Posted October 24, 2005

This is a General Electric Prepayment Fan. It is just like a juke box -- you had to put a nickel in it to get 5 minutes of cool air!! This fan was made in 1905 -- back when electricity was QUITE expensive -- a nickel then is equivalent to something like $1.50 today. These were available in luxury hotels and are quite akin to those "mini-bars" that have outrageously sexpensive snacks in them. This would have set you back about $30 (of today's dollars) per hour

You can go to the website of the American Fan Collectors Association to learn a whole lot more about fans, but even they have nothing like this in their gallery.

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Posted October 22, 2005

This photo was sent to us by our friend "Acme Ron" from Arizona. He writes:

Here is a fan I've had a long time. It is marked "Progress WO3", no patent numbers. The rubber blades are still flexible. Wraps up like an airplane, very high speed. I stuck my finger in the blades to see what happens and my finger just bounced off from the front because of the speed. On the end is another matter, feels like a meat slicer.

You can go to the website of the American Fan Collectors Association to learn a whole lot more about fans, but even they have nothing like this in their gallery.

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Posted April 5, 2002

I do not own this fan, although I wish that I did. I spotted it in a roadside store in Moorefield, West Virginia, which is WAY off the beaten path. The store has the original wiring and pressed tin ceiling. I looked at the circuit and it looked like there was a rectifier serving the fan. From all appearnces, this is a very early DC ceiling fan. This is way beyond me and I would welcome any input from those with more knowledge.

You can go to the website of the American Fan Collectors Association to learn a whole lot more about fans, but even they have nothing like this in their gallery.

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Posted June 15, 2001

I was very lucky to find this little fan in a thrift store in Front Royal. The lady charged me $5 for it as shown in the first photo. The fan sort of worked, but it was "lazy" on startup. This generally means that the bearings need attention or that there is a wiring problem. Also, it appeared that someone had applied a coat of paint to the fan at some time to cover up some rust damage. Thus, the fan became a prime candidate for restoration.

This gives me a chance to show you what is inside a fan. The second photo illustrates the basic elements of most desk fans. There isn't much, so you should not have a whole lot of fear about fixing fans. The items are organized into two roughly concentric circles:
The Outer Circle, labeled clockwise, starting at about 1:00

• (a)The Fan Blade
• (b)The Base (shaped like a tear drop)
• (c)The Stator showing Armature and Head Wires
• (d)The Blade Guard
• (e)The Motor Housing (decorative)
• (f)The Oscillator Gearbox

• (g)The Front Motor Case and Bearing
• (h)The Badge (goes in the center of the Blade Guard)
• (i)The Rotor
• (j)The Oscillator shaft

The Oscillator is the mechanism to make the fan "nod" from side to side.

The Rotor (part "i" ) fits inside the Stator (c). Electrical current comes through the headwires and flows into the Armature, which is a series of electromagnets. The rotor makes and breaks contacts turning on (and off) each of the electromagnets --- which in turn "pull" the rotor around. One end of the rotor is attached to the blade (a) and the other is attached to the Oscillator Gearbox (f). The Front Motor Case (g) attaches to the gearbox to contain the Rotor and Stator. The Oscillator Shaft (j) attaches to the heavily weighted base (b) and the Gearbox (f). A "nose cone" Motor Housing (e) covers the oscillator mechanism. The Blade Guard (d) attaches to the motor case for safety. The Badge (h) is the manufacturer's nameplate.

Isn't that simple!

Actually, you can go to the website of the American Fan Collectors Association to learn a whole lot more about all of these concepts

The finished fan re-creates some decorative touches that were found when I removed the dull green paint. My thanks to the guys at the Monarch Paint store on Connecticut Avenue who helped me match the exact colors. When the fan is in operation, the blades appear to have several concentric rings of green and white.

For those with more technical interests, here are the details from the manufacturer's nameplate:

To see more Diehl Fans from other collectors, Click Here. One of our readers sent us a photo of a curious "Diehl Fan Table", which we discuss below with "Hassock Fans".

