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My fan club restorations in progress.

us Offline gerleatherberman

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My fan club restorations in progress.
on: August 18, 2019, 04:28:38 AM
Who likes antique fans? I like antique fans. Hopefully some of you do to.

I used to accumulate antique fans as a teenager-early 20s and intended on restoring them all one day. Well, started one then and realized that they aren't so easy to restore. Fast forward 13 years and I am ready to tackle them. I gained confidence after restoring a 1930s Robbins & Myers fan for a gentleman recently. Hair pulling as it was to get through, the result was amazing. Like usual, I forgot to bother taking photos of that one. Then to get my feet even more wet, my father asked me to tackle his 1920s Emerson brass bladed 16" fan. It was a real junker one of his pickers brought him, but I saw the potential. After getting way to familiar with the old Emerson(the old style with the screw off hollow-drive brass blades), I was able to get it looking like new. Electrically it needed new head wire soldered to the windings and the switch rebuilt with new main wire. I stripped, sanded, primed, and painted the entire base, motor case, and cage. I stripped and high-polished the brass blades, and then had to learn to balance and clock the damn things, as I caught one of the wings on the buffing wheel.  :rant:
As a final touch, I covered the base in something more premium than the old felt most guys stick on there. High quality brown leather that I found years ago. :dd:
After hours of straightening and working the blades, it is smooth as silk. My father would never accept anything less than perfect as far as mechnical function. :ahhh
Turned a $20 beat up piece of smurf poo into a $600(what it would likely fetch on the bay) beauty. He loves it now and has it displayed in his house. In hindsight, I would have ordered cotton wrapped cord for the head and main wire, but he was happy with the wire I used. :)
The oscillator casing took a long time to remove the rock hard grease, and new axle grease was put back in. The gear train looked perfect and it oscillates wonderfully now.
Like an idiot AGAIN, I forgot to get before photos. :facepalm:
Been doing restoration work so long, it is hard for me to appreciate the difference it can make, and the impact of the work.
Here it is after the work was done.





And while it was still on the workbench.



I was going to polish up the cage badge, but my father decided to let that be thesole reminder of how much the fan had seen in its' long life. 92 years old and is just a real treat to turn on and use. :)

This thread will be for the other fans, that I own, and their specific restoration paths. I hope you'll join in on the appreciation of antique fans with me and enjoy the photos to come and descriptions of the work done. :cheers:

And of course, any stories and/or photos of your antique fans would be awesome! :)
« Last Edit: August 18, 2019, 04:40:38 AM by gerleatherberman »
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us Offline Sos24

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #1 on: August 18, 2019, 04:39:24 AM
Very nice job and great looking fan.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #2 on: August 18, 2019, 05:43:10 AM
Very nice job and great looking fan.
Thank you, Sos24! :cheers:
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us Online SteveC

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #3 on: August 18, 2019, 05:48:50 AM
Nice job !   and  :popcorn:


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #4 on: August 18, 2019, 05:50:44 AM
Nice job !   and  :popcorn:
Thank you, Steve! :cheers:
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #5 on: August 18, 2019, 06:14:35 AM
This is planned resto #1.

It will be a restomod more than a restoration. The color scheme is going to emulate an antique fire engine. Gloss red base and motor case. Gloss black cage and the blades will be polished to a high brass shine. The screws, oscillator knob/lower wheel will be polished brass as well. Cord ordered is a bronze-gold twisted cloth covered wire for the head and main wire. Gold felt for the base as well. The fan, obviously, is in terrible condition. I have a pretty hefty sum of money in parts coming in for this one. Oscillator engagement friction clutch gear, switch parts(for the switch end), oil wick to replace the old one, gold felt, antique-style plug, and grommets.  :ahhh
The parts were supposed to arrive today, but USPS says "arriving late". Since I am cleaning, stripping, prepping, and painting tomorrow; that is fine. I'll let the paint cure for a week before messing with putting the electrical and stuff back together.

Here is victim.....errmm....patient number one.

1927 General Electric AOU AD1.

Before disassembly.

These are brass blades, and should look really good after polish and lacquer.


Note how badly the cage is bent up. These cages are a real PITA to get straightened out without breaking the spot welds. The blades have some minor dings, but thankfully aren't damaged enough to hurt the balance much. I have already gotten most of the dings out to make sure the blade would still be balanced before finish work was done.








And after disassembly, I wired a quick test wire to the motor to make sure the choke and motor windings were good. Thankfully all three speeds work and the motor is fairly quiet(considering it isn't well oiled, aside from a dab of motor oil for testing). The oscillator engagement gear is trashed(but a replacement is on the way). However, the really expensive oscillator part(the gear train) is perfect.

Here are some pics of the disassembled parts.

Motor while testing running.


