Western Electric branded Westinghouse fans

[James Lawson]

I've got a couple of Western Electric branded Westinghouse fans in my collection. Both are stamped steel motors. I was wondering if Western Electric started selling the Westinghouse stamped steel fans as soon as they were introduced in 1912, as I have not seen a 1912 Western Electric catalog. One of mine is a model W165236 with a tag microdate of what appears to be 11-10-11 (month number is slightly obscured, but I'm positive the last digit is 11) and the last patent on the tag is 1910. That would likely put it as 1912 production.

Does anyone have a 1912 Western Electric catalog? If so, can you look and see if this model is listed?

 

[Russ Huber]

If your WE marketed stamp steel was manufactured in 12, the fan was manufactured by Westinghouse and would have 1912 design and components. Brass bearing keepers for one. Possible 2 speed only selection. Date stamping on the blade hub spider. The cast brass bearing keepers are riveted on to the housing. The later die cast (pot metal) bearing keepers were held in place by from the inside by screws. The two bearing keepers (earlier/later) were also of different casting.

Edited June 15, 2024 by Russ Huber

[James Lawson]

This one doesn't have the two digit number on the hub spider. It's a Westinghouse blade, but it might be a slightly later replacement.

Did Westinghouse offer an oscillator in '12? The Nov 1911 microdate is the earliest one I've seen on a stamped steel WE badged Westy.

[Russ Huber]

[Russ Huber]

1 hour ago, James Lawson said:

This one doesn't have the two digit number on the hub spider. It's a Westinghouse blade, but it might be a slightly later replacement.

Did Westinghouse offer an oscillator in '12? The Nov 1911 microdate is the earliest one I've seen on a stamped steel WE badged Westy.

Post some pictures of it. 2 speed or 3 speed? Bearing caps riveted on?

[James Lawson]

I'll look at it closer when I get back home. I haven't studied it too closely yet, other than to note the microdate on the motor tag and the hub spider being dateless.

[Russ Huber]

2 hours ago, James Lawson said:

I'll look at it closer when I get back home. 

Don't know how to take and post pictures?

[James Lawson]

I'm away from home on work travel right now. I'll check it out closer and take a couple pictures when I get back.

[James Lawson]

I called my wife last night to have her look at the fan since I'm going to be away for work for a while (she's the one who found this fan, by the way). She said the bearing caps have small dimples in them and no rivets, so it sounds like the later ones where they are attached from the inside. I have a non-oscillating Westinghouse with the rivets, so I know exactly what you're talking about. She also said it looked and felt like it has three speeds, but the only way I know of to tell for sure is to open the base and look at it. For that matter, the tank switches I've seen look like they are three speed from the outside, but as far as I know, all tanks only had two.

So if it has the bearing caps fastened from the inside, would it be a '13? If it's later than that, this will be the biggest discrepancy I ever saw between a motor tag microdate and the actual date of manufacture.

 

[Russ Huber]

21 minutes ago, James Lawson said:

I called my wife last night to have her look at the fan since I'm going to be away for work for a while. She said the bearing caps have small dimples in them and no rivets.

If there are protruding dimples there, those are the rivets. You should call your employer and tell them you need to come home and take pictures of your antique fan. My bet is they will be very cooperative and probably pay you your travel time and wages until this high priority mystery is resolved.  🙂

[James Lawson]

On 6/18/2024 at 3:11 PM, Russ Huber said:

If there are protruding dimples there, those are the rivets. You should call your employer and tell them you need to come home and take pictures of your antique fan. My bet is they will be very cooperative and probably pay you your travel time and wages until this high priority mystery is resolved.  🙂

Hey, I wish! I was even supposed to have had a day off today for the Federal holiday that I didn't get!

I asked her about the dimples on the bearing caps and she said they are concave, not protruding, so it sounds like they are fastened from the inside. When I get back home, I'll look for sure and snap a couple pictures.

[Russ Huber]

13 minutes ago, James Lawson said:

I asked her about the dimples on the bearing caps and she said they are concave, not protruding

Ouch. The later die cast (pot metal) bearing caps were nowhere near 1912 manufacture. 

[James Lawson]

41 minutes ago, Russ Huber said:

Ouch. The later die cast (pot metal) bearing caps were nowhere near 1912 manufacture. 

Interesting.

I wonder why the motor has the tag microdate of Nov 1911. I've not heard of a discrepancy this wide before with Westinghouse fans - all the ones I've seen before showed evidence of being made within about 12 months of the tag microdate. Usually with the date on the hub spider, which I did not see on this one. I'm wondering if Western Electric may have contracted Westinghouse to build a pre-determined number of fans in late 1911, the tags were made up as the first step in fulfilling the contract, and for whatever reason, the production of the fans ordered in the contract was delayed? When I get back home, I'm going to need to take a closer look at my other Western Electric Westinghouse and see its microdate and hub spider date. 

Just curious, are there any known 1912 Westinghouse fans out there with the Western Electric branding? If not, that might lend some merit to a delayed contract theory. It would be interesting to see sales figures from the first half of the decade or so, though I'm sure those were lost many years ago.

 

[Russ Huber]

27 minutes ago, James Lawson said:

Just curious, are there any known 1912 Westinghouse fans out there with the Western Electric branding?

When you get home take pictures and post them. Then we'll get to the bottom of this. WE marketed Westinghouse fans WERE on the market in 12.

Edited June 20, 2024 by Russ Huber

[Russ Huber]

You don't have to go home and take pictures, I think this Ebay fan is a duplicate to your example? Now, what I am not sure of is what were the 1912 OSCILLATING model bearing caps made of? I know the Westinghouse stationary drawn steel 1912 model bearing caps were cast brass. Anyone have a confirmed 1912 Westinghouse stamp steel oscillator?  I sold all my earlier Westinghouse/WE stamp steel oscillators; I have nothing to reference.

Antique Western Electric (Rebadged Westinghouse) Brass 12" Oscillating Desk Fan | eBay

Edited June 20, 2024 by Russ Huber

[James Lawson]

That *might* even be the same one. My wife only gave this one to me a few weeks back, which awakened my interest in all things Western Electric again. She didn't say where she got it from. Will confirm once I get back home.

[Joe Mcclelland]

Did westinghouse ever make a fan with two blades