NOT A. Anyone into vintage fans?

[MrTube]

I'm curious if anyone is into collecting / restoring vintage fans such as Robbins & Myers, GE, Emerson and so on.

I have a 1919 AC\DC R&M Deskfan as well as a 1929 R&M Deskfan.

I'm looking into cleaning both up. Both function great but need some cosmetic work.

I'd love to use the 1919 AC\DC fan but am worried about wearing the commutator bars out. They seem to be in good shape but i'm paranoid about it.



Chris J.

[Special Coupe Frank]

Oh, maybe...


Those AC/DC R&M fans seem to fetch big bucks these days...

I prefer AC induction motors; they run quieter.

Be careful buying fans on-line that have to be shipped; most folks don't know how to pack, and you frequently wind-up with a box of fan parts.

Also, while Emerson made great motors, be careful of their 1930's - '40s "Elephant-ear" blades - they get knocked out of whack REALLY easily, and I've not had any success getting them to run true again.

Robbins & Meyer made a terrific fan; they eventually merged / were acquired by Hunter.

They are my favorite make of fan; GE "Quiet -Blade" and Vortalex fans are nice too, but they are easily knocked out of whack and become "table-walkers"...

Search the web for the Antique Fan Collectors Society...

It's below freezing ... what's turning your thoughts to fans ?

[MrTube]

Originally Posted by Special Coupe Frank

It's below freezing ... what's turning your thoughts to fans ?

Frank, I'm weird you know that.

Actually I sleep with a fan on for the noise. The wife hates it.

Over the weekend a $120 Hunter pedestal fan I've had for 3 years died. Bushings are shot so I started looking into vintage fans again.

The 1929 R&M fan has an amazing sound but moves too much air even on low. I think its a 16 or 17" deskfan. I really need a smaller 10-12" one for my use.

[Special Coupe Frank]

Ditto on the wife-factor.

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

Something like this? 1934 GE model "Whiz"

Jack

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

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I forgot to mention that I bought the fan on "Fleabay" and it is
an oscillating fan that is whisper quiet. The blade span is nine
inches. I paid about 120 bucks for it about three years ago.

Jack

[pooch]

To have something and not use it, and have it handed down unused when you die is for what?

It reminds me of the holden cars in the 50/s that had dealer installed very thick clear plastic seat covers.

They were horrible..slippery and sweaty and looked awful.

But, when the old guy finally sold the holden after 20 years, his main selling point was....look at the seat covers, they are like NEW under that plastic .

20 years of getting stuck to a hot burning plastic seat for WHAT?

Use the fan and enjoy it now.

Your next of kin will probably sell it for 20 cents at a garage sale.

[Chris in WNC]

"Use the fan and enjoy it now."

amen to that!

my previous wife & I used the "good" sterling silver flatware at all three meals everyday for 20 years. much better than keeping it squirreled away in a box until Christmas/Thanksgiving.

when she passed away, she left the silver to her youngest son's wife. They use it every day too!

[Keith True]

I have a few,not that I collect them,I just pick old stuff out of the dump that I think is neat.Here are a couple.It is getting so that I have to squeeze the Model A into this shed.three gas pumps,a candy machine,two hand crank gas or kero pumps,a lubester,some antique battery chargers,milk cans,misc.old garage equipment,all tucked into a 10X16 shed.If somebody rides with me they have to get out before I back into the shed.The pedestal fan is an Arctic Air,and the table model is a GE.They both need switches.The GE has a cracked bakelite switch base,and can probably be glued.They are pretty far down on the to-do list.I have had them for well over 20 years and haven't got to them yet.

[Rowdy]

There are 4 or 5 of the old fans in Grandma's shed. I am not sure if any are in working condition. We will be cleaning out that shed this spring as it needs torn down. We have gone through 2 buildings so far and the neatest item we have found so far is a very early Coleman Hot Plate. I have been watching e-bay for several months and have not seen one like it yet to determine aprox value yet. Rod

[Special Coupe Frank]

Originally Posted by Keith True

I have a few,not that I collect them,I just pick old stuff out of the dump that I think is neat.Here are a couple.It is getting so that I have to squeeze the Model A into this shed.three gas pumps,a candy machine,two hand crank gas or kero pumps,a lubester,some antique battery chargers,milk cans,misc.old garage equipment,all tucked into a 10X16 shed.If somebody rides with me they have to get out before I back into the shed.The pedestal fan is an Arctic Air,and the table model is a GE.They both need switches.The GE has a cracked bakelite switch base,and can probably be glued.They are pretty far down on the to-do list.I have had them for well over 20 years and haven't got to them yet.

Nice Arctic-Aire, and Nice GE ( the color is known as Pullman Green, BTW.).

My very first fan was/is a black Robbins & Meyers 16" oscillator that was found out in the shed of my parents' "new house" when we moved in 1972.

It has faithfully run every summer since. A few years back, I treated it to a new cord and paint job. Just a nice, quiet fan.

Why should I go to All-MAat and buy new Asian plastic that will break in a couple years ?