The bottom cover is rusted out pretty badly(several holes and thin areas with felt retainer trashed), but I think I can salvage it. Had to drill the screws out, because even penetrating fluid didn't loosen the rusted screws.  :ahhh



Note the gear on the left. It is the one that I ordered a replacement.






Hopefully the metal isn't pitted too badly. If it is, I'll have to fill the pits with bondo before painting.  :ahhh

Here is a video from the other night when I tested the motor.

« Last Edit: August 18, 2019, 06:31:16 AM by gerleatherberman »
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


se Offline kottskrapa

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #6 on: August 18, 2019, 06:15:52 AM
Nice work! Will definitely follow this but please don't forget before pics next time

[It's not failure if you learn something from it]



us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #7 on: August 18, 2019, 06:21:58 AM
Nice work! Will definitely follow this but please don't forget before pics next time

[It's not failure if you learn something from it]

Thank you, kottskrapa! :cheers:

Just made sure the next one(GE AOU) has plenty of before shots.  :ahhh
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #8 on: August 18, 2019, 06:28:49 AM
Another finished fan I use by my desk is a 1925 AC Gilbert Polar Cub 6" blades fan. I finished this one in a crackled satin black and hand applier gold rub-n-buff to the blades and base. The center badge was missing, so I made a cap out of an old electrical box plug and painted it to match. The wire is an old-school asbestos insulated cord from a toaster that turned out nicely on the fan(cord is like new), even though it wasn't quite period correct. This fan is an AC or DC  brush motor fan, so I am a little worried about finding brushes when they go out. But, I think I found a source, so that is good. :ahhh

Before I made the cap.





And after the cap.



Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #9 on: August 18, 2019, 06:40:59 AM
Some videos from the other night when checking out the fans I took out of the shop attic.

I rewired and relubed this one 15 years ago. Still runs well, but I'd like to repaint it and put some nicer looking wiring in it at some point. It is the same model of Emerson as the one I fixed for my Dad, but it has the late 1920s/early 1930s steel winged blades instead of brass.




This one is a 10" Emerson Jr. Oscillator with "Bullwinkle" style blades. I had hoped they were brass, but they are steel. This fan needs a lot of cosmetic work. But, seeing as the oscillator and motor run perfectly, it is definitely worth it.




Here is another GE AOU(AB1 version from 1923) fan. This is another restoration candidate in the future. But, it has nearly complete OG paint, and will stay as original as possible. This one has a brass wire cage instead of steel.  :)

Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


se Offline kottskrapa

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #10 on: August 18, 2019, 10:29:57 AM
Nice work! Restorations always makes me happy and gives me a warm feeling inside

[It's not failure if you learn something from it]



ca Offline Greg Jones

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #11 on: August 18, 2019, 01:42:36 PM
Very nice work  :hatsoff:


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #12 on: August 19, 2019, 06:13:21 AM
Thank you, kottskrapa and Greg! :cheers:
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #13 on: August 19, 2019, 06:29:27 AM
Started the resto on the beater GE AOU Oscillator today. Decided to go with gloss black instead of red. Mainly, because after running it through my head, I couldn't imagine the red working all that well with the brass. At least not on this particular fan. I will be looking for an aluminum bladed AOU at some point to finish in red though.

Here are some photos of the work done today.

Opening the motor case.


Examining the stator, rotor/spindle, windings, and motor case/bearings.


Luckily 90+ years of oil and grease protected the winding in the stator. One of the best condition stators I have seen.  :o


Mild detergent/brush clean only. Do not want to get the windings wet.


Removed old head wire and started soldering new head wire leads in.


Head wire leads completed.


Black lacquer to protect the windings from further corrosion. Also polished the spindle and cleaned the rotor.


Resoldered the choke wires and rebuilt the switch end. The plastic knob was broken, so I used super glue to build it up and sanded it into shape then painted it.


Disassembled switch assembly and polished all points of contact and put a light electrolytic coating on the contacts. Replaced rusty steel washers with new ones.


Sanded, prepped, and painted the steel cage. Used Rustoleum Advanced formula spray for this. One of the best paints out there.


Close up of switch and polished data plate.


Used a rust inhibitor to coat the wire-brushed base insides.


Clear coat over the neutralizer for further protection.


Wire wheeled and sanded the base cover, which was the worst part on the fan(see earlier images). It is pocked and pitted, but structurally sound. It will be covered in leather soon.


Sanded, prepped, and painted the base with the same Rustoleum Advanced formula gloss black. -First coat.



After three generous coats of the rustoleum advanced, and this is what it will look like when cured.



Hopefully will be doing some more resto work on the fan tomorrow.  :woohoo:
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


ca Offline Chako

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #14 on: August 19, 2019, 08:19:25 AM
Nice work. I can't help but think how safety was possibly a small consideration back in the day.
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mc Offline Gerhard Gerber

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #15 on: August 19, 2019, 11:02:57 AM
Who likes antique fans? I like antique fans. Hopefully some of you do to.

