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Re-Conditioning an 8" Non-Oscillating Westinghouse Fan - Style #755266


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Posted

Over a year ago I picked up this rusty fan without a power cord for just a few dollars, and the pictures show why it was so cheap. And even though it's a humble dime store fan, I liked the size and form so thought I'd see if it could be resurrected. And I'm just now getting around to fixing it. The plan is to clean everything possible in an electrolysis bath because it's fast, easy, and thorough without doing any damage. Despite the extensive corrosion on the outside, the innards are in pretty decent condition. -- But I still don't know if it will run. The only severe damage is to the disintegrated electric cord pigtail, and I'm assuming that's why it's in such disarray. We'll see.

I have a couple of questions I'm hoping someone can help me out with:

1. It's a guess on my part that it's Pre-1950 because I couldn't find any info on it. I did find three sold copies on the web that were claimed to be from the 20's, 30's and 50's, so no help there. Can anyone provide an approximate date for this fan?

2. I'd like to use electrolysis on the base, but before drilling out the hollow tubular rivets in the two holes that attach the fiberboard(?) base, I've been trying to find replacements to no avail. Also, the bottom is completely flat and the rivets stop just short of the bottom of the nearly 1/4" fiberboard. My solution may be to use machine screws and acorn nuts, filing the nut heads as thin as possible and then using thick felt around the bottom. Has anyone run into this situation, and have a better solution?

Also, everything on the back motor cover is riveted in place and there's no way I could competently replace those. The switch lever is made of some type of fiberboard and is part of that riveted section, so I'll definitely have to clean that part by hand. I think the fan just has some form of acrylic paint so it may not be so bad. Maybe.

Surprising note, at least for me... I found small amounts of original green paint on the switch lever and on the nuts and cage stays on the front. I assume those are factory touch-ups. It's possible that everything was painted the same green color until wear and corrosion took over, but the nuts and cage stays aren't completely corroded. A small mystery.

Everybody likes pictures, so here you are... Photoshop helped out with the bad lighting, but the colors are a bit off.

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My phone brings out the natural rusty sheen.

 

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I forgot to take pictures before disassembling, so this is just a loose fitting. The green on the motor cover is more representative of what's left of the original paint, though it's not quite that bright. PS changed colors on different parts of the fan in different ways.

 

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Hoping a light application of polishing compound should make the badge presentable, if not like new.

 

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A simple fan, mostly disassembled.

 

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Intact label on the base. The rivet bottom can be seen at the 9:00 position.

 

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Tubular rivet head in a recessed opening.

 

Thanks in advance for any info you might be able to provide!    - George

  • Like 2
Posted

Thanks Russ! I honestly didn't expect any replies at all from the talented people on this forum. After all, it's just a cheap dime store fan. But it's a small step above a throw-away in my mind. The feebay listing for $100 made me laugh as I can't imagine anyone paying more than $30, even if it's in running condition. Now I'll have to keep an eye on that post to see if anyone actually buys it at that price.

After posting I was looking at some of the amazing Dayton restorations posted here. Most of those were beautiful before the immaculate restorations. Someday I'll find a beat-up Dayton I can afford to buy and then not be afraid to work on. And then I'll likely have some serious and meaty questions.

Posted
8 hours ago, George Grant said:

I honestly didn't expect any replies at all from the talented people on this forum. After all, it's just a cheap dime store fan. But it's a small step above a throw-away in my mind. The feebay listing for $100 made me laugh as I can't imagine anyone paying more than $30, even if it's in running condition. 

WHO WE ARE

 

Inquisitive GroupThe mission of the Antique Fan Collectors Association (AFCA) is to be an organization for the education and promotion of the understanding of antique electrical and mechanical fans: their history, operation, preservation, collection and restoration.

The AFCA also supports the creation, maintenance, research upon and distribution of historical records regarding antique fan production: including fan manufacturers names and details on models and styles produced, dates of production, quantities of production, etc. The AFCA supports the publishing of this and other educational information regarding antique fans’ history, collection, maintenance, repair, conservation and safe methods of shipment. 

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Posted

Been there done that, George. Good luck restoring yours.

Posted

I like your pictures, as they show just a little bit of age from decades of use. Like most of us. But corrosion taking over is never a good look. Good or bad it'll of course be an easy rebuild, and the rust intervention should keep this little fan around for years to come.

Who Are We? Judging by the screen grab, it appears the answer is - reporters from The Daily Planet. (Is that a bird, is it...)

Posted
19 minutes ago, George Grant said:

 the rust intervention should keep this little fan around for years to come.

That's the spirit. They all hold a slot in time in the evolution of electric fans. 🙂

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  • 1 month later...
Posted

I like that Montgomery Wards fan. Any idea of the year and who made them for MW?

Sidetrack -- In my teens I walked into the Automobile section of the local MW and found a one-man gyro-copter for sale. The super-long blades had to be propped up and it was a beauty. I was fascinated and spent hours in the library researching them. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to find an airport that offered lessons. And then I found the bad news. They were experimental and very dangerous with lots of people meeting their maker when flying them. That squelched my curiosity but I never forgot. My favorite part of the Mad Max franchise was in Mad Max 2 when the gyro-copter made an appearance. That led to plans to build a homemade hovercraft and I bought two sets of plans. Even attended a couple of hovercraft meets in Tennessee, but ultimately there wasn't enough room to build it at home or at my friend's house who wanted to assist. Still don't have the room. I may move to Florida in the next couple of years, and...  Oh well, enough of that. Thanks for the memories!

Posted

The fan is about halfway refurbished and I'm presented with what appears to be a small hurdle and I'm hoping someone can share their knowledge and experience.

The two (previously cut) coil leads were loose and floppy but did show continuity on my multi-meter. After some work on other parts of the fan and before adding a new electric cord I soldered two pigtails and then added heat shrink. When checking  again, continuity failed.

After some detective work a break was found less than 1/4" from the coil on one lead. And I'm getting bad vibes from the other floppy lead too. My hope is to properly attach pigtails on the first try so I'm not digging through the coil for hidden lead(s) later on.

With my limited electric knowledge I just want to be sure the plans won't somehow affect the stator - or that I'm doing something otherwise ill-advised. And maybe find a better solution.

That brings me to my questions:
1. Given the awkward position and close proximity to the coil, I'm wondering if there's a better way to connect the pigtail than with a soldering gun. Perhaps a liquid or low temp solder?
2. After adding heat-shrink to the pigtail connection, I want to stiffen and strengthen the connection at the coil with a few drops of Super Glue or epoxy. It will be applied where the short piece of coil wire exits the cloth covering.
3. Coil lead strain relief. There is none, and there's absolutely no place to tie the leads down. The stator is pressed into the front half of the motor cover and the leads must connect to the switch in the back half of the motor cover. Since the small wires coming from the stator cannot withstand much manipulation, I'm planning on gluing the pigtails to the inside face of the stator that faces the back cover. -- Probably wrap the two pigtails together with friction tape and then secure the friction tape to the stator body with epoxy.

Any thoughts or guidance?
Thanks for any assistance or opinions you can provide!
- George

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