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Question from an admitted newbie- In RE: Hunter Ceiling Fans


Lexie Kensington

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So I am a seasoned restorer of things from Model A Fords, pre-war short wave radios, and even Airstream Travel Trailers. But Ceiling Fans are new to me. I am currently working on an Emerson Long Nose 45641 and am enjoying it. I'm a retired broadcasting engineer.

So of course I am looking for another fan for another room.

I understand that Hunter fans long history is ... well... storied. I do like the C17 and the R52 style. Is there a Cut Off year, after which, one should avoid? Are the current production models of the "original" style worth while? I really want another Cast Iron Oil Bath Ceiling Fan and sourcing another Emerson Long Nose seems a Long Shot.

Thanks in Advance

Lexie-

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There are a lot of ceiling fans out there, but shipping is often more than the fan. Hunter's were good up through the 90s for the most part. Somewhere around very late 90s or early 2000s, the originals quit having on oil bath & a cheap Chinese motor was installed, then a cast ring was put in the case, making it heavy & having the original feel. It was a fake. I have ceiling fans in Houston, Andrew Block has lots in New Orleans, Jack Minor has them in Austin. Once again its all about location as most of us refuse to ship. There are usually some ceiling fans available at regional fan meets.

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Since you are interested in acquiring a Hunter, please read this thread, immediately next to yours, What fan is this. A C-18, from their glory days.

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4 hours ago, Stan Adams said:

There are a lot of ceiling fans out there, but shipping is often more than the fan. Hunter's were good up through the 90s for the most part. Somewhere around very late 90s or early 2000s, the originals quit having on oil bath & a cheap Chinese motor was installed, then a cast ring was put in the case, making it heavy & having the original feel. It was a fake. I have ceiling fans in Houston, Andrew Block has lots in New Orleans, Jack Minor has them in Austin. Once again its all about location as most of us refuse to ship. There are usually some ceiling fans available at regional fan meets.

Well this is interesting! Refuse to ship! that would not have taken me very far in antique car restorations! I have shipped windshields, engines, transmissions and whole cars! also antique three-point hitch tractor implements! from Florida to New England yet.

But I also have no problem traveling myself for select items. Are there folks along the east coast? Any regional meets around New York,  Boston,  Philly, Washington DC or the like? Any in the Midwest? I grew up in Indianapolis, but am a Vermonter now.

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Lexie,

Browsing Facebook Marketplace throughout the past few years, I've seen some nice antique Emerson and Hunter ceiling fans pop up in your area.  Not as many as the South, granted, but they are out there.

The C17, Type 52 and R52 are all very solid fans and are straightforward to restore.  The quality remained high until the late 1960s when the finish on the castings declined, and in the early '70s the speed coils were dropped in favor of winding taps for speeds.  The 2.5 Amp motor with a shorter rotor and stator replaced the heavier 1.9 Amp motor in 1978, and tended to hum more.  As a collector, I'll grab 1.9 A motor Hunter Originals but nothing newer.

Hope this helps!

 

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Lexie, Yes there are meets in that area, Tom Zapf has one, there was a meet last week in the Northeast. There is a big meet in Indianapolis next month.

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Thanks for all the guidance folks! I really appreciate it! Sadly, I am unable to get to Indianapolis next month. I farm up here and am pretty busy this time of year! And I missed one just recently Rats! oh, well....

Part of why I enjoy restoring things is the research. Going through the AFCA archives is really amazing. I restored Airstream travel trailers in the early 2000s when even Airstream itself didn't have much information on their 1960s models. I literally had to go to Ohio and talk to folks who were on the assembly line back in the day and see what they could remember!! Crowd sourcing from individuals such as myself, has made that hobby much easier over the years, and the wealth of information online is now fantastic. But it wasn't always that-a-way! The Ford Model A culture has also made that hobby pretty easy. Ford has literally opened their archives to the clubs and you can download original factory blueprints and read service update letters issued to dealership as the production evolved.

I really am learning to appreciate antique fans. Its one vintage item that is completely usable even today. I used to restore prewar shortwave radios. But most of the good listening is gone! Even the BBC stopped shortwave transmissions in favor of satellite distribution. So the beautiful antique radios I put so many hours into, are now dead things on the shelf. Campgrounds turn away vintage trailers now! if its older than 10 years you may not be able to stop in! So my shiny polished Airstream is in a field surrounded by weeds! My Ford car is still fun, but the road rage can be pretty bad. And you really don't want to be in an accident in a vintage car with no airbags or other safety features.

But an antique fan is absolutely just as serviceable, usable and practical as it was when brand new. It makes you think!

I like to point out to folks that the 21st Century has NOT been worth the wait.

Lexie Kensington

 

 

 

 

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I've shipped lots of fans. Not easy or cheap tho but doable. To me the 40's R-52 was probably the pinnacle of the Hunter engineering. After that they started cutting corners to compete.

RE: the C-18. Neat fan but higher maintenance. Hunter eventually figured out the people were not adjusting the fans while they were running and went with adaptair. Same result, much cleaner application.

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Andrew- thanks for that insight

Looking at the C-18 it is clever, but it does look a bit over done. Manufacturing these looks like it could have been a pain, and clearly more expensive. I do not know the Adapt Air set up. Would that be the individual blades' pitch made with a set screw? That to me would be the better manufacturing choice.

Cheers-

Lexie-

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