Thread Number: 43387  /  Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
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Post# 453254   6/2/2022 at 21:43 (476 days old) by mr_mom (pittsburgh (PA))        

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are there any fan collectors on here or can quide to one i have a 90's lakewood kool operator fan and i think it needs oil it turns on but doesnt spin freely what kind oil should and how any drops should i use thanks

Post# 453259 , Reply# 1   6/2/2022 at 22:36 (476 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
Robbie Lawrence is

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a big fan "fan". He's also an accomplished musician and teacher.

 
Post# 453268 , Reply# 2   6/3/2022 at 08:30 (476 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        

While I do not consider myself to be an official collector, I have accumulated 20-30 fans, oldest being 99 years old.
I have done many restorations as well as rejuvenations - probably over 50 in my life...

Your problem is as common as it gets. The old oil has dried up and has accumulated dirt, which is now acting like glue. I had rescued many fans from the trash back in the 80's with this condition. Many I still have and use!

While a couple (1-2) drops of 20W electric motor oil (3 in 1 in blue container) can get it working again, it may be short lived until the motor can be completely disassembled and the bearings cleaned and relubed properly. The real problem is the dirty gum embedded in the bearing surfaces - it must be removed.

Once the motor is apart, use a good solvent (paint thinner or acetone) or WD40/PB blaster in a pinch to clean the bearings out well. Soaking them is best, but if not possible, stuff a soaked paper towel in there, let it sit, then use soaked cotton swabs to clean them out.
If this is a high value fan, there are more effective procedures but are quite involved; I will not get into those now.
If there is a felt ring around the bearings, it will need to be soaked with 20W electric motor oil so they will slowly feed oil through the porous bearings.

It is important to use the proper oil. 20 weight electric motor oil is the right thickness for low HP electric motors and has no detergents in it. Using the wrong oil may lead to repeat failures, but could be used as a quick band aid to get you through a hot night before a proper repair may be done. I will admit some band aids I had done back in the 80's are still lasting...

Post# 453295 , Reply# 3   6/3/2022 at 20:18 (475 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)        

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Good advice above. Whatever you do, don't toss that fan! They are very cool fans and sought after among collectors of semi-vintage fans.

Post# 453299 , Reply# 4   6/3/2022 at 21:45 (475 days old) by mr_mom (pittsburgh (PA))        

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thanks everyone ill try them if i can but id rather have a collector bring it back to life id even pay them for their time i have four of them two first gen and a 2nd gen really needs restored and a 3ed gen id never get rid of them there old as me the my oringal one came from kmart and the other marketplace the 2nd gen the flea market spray painted grill and the cord was cut and the control know is backwards and the 3ed gen the dollar store but if there is anyone in or near the Pittsburgh pa area that can help me get one of them back up and running that would be great thanks so far

Post# 453327 , Reply# 5   6/4/2022 at 19:25 (474 days old) by Louvac (A)        
what about Sanyo Fans?

 I have several Sanyo 3-speed fans with the push buttons. These fans are so quiet and run so smoothly. They are the tan ones with brown elongated push buttons. The grills have three clips that lift up which allow you to access the blades and such for cleaning. These are amongst my favs!

What do you guys think? I also love the three-speed GE box fan from the 60's that had the round dial on the side. They had a unique sound to them. My is beige with whitish blades.

I'll try to take pics and post!



Post# 453328 , Reply# 6   6/4/2022 at 20:04 (474 days old) by mjhoshaw (Western PA)        
I did at one time

At my peak I had about 75 fans of all brands and types. I only have a few vintage fans now, all of which are restored and I use. I was going to write more, but I don't want to hijack the thread.

 

Joel
Post# 453335 , Reply# 7   6/4/2022 at 23:34 (474 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.)        
Have you tried

 Googling "fan collector clubs/forums?" There are a few and I'm sure someone there can refer you to someone who works on fans.

I have two fans that I use over the many others I have. A Patton "whole house" floor fan that you wouldn't want to move while it's running, it's that powerful. The "oldie" is a mid century breeze box or box fan that is made by Superlectric.Both of these have large metal fan blades and get the job done! Good luck with the repairs.

Post# 454461 , Reply# 8   7/5/2022 at 20:00 (443 days old) by vap0rtranz (Wisconsin)        
Hunter Zephair

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I have a Hunter Zephair. Daily use. Made in Memphis, TN, USA.

+1 to the 3 in 1 in blue container suggested above. This stuff seems to be getting rarer. Usually the hardware stores here only carry the 3 in 1 _red_ container.

I need to pull mine apart and re-grease but it's still quiet as ever.

Post# 454501 , Reply# 9   7/6/2022 at 16:30 (443 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        
The piano-keyed beauties...