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Robbins & Myers four blade motor driven oscillating table/desk fan. The 14" guard is composed of rings held together by "S" shaped wires at the center of the guard is the "R-M" initials (in Art Nouveau script) emblazoned on a pennant.

Robbins & Myers fans were known for durability and high quality. We have determined from the serial number, and the handy reference guide at the website of the American Fan Collectors Association that this fan was made in 1927 and is one of a group of 130,000. The best thing is that it works PERFECTLY. All we did was clean it.

For those of you with interest in details, here is the information from the manufacturer's nameplate:

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This is our gorgeous Roto-Beam fan. This is one of my most favored objects from the 1930s, because it really embodies the spirit of the Air Age. At the time, sophisticated young people were fascinated with the flowing streamlined shapes that were evolving out of aircraft design.

The fan rotates 360 degrees around the vertical axis and is suspended in a "harp" that permits it to rotate 90 degrees around its horizontal axis. It makes a great floor fan or desk fan --or-- using a clever mount on the back, it may be hung on a wall. It is very utilitarian. It is also well built. The blade, base, and harp are all heavy cast aluminum. The motor case is chrome-plated steel, the cage is chrome plated copper wire. The motor has extra-heavy duty winding on the armature which is, in turn, sealed with phenolic resin.

This fan is really a sculptural object --- the proportions are very elegant. The fan blade is exceptionally well-designed and machined to very fine tolerances; in addition to the Air Age, the blade also suggests some kind of exotic marine creature. The base has classic "Style Moderne" decoration, including the famous " four paralell lines" made famous by Raymond Loewy. The words "Roto Beam" are presented in typography that makes the letters look like they are composed of lighning bolts. The yellow cloth cord is a really zany touch

With the sole exception of cleaning approximately 60 years of dirt, the fan is in perfect condition. We found it for about $5 at a junk store near Haussner's Restaurant on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore.

Our Fan Guru, who is also a "Fan" of Rob Bamberger's show, has this to say:

From Dave: "I saw your Roto Beam. Looks great. It is an earlier one. The Roto Beam salesman's book I have emphasizes, in typical marketing of the period, that Roto-Beams are not fans... they are Air Circulators! (well excuse me!) A little over blown (excuse the pun), but they were definitely unique."

For pictures of more great Roto-Beam fans, check out the website of the American Fan Collectors Association.

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This is a very inusual item: It has a Robbins & Myers guard, but is really an Emerson fan. The guard is 16 inches in diameter. Given its age and condition, it looks like something happened to the Emerson blade guard and the Robbins & Myers guard was substituted. (It seems to fit perfectly and it does not appear that someone drilled new holes to fit it on.)

We have determined from the serial number, and the handy reference guide at the website of the American Fan Collectors Association that the fan was made in about 1934 and is one of a group of 164,000. In the Emerson serial number (73648) The first two digits tell the model number ("73"), the next digit tells the alternating current required ("6" = 60 cycles), the next digit tells the number of blades ("4" = 4 blades) and the rightmost digit tells the radius of the fan ("8" = 8 inches). Of course, this was obvious when we looked at the fan...

The fan needed to be restored from the ground up. The old fabric-covered cord had to be replaced and there was considerable rust. So, we disassembled everything and wound up with six coffee cans filled with parts. This is the most complex fan that we have ever restored. If you are interested, the shaft of the motor is cast directly into the rear motor casing, providing incredible stability. The speed is controlled directly within the motor by using various portions of the field coils; accordingly, there are three "head wire" connections to be made to the very delicate leads emerging from the coils. We are indebted to Dave Friedlund of the Fan Collectors Website for help and assistance on the restoration of the wiring

After a brand new paint job, the fan looks like we took it off the showroom floor. At high speed, it could double as a wind machine and it is perfectly quiet. They don't make fans like this anymore!

