Emerson 6250-D: Still not sure if I'm keeping it or letting someone else take it and do a better job with it

[Hannah Dannehy]

It looked derelict, so I took it home. Upon further inspection, this thing's been through a lot. Someone managed to snap that twist-collar on the oscillator and then lose the connecting screw. I couldn't even plug it in because (of course) the wiring was crunchy and deceased. So it was a bit of a gamble whether it was worth paying for and rewiring since I couldn't give it a test spin.

It rattled dreadfully from inside the motor when I could finally turn it on. I suspect the bearings feel every one of their 80ish years. I've gotten it to quiet down by balancing the blades. However, my skills are limited to eyeball-balancing the blades, splicing in new headwires and power cords, and general cleaning. If it needs anything else, I'll have to hand it on to someone else. But I have to admit, the blades polished up really nicely after like five successive applications of Brasso. 

If the motor is still reasonably rattle-free and cool after running for several hours, it needs a new oscillating collar and shoulder screw since someone managed to snap the one that was on it. And of course, I have to re-felt the base. But if it resumes rattling like a knicknack shelf when the train's passing by, expect to see this in the BST.

 

I have to admit, those bronze blades look damn pretty when it spins up. It's like a golden finger-slicing cloud in there.