Jump to content

Importance of proper length oil wick.


Paul Carmody

Recommended Posts

The foreground shaft is in a near pristine fan that someone along the way,or maybe a factory worker put a wick that was too long and bottomed out with no spring action.Notice the deep groove from wick right compared to the wick on the left that was proper length on a greasy well used fan with an unworn shaft.The old crusty fan had caked oil everywhere and was probably oiled regular.The bearing is also shot on the grooved shaft fan .But the transplant is near ready.

5EAF7A6C-5822-4E14-BCD0-AA5B5822843A.jpeg

 

Edited by Paul Carmody
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I ran into a new one on this Westinghouse.Something to check before assembly.It would run fine then make terrible noise.Sometimes it sounded like it was binding at startup.I would shake it around and mess with the blade and it would go away ,almost.There is virtually no slack in the bearing so I determined that was not the problem. I had used the spacers from the original to the transplant rotor because they were in better shape.The brass spacer on the left is rear and it covers the rear bearing exact .To distribute load I would assume.The one on the right is front and must be the proper OD as the rotor snout fits with precision into the front bearing case.These brass  spacers were consistent in both fans.As it turned out the inside diameter of the spacers to the shaft fit too snug,and the front one  was  causing the rotor to bind in the front case ,and on the shaft itself judging by the marks.I lightly sanded the ID of the spacers so they fit slightly looser on the shaft.After the painstaking realignment of the front bearing case once again ,this is one good running motor.All that can be heard is the blade and wind.

Don’t worry,this is the junk that was replaced!

F0CE6FCE-0975-47A5-95A0-CE660E8A3BE1.jpeg

Edited by Paul Carmody
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Keith Wheaton said:

Interesting finds! As a novice, this begs the question - how does one properly create a wick of the correct length?

When you reinsert your new wick with spring just prior to threading the cup in, you can feel the pressure exerted against the wick/shaft. If it feels excessive, it probably is. Untread it and check the shaft compression against the wick. 

BTW......deep grooves in the shaft didn't happen in one weeks 24/7 operation. If you are running the fan here or there, please sleep well at night. Lol.

Edited by Russ Huber
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Russ Huber said:

When you reinsert your new wick with spring just prior to threading the cup in, you can feel the pressure exerted against the wick/shaft. If it feels excessive, it probably is. Untread it and check the shaft compression against the wick.

What if it is the flip up cap style without a spring? I have an Emerson 29646 I'll hopefully be reassembling soon.

 

5 minutes ago, Russ Huber said:

BTW......deep grooves in the shaft didn't happen in one weeks 24/7 operation. If you are running the fan here or there, please sleep well at night. Lol.

Right haha! I've got an nearly-100 y/o fan that survived this long; I'd love to do whatever I can to give it the opportunity to last another 100.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Keith Wheaton said:

What if it is the flip up cap style without a spring? I have an Emerson 29646 I'll hopefully be reassembling soon.

That is an oil bath lubrication system, you would need to consult with Dr. Thomas Newcity of the Emerson research facility. 

DSC_1465.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The wick was crammed so tight you can tell the bearing area in first pick is also worn.I first tried the fan it ran fairly quiet with a slight rattle and it made it feel like there was no slack in bearing.Once the tension was off it sounded like a model A running with a rod knock.This was after the restoration was near completion that I discovered the shaft and bearing wear.Just the wear on the wick surface didn’t cause a lot concern.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Keith Wheaton said:

What if it is the flip up cap style without a spring? I have an Emerson 29646 I'll hopefully be reassembling soon.

 

Right haha! I've got an nearly-100 y/o fan that survived this long; I'd love to do whatever I can to give it the opportunity to last another 100.

50-60 drops of zoom spout into a dry emerson.

Read this post...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Roger Borg said:

50-60 drops of zoom spout into a dry emerson.

Read this post...

 

Very interesting rabbit hole! Thanks for the link.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...