Vintage Table Fan Find

[AtomicEraTom]

I sure like this fan, but it looks awfully familiar......

I have a few old fans. I love them! My old Barcol desk fan is whisper quiet and moves a fair amount of air.

 

[Atomic]

I sure like this fan, but it looks awfully familiar......

Yeah, its a pretty neat one, don't you think?

 

[Forgotten Man]

Fan fans... a question. I've been looking here and there over the years for a fan like my great aunt had when I was a kid. It was simply the most wonderful thing I've ever seen. Instead of metal blades, it had canvas straps. Therefore, there was no cage around the "blades," so, when it was off, it took up very little room. My problem is, I don't have the foggiest idea what to call it, much less what brand it was or even when it dated from... A very foggy guess is that it was from the 30s or so (my memories are from the 80s).

I want that fan. Bad...

You know, I don't know what brand those are but, I have seen them in a number of books and on ebay a few times. Just keep looking on eBay because, they do turn up. Just search "vintage fan" or "art deco fan" and you'll find one sooner or later.

I believe those fans came out in the late 30s or early 40s... they were made of Bakelite and had looped straps of cloth. Very unique and I believe they also used them in cars too. I've seen rubber bladed models too.

Interesting fact about fan cages. Originally, fans came without them... Yes, the heavy brass or metal blades were not enclosed on most early fans. It became a fashion to put a wire cage on them to protect them from becoming bent if the fan should fall off a table or something. Fans of that era were mostly on shelves in offices or homes out of reach.

 

[Geesie]

These two fans are in my parents' basement. They don't use them for the same reason that I can't either. No protection against curious little paws and carelessly placed tails. Too bad, they're very nice and very effective.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Yes, Forgotten Man, you are describing it perfectly. I'm watching for one closely.

 

[Foofoogal]

One of my fans get very hot. Someone told me I need to oil it. :eusa_doh:
Can someone tell me how or where to do this. What kind of machine oil?
Will sewing machine oil work?

 

[Forgotten Man]

These two fans are in my parents' basement. They don't use them for the same reason that I can't either. No protection against curious little paws and carelessly placed tails. Too bad, they're very nice and very effective.

Great fans... USE THEM!

Ya know, make a shelf for it, like they would have in the period... have it high up out of reach and you'll get great circulation and use out of them. Also, we have a cat and it never seems to be attracted to the fan... our cat doesn't seem to be interested in it at all. lol

 

[RetroToday]

Great fans... USE THEM!

Ya know, make a shelf for it, like they would have in the period... have it high up out of reach and you'll get great circulation and use out of them. Also, we have a cat and it never seems to be attracted to the fan... our cat doesn't seem to be interested in it at all. lol

One thing I plan to do in the near future is to directly mount my old fans to the wall, up and out of the reach of most curious fingers or paws.

Nearly all of the "table" fans seen in this thread (so far) have three or four holes in the base, meant for bolts or screws to convert these into "wall" fans.
A simple adjustment of the wingnut on the side is all that is needed to put the fan at the proper angle.

I seem to remember old wall fans being mounted usually near the corner of a room.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Yep, exactly! That's what I did with my AIR BEAM fan... it's pefect for wall mounts!

I'll post a photo later

 

[Wire9Vintage]

The RIBBONAIRE! That is the fan I'm after! (There are two on ebay right now...) Apparently Singer made them in the late 40s. Helps to have a name to search for!

 

[Forgotten Man]

Ok, I was sold on leaving this fan all tarnished... but, I got bored of tarnished blades and wanted to see this thing all polished up.

I give you, the 1919 R&M all gleemed up!

I didn't polish the back sides of the blades... that will come later... it took a lot of elbow grease and Mother's polish to get'em this way!

 

[RetroToday]

Ok, I was sold on leaving this fan all tarnished... but, I got bored of tarnished blades and wanted to see this thing all polished up.

I give you, the 1919 R&M all gleemed up!

I didn't polish the back sides of the blades... that will come later... it took a lot of elbow grease and Mother's polish to get'em this way!

Looks great so far ForgottenMan! :eusa_clap Beautiful!
I'd rather have the blades nice and bright as well. If it was originally tarnished the first owner wouldn't have bought it back in 1919.

Hopefully you were able to take the blades off when you polished the fronts, it's such a pain to clean fan blades while they're in the cage - I've had to do that for a few 1950s fans.