 ...from the 80's included the Galaxy, Lasko, Sanyo, Tatung, Sears, and many other brands.
They were based off the same overall design as shown below.

I have always loved the saphire-blue blades. Just looking at them make me feel cooler! The chrome grilles are a nice touch. Whisper quiet, low power consumption, and good airflow.
I fell in love with these when going to day care as a tot, as they had a 12" blue Galaxy there.
Later I admired the brown and gray bladed ones at Sears (the furthest one at left).
These could be had in a 9" model but they usually had a rotary switch. 15" and 12" wall-mount models were also available.

I had found a Tatung 12" blue-blader in the trash in 1983 or so. I oiled it and used it in my room until I moved out in 1995. My mom kept it and still uses it at her house. All on a single reoil...

Of the three blue-bladed models shown, the Lasko is on the left. I go this at a thrift store and restored it. Only the grille is a little different.
Later that year, the two Galaxies showed up on my back patio, along with a few other small, newer fans.
I finally realized where they came from. My old neighbor across the street had them in his garage. Long ago when I was there I had made a comment of 'if you ever decide to get rid of those, I will take them".
Well he had a stroke a couple years back, recovered, and was starting to downsize. He remembered what I had asked, and he delivered.
I do not need all these, but I will keep them as mementos of him and his family.

I also have a light blue Superlectric 20" box fan with the metal blades. It was a trash find and I had done a paintless resto on it. Works great but it is buried in the shed now...

I have an ugly green spray-painted Manning Bowman 20" metal blade box fan on the patio for general use - another trash find. Did not need anything - runs strong! Unique two-speed single push-button switch.

I have a Toastmaster 20" plastic bladed box fan from the late 90's. This thing was so nasty it took a couple years before I could work on it. I finally cleaned it all up - oven cleaner works wonders on plastic.
This is the latest box fan I will keep. After 2000, the quality was like a snowball rolling downhill.

It is 104* out here now. One cannot have too many fans....

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Post# 454505 , Reply# 10   7/6/2022 at 17:13 (443 days old) by S31463221 (Frenchburg, KY)        
Fan Collector…..

 s31463221's profile picture
Or a wannabe one anyway….I certainly don’t have the funds to afford some of the fans I see collectors have, but I have a modest collection that I’m really proud of. My two favorites that I’ll share here are a 1900 General Electric “Pancake” fan, and an Emerson (can’t remember the model number off the top of my head) from approximately 1907/08……I proudly display (and occasionally use) them in my classroom….

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Post# 454619 , Reply# 11   7/9/2022 at 19:02 (439 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        

S31463221, you certainly have a couple desirables there! Two beauties for sure - have they been restored? Love that black and brass combo.
The GE pancake motoresd units are quite desirable.

I have an 1929 Emerson Jr that I had restored it back in 2013; still use it in the study (aka the nautical room).
I have another older Emerson with brass that I need to restore some day, but right now I enjoy its old patina.
I have several other similar era fans but nothing super collectable. I use many of them to keep me cool, like an old Hunter that is running now. It has polished aluminum blades.

I dig that Polar Cub box!! Amazing how marketing text and pictures were used to make you feel 'cool' on a stifling summer day. It was 107* yesterday - the blast from a fan would feel like a hair dryer!!






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Post# 458240 , Reply# 12   11/28/2022 at 04:54 (298 days old) by Rowdy141 (United Kingdom)        

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America has so many beautiful vintage fans!

My son and I watched "Top Gun" followed by "Top Gun Maverick" at the cinema this summer. In the early scene, with Tom Cruise in the ladies' room, we weren't concentrating on the actors or the dialogue, it was that vintage fan on the wall which caught our eye.

Post# 458294 , Reply# 13   11/29/2022 at 12:14 (297 days old) by texaskirbyguy (Plano, TX)        

You know I cannot remember the last time I had ever seen Top Gun, but I DO clearly remember that vintage fan you had seen. And that was before I was 'into' vintage fans, which would have been around 2011...

That fan would have been a real sighting on a military base in the 80's. Government agencies replaced things only when they were deemed unfixable, no longer met their needs, or were no longer needed. Those old fans last a very long time, even longer when maintained properly.

Fans (and most other things) WERE beautiful back in the old days; not so much anymore due to cost cutting and modern 'decor' trends...

Post# 458311 , Reply# 14   11/30/2022 at 07:09 (296 days old) by OldCrankman (Lawrenceburg, Indiana)        
I did see something that was pretty rare.

 It was a Pink Fan made by Hoover, but unfortunately I didn't get it because the price was more then I could grab it for. I didn't get a photo of it but i wish i did.
It was in great condition but I cant find a photo on the internet about it.


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