...



I did something that was not "officially" recommended by flex and put an extra washer on mine...found a similar size to the one included and stuck it right on top of it...i wanted that little extra clearance to not shred my new BP they sent me...from what i could tell i think the issue is uneven pressure...i dont use any pressure with mine and have yet to see any difficulties
 
jordanrossbell said:
...i dont use any pressure with mine and have yet to see any difficulties
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I've always wondered if user-applied pressure was at the root of the backing plate/felt ring issue :think:



weekendwarrior convinced me to go ahead and lube my felt ring, but I use a really light firearms-grade lube.



budman3 said:
Would some blue (not permanent) Locktite be a good idea to use on the BP screw?
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I can't imagine a reason why *not*. I use Blue LT on all sorts of stuff like this (e.g., foamgun fittings). I'm not using it on *my* Flex 3401 only because I plan to switch back and forth between the oe backing plate and my Edge adaptor.
 
Accumulator said:
I've always wondered if user-applied pressure was at the root of the backing plate/felt ring issue :think:



weekendwarrior convinced me to go ahead and lube my felt ring, but I use a really light firearms-grade lube.







I can't imagine a reason why *not*. I use Blue LT on all sorts of stuff like this (e.g., foamgun fittings). I'm not using it on *my* Flex 3401 only because I plan to switch back and forth between the oe backing plate and my Edge adaptor.
Click to expand...



I honestly think it is..i know that i used a bit of pressure and i got a rashed backing plate...now i dont and the housing doesnt seem to get near as hot (im using a 12 guarge extension cord) i dont now, if i need some more cut i grab a different pad/polish combo...i let it do the work..i still love my flex even though it has been kinda a pain for me sometimes...i dont feel like i need another machine since this serves me well, so when its out..so am i :angry
 
An update on my issue -- I received the the replacement backing plate and felt ring from Powerhouse Distributing today (I sent them mine last week). Excellent, quick turnaround. They get the thumbs up from me.



Looking at the backing plate, I guess I didn't realize how chewed up mine was! The new one doesn't look at all like I remember mine. I thought the rear had a lip on it, which eventually went flinging off, like some of the photos I've seen on other threads. The new one is flat on the back. I guess mine had a lip because the inside was worn away from rubbing on the housing. :soscared:



I also got some air tool oil a few days ago, which I'll use to oil the felt ring. I was debating between that and some garage door chain spray stuff I saw at the same Home Depot. I've seen both recommended here.



The next step I'm thinking of is replacing the existing washer with a locking washer, or maybe investing in some blue Loctite. Or maybe I'll just make sure the bolt is always tight. In any event, it's too cold to think of actually using the Flex now, so it doesn't really matter at the moment. But when I saw the new plate, I immediately wanted to try it out. :laugh:



Has anyone had the replacement plate fail, too? I'll oil the felt ring, keep the bolt tight, and use only light pressure from now on. I hope that is enough to keep the new plate from getting ground to bits like the last one.
 
Glad to hear you had a nice turnaround with it..they were excellent to me as well...however i feel like they are downplaying this issue with their machine...the guys at Powerhouse something like one in 250 are being sent back..and i feel that since i have seen others on this board with similar problems to yours and mine..that it might actually be a bigger problem then they want everyone to know about..i bought this machine for the extra power, yet wasnt ready for the rotary at that time and also because it is a german machine, which i have always heard are bulletproof, and mine has been anything but that, i am always scared to use it to its full capability because im afraid of "hurting" it..not a feeling we should have out of a 300 dollar machine...
 
jordanrossbell said:
... i am always scared to use it to its full capability because im afraid of "hurting" it..not a feeling we should have out of a 300 dollar machine...
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I bet the folks at Flex (and a few other manufacturers too) would be :eek: if they saw how many of us use their machines ;)



I suspect that "full capability" is attained by pushing the machine far beyond it's designed application parameters. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't do stuff like that to my machines too, but I'm gonna be a little careful with the Flex, having seen the pics of worn ring gears/etc. IM (very limited) E with it, it seems that it'll do some very impressive work *without much pressure* if you use the right pad/product combos and take a bit of time, so I'm gonna try to do the "let the product do the work" approach.
 
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