David Kilnapp Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Hello fan friends. Today is a sad day for me. My dear mother (age 93) is slipping away and we are waiting for her to pass in the hospital. Her heart was worn out. My wonderful nieces and nephews travelled great distances to sit by mother and wait giving me and my wife a respite. So I went home and found comfort and distraction in finishing a fan's restoration. My wife bought this fan (on eBay) for my 70th birthday present in December. I was quite surprised and pleased. It ran perfectly well on three speeds right out of the box. The fan blades and cage are nickel plated brass. The power cord was not original as you can see and the japanne was unremarkable. It came apart easily. The fiber lever on the switch was broken and glued so I shipped it off to Darryl Hudson for replacement. The headwire was in poor condition so I shipped that off to Tony Clayton for reproduction. The brushes were nearly spent (I had replacements fortunately). The rotor was a bit messy so that was easy to clean. The bottom cardboard cover got a fresh coat of paint and the stator a good cleaning. I used all my tricks on the japanne to bring back the original shine with little success so I stripped it and applied three coats of automotive primer and top coat which turned out ok. I cleaned the motor tag and replaced the oil wicks. The top of the oilers would not unscrew so I left them taped them off for painting. They were very soft so I hesitated to put any muscle into trying to get them out. I sent the bright work, including the oilers (the bottoms) to my friend Ron Bethoney of New England Brass Refinishers for some light polishing of the nickle finish. Yesterday, Tony's wire arrived (perfect reproduction and so pliable and easy to use) and today, the new fiber switch from Darryl. It took no time at all to re-assemble it. It runs perfectly on three speeds though a little noisily until the new brushes get ground down to the shape of the contact point on the rotor. I'm sure it will quiet down after running it for a bit. It's a pretty fan (I've never seen the like of it). I don't know what year this is dated to so I would appreciate any information on that score. Thanks to Tony and Darryl and of course Ron Bethoney (who got a new knee a few days ago) for their excellent work. Best to you all. I hope you have a year free of ill health and sadness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Smith Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Beautiful work on the fan , sorry to hear about your mother, hopefully the fan time gave you a respite . Prayers for your mother & your family! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilnapp Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 Thank you kindly. It's a hard day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Dunaway Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Sorry to hear about you Mom David. I got no relief when I sat with my Mom that last night. Wasn't sad that she was abandoning the body that didn't work anymore, but was flooded with emotions and memories of what a great Mom she was for me and my brother. Brings tears to the corner of my eyes just talking about it & that was 10+ years ago. It was great that you got to have your Mother around for so long !! Moving fanward, that was a great score for you by your wife. That is only the 2nd Carlton of that style that I've seen with a cast iron motor housing. 99% of those are die cast pot metal in construction. That would make me think that it was an early run of that model. I'd have to defer to Russ Huber for more accurate dating of mfg. I was watching that auction and aware of it's uniqueness. So, to quote Russ... "Enjoy your toy." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Adams Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Beautiful fan David, one you should be really proud of. sorry to hear about your mother, that is an incredibly sad difficult journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilnapp Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 (edited) Thank you Stan and Geoff. The friendships that I have made here and the support I have received from so many (prayers and well wishes) is a great comfort to me. A friend told me that I am an orphan now. That's an odd thing. Also, I am now head of a very large family and that is a strange feeling. All the younger folks are calling me....very odd indeed. Edited January 7 by David Kilnapp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Luu Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I remembered. It is always a difficult time. The only thing that got me through as remembering all the happy memories. Having people around with happy stories and stupid ones that make us all laugh does help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Butler Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I hate to hear of your sadness, a future none of us can escape. Your Carleton certainly is a gorgeous distraction! I thought all of them were pot metal. Not an easy fan to find. Your wife did a wonderful job, congrats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cunningham Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Beautiful fan. Sorry about your mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Your mother at 93 years of age appears to have had a long full life with a loving family, she was blessed. Your memories will live on. Time heals all wounds. My mother passed years ago, and the memories stay. As the Dunaway would say, never say never, and enjoy your toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Butler Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 The second page says there is no porcelain in the base. I wonder if they are talking about the switch or referring to the Zephyrs that had a porcelain base? 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Gaines Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Sorry to hear about your Mom David! Love your Little Carlton fan, great job. God Bless You and your family at this sad time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Lagarde Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 David This is a beautiful post. What a blessing that you get to have the last precious days with your mother and what a beautiful motivation to carefully restore this little Carlton. The fan restoration was exceptional. Nice work. Thank you so much for posting this for us. Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark McCormick Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 David - don't believe we've met, but sorry to hear of your mom's passing. No doubt hard process to weather but in time....you'll always have the fond memories. Related to your Carleton fan, interestingly enough, as I write this I am restoring a Carleton 6" BB/BC. I am absolutely stuck thought with reassembly and getting things to fit back up. Would love meet you (phone call?) and chat with you - will send a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilnapp Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 (edited) Thank you ALL! This is what I meant by the many friendships that I have formed with the fine folks in the AFCA. The annual dues are a pittance compared to what I have gotten from being in the club. Russ: You are an unbelievable treasure trove of information. I will print that ad - WONDERFUL - and thank you. Edited January 7 by David Kilnapp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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