 

[RetroToday]

Speaking of the 1950s fans with blades you have to clean inside the cage.... I bought this fan at a garage sale in early 2010.

It was filthy! But at least that was the worst of it, the fan blades rotated very evenly and it looked as if the grime may be hiding a paint finish that was still in good shape. Turned out my hunch was right in this case, after cleaning the grime away this was the result. It has not been repainted in any way.

As a precaution, before I powered it up I checked the wire connections and oiled the movements with a light all purpose machine oil. It works perfectly, just like a new fan but with better range. This little fan sure gets the air moving in a big room!

My mother spied the fan after I cleaned it up and loved it - so, I happily gave it to her. It now keeps her sewing room nice and cool.
__________________

Dominion Electrohome Industries Ltd.
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Table Fan
Model # 51106S
Volts 117
Freq. 60
Amps. .5

CSA APP No.4257

 

[Forgotten Man]

Hopefully you were able to take the blades off when you polished the fronts, it's such a pain to clean fan blades while they're in the cage - I've had to do that for a few 1950s fans.

Oh, of course! It takes just four screws and then the cage is off and the then un-screw a small set screw in the hub... presto! The blades ore off!

I would have left them tarnished if the cage couldn't be removed... there's no way I could have gotten those things that bright with the amount of work it takes working the polish in and removing 90+ years of age.lol

 

[RetroToday]

Oh, of course! It takes just four screws and then the cage is off and the then un-screw a small set screw in the hub... presto! The blades ore off!

I would have left them tarnished if the cage couldn't be removed... there's no way I could have gotten those things that bright with the amount of work it takes working the polish in and removing 90+ years of age.lol

Very good to hear it was easier for you to clean your fan, usually the older ones are easier to clean.

As you mentioned, the blades and cage can be removed, but some of them are tricky. I also took the cage and blades off the 1950s fan I posted earlier, but found that no matter how I maneuvered them, the blades wouldn't come out of the cage. Seems they assembled the cage around the blades!

Had to clean the blades and cage at the same time because of that.
Took them both off of the motor and soaked them in a sink full of warm soapy water for a while and then worked the grime off the blades with a toothbrush.

While in the sink, I placed a thick rag in between the blades and the cage so the paint on the blades wouldn't get scratched off by the sharp edges of the cage as I was scrubbing it with the toothbrush.

Very happy in that case the blades weren't brass - You would have to build some kind of adjustable clamp or harness to properly polish blades in a cage!

 

[Forgotten Man]

Yes, the later fans are kinda tough in that regard. I really like the earlier fans because they're very open in the back and just is easy as pie to take the cage off. Emerson fans are a little different in that they require a special method in removing the blades. You have to stick a small screwdriver or metal rod into one of the back vent holes and find the small hole in the motor it's self... and then start to turn the blades while you hold the motor still as you loosen the blades. Tough!!!

Oh well, the R&M runs super smooth, and quietly and has a nice low speed... it's one of my best fans.

 

[olive bleu]

One of my fans get very hot. Someone told me I need to oil it. :eusa_doh:
Can someone tell me how or where to do this. What kind of machine oil?
Will sewing machine oil work?

mmm..oil, huh? that might have been a good idea.Wish I'd heard of that before mine combusted.

 

[John in Covina]

These two fans are in my parents' basement. They don't use them for the same reason that I can't either. No protection against curious little paws and carelessly placed tails. Too bad, they're very nice and very effective.

Too bad! I thought that they might be protected if placed on a pedistal stand or on top of a tall bookcase.

 

[leo power]

electrohome table fan

i found this little fan on the side of the road on garbage day repaired the mechanics and cleaned the chrome sent the fan to the auto body shop were they scanned the base to produce exact color match. the end result it a fan that looks like it just back home from the store

 

[Forgotten Man]

Ya'll goin' to hate me....

Scored this early GE oscillating fan this past Sunday at Rose Bowl... Paid next to nothing for it!

This guy is DC! This is most likely towards the end of the DC VS AC battle that Edison had with Westinghouse.

This I'm taking is a converter of types spliced into the power cord.

I have not plugged in this fan yet, I'm waiting to hear from a fan collecting friend of mine who is reviewing the same photos to help me know what I should do about getting this fan compatible with AC power.

So, what you all think?

-=R