The attraction in this case is very simple: These are still built to last.  :salute:

I would love to have a fan like that  :cheers:


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #16 on: August 19, 2019, 09:04:55 PM
Nice work. I can't help but think how safety was possibly a small consideration back in the day.
Thank you, Chako! :cheers:
Indeed. Guess common sense was more valued than safety back then. Today's safety & sense practices are better in general. But, they sure don't build fans like they did in the early-mid 1900s. :ahhh

The attraction in this case is very simple: These are still built to last.  :salute:

I would love to have a fan like that  :cheers:
Thank you, Gerhard! :cheers:
Hopefully the fan will see another 92 years  when I'm done. :)
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #17 on: August 20, 2019, 07:32:12 AM
Some more work was done today. Indeed, I need a few small parts, but I have everything to build the fan until then.

Day two with the AOU.
Cage badge reattached. A real treat that was to do. Probably should have left it on and taped it off. Turned out alright after some time though.


Sanded and smoothed the motor casing.


Cleaned and prepped for paint.


Very happy with the resulting dried paint.


Cleaning the bits and doodads for the mount and swivel of the fan.


Sanded and smoothed mount. Forgot to take a photo after paint, but it turned out similar to the struts below.


Struts after cleaning and prepping.


After painting. Not perfect(slight pitting in the flat areas showed up where I didn't notice it during prep), but good enough not to fret over.


Strut clips painted. Note: The one with the jacked up hole is one I had to make, because one was missing. It will work though.


Strut clips dried.


Cleaning and straightening the badge.


Brass doodads and bits polished on wheel to a high polish finish. Left some background on the cage badge to give it a certain "clean patina".The three black phillips-head screws were the only ones I could find for the strut clips with similar threads. I will buy three brass screws as soon as the fan parts site has them in stock.
 

Brass doodads and bits after 3x coats of gloss lacquer.




Next week(Sunday), this will be tackled. Everything else is painted and/or polished now. Will let the paint cure until Sunday. Had no luck getting antsy and assembling stuff the day it is painted before.
This should prove to be a fun(not) job. Wings bent to and fro and some slight dents on two wing tips.

« Last Edit: August 20, 2019, 07:46:37 AM by gerleatherberman »
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #18 on: August 23, 2019, 08:44:59 PM
Worked on the blade a bit each day the last couple of days.



Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Online SteveC

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #19 on: August 24, 2019, 12:34:07 AM
 :like:


ca Offline Greg Jones

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #20 on: August 24, 2019, 01:36:17 AM
Outstanding work  :hatsoff:


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #21 on: August 24, 2019, 02:24:02 AM
Thank you very much, Steve and Greg! :cheers:

If all goes well, this project should be complete Sunday. Only thing I'm concerned about is the motor not running after I press the stator back in. :ahhh

The resistance has been tested to 18.3 ohm from before I pulled the stator, through the wiring phase, and after lacquering the stator. If it shows 18.3 ohm after it is pressed in, it should work... technically. :)
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline Alan K.

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #22 on: August 24, 2019, 05:39:10 AM
Beautiful restoration work. I'm a big fan (sorry). :hatsoff:


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #23 on: August 24, 2019, 08:08:41 AM
Beautiful restoration work. I'm a big fan (sorry). :hatsoff:
Thank you very much, Alan K! :cheers:

 :like: Great pun. :rofl:
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #24 on: August 26, 2019, 09:08:30 AM
Recap photos of the fan before restoration work.










Getting stuff ready for assembly.







_________________________________________________________________________________________
Completed Antique Desk Fan: 1920s General Electric AOU Oscillating Loop Handle.


Spent Sunday Afternoon getting everything together and finishing the restoration.
Here is the result of 32 hours of labor(not including the time involved in diagnosing and testing the motor and switch assembly).
















I hope these posts are somewhat enjoyable for everyone. Hopefully will get started on the next one today or tomorrow. :ahhh
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #25 on: August 26, 2019, 09:09:00 AM

Youtube video of the first run after fully assembled.

Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


ca Offline Greg Jones

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #26 on: August 26, 2019, 01:29:07 PM
Beautiful  :hatsoff:


se Offline kottskrapa

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #27 on: August 26, 2019, 02:28:20 PM
Beautiful work mate! I showed this thread and your work to my wife and she liked it too.. So the next question is, do you do this on customer order or do you fix them and put them up for sale?

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gb Offline chip

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #28 on: August 26, 2019, 02:44:48 PM
They are beautiful fans. I love the way the gaps in the fan are huge, the world must of been a less litigious place then :D
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us Offline Aloha

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Re: My fan club restorations in progress.
Reply #29 on: August 26, 2019, 03:26:59 PM
I appreciate this type of work so thank you for posting up the pics.  You've done a really great job getting these lovely fans back into action and looking good.   :tu:
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