Our Fan Guru, who is also a "Fan" of Rob Bamberger's show, has this to say:

From Dave: "Emersons are extremely well built and usually will last forever if taken care of." We throughly agree with him!

For those of you with further interest in the technical details, here is the information from the manufacturer's nameplate

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This fan was very far gone and required a complete bottom-to- top restoration. Both parts of the stand were intitially chromed, but there was too much deterioration on the bottom part to save it, so we painted it white so that it would fit in with the kitchen, where it proudly stands.

The interesting thing is the speed control which is a rheostat (a device which lowers voltage by resistance, converting electrical energy to heat). The thing that looks like a microphone is a perforated housing that vents this heat.

In its gleaming new configuration, it provides a refresing breeze in the kitchen. For those with more detailed technical interest, the information on the manufacturer's name plate is:

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This is a great little General Electric fan from the 1930s. It is an unusual white color and an inspection of the base hints that it was wall-mounted. These two taken together lead us to believe that it may have been used in a hospital. Whatever its prior use, it is in great shape now and needed no restoration other than a cleaning.

For those with interest in technical detail, here is the information from the manufacturer's name plate:

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This is a A Freshn'd Aire Model F-12 "Hassock Fan" tan on top, battleship gray on the bottom. The mechanical parts were in excellent condition; all we had to do was replace the cord. The body of the fan is made of molded fiberglass and cleaned up with a little Bon Ami cleanser and water.

This is a great fan that gently circlates air, picking cool air up at the bottom and passing it out through the vents at the top. The concept is to circulate air in a room while providing additional use for the space taken up by the fan -- especially when it wasn't being used. These fans often can be run in reverse as well, moving air from about chair height and dispersing it along the floor. This could be quite effective in dealing with tobacco smoke -- to the extent that they (at least) kept it out of people's eyes while diluting it.

Our Fan Guru has this to say:

From Dave: "Hassock fans were introduced (I think) in the mid 40's. Keep an eye out for a 'Welch Air-Flight' in clear Lucite. Real neat looking."

For those with interest in technical detail, here is the information from the manufacturer's name plate:

Here is a photo of a "Fan Table" made by the Diehl Corporation of Finderne, New Jersey. (It is Model 1672-2, catalog number 1a2f16).

Diehl Fan table

I have some serious doubts about the aerodynamic performance of this item.

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This is a great example of what collectors call a "Drug Store Fan" --- Generally, these were cheaply made, but had an enchanting design. They were sold at Drug Stores for half to a third of the price of quality fans. In order to conceal the fact that they were not as substantial as the fans sold in appliance stores, they most often used dramatic colors and lettering to attract the customer. Because they were not very well made, many were discarded. This leads to the contadiction - -- these are mechanically junk, but they are also quite rare. Thus, a mediocre "Drug Store Fan" can often fetch much higher prices than quality fans. I particularly like this one because the letters in the word "ZERO" appears to be made of melting ice.

There is actually a little bit of technical detail on this fan. From the manufacturer's nameplate, we have:

Check the website of the American Fan Collectors Association for more cleverly designed Drug Store fans. Also, check out our special page on all kinds of Drug Store Appliances including toasters, fans, mixers and others.

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This is a very nice General Electric oscillating fan with a wonderful art-deco inspired bracket. The red, black and chrome color scheme is just marvelous. The only problem seems to be that there is no manufacturer's plate, so I can't give you any technical detail!

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This is a great little room heater from the 1950s. It has a ceramic frame inside and nichrome wire is strung around it. A small pressed-metal blade, driven by a cheesy little moto blows the air out the grille. This is most assuredly a "Drug Store Heater" --- cheaply made, but with an enchanting design, particularly the palm tree on the badge. The piece, obtained at a flea market in Westminster, has a position of honor in the Florida powder room.

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This is a room heater, pretty much the opposite of a fan. What's it doing here? The answer is that a whole lot of fan companies also made heaters, spreading their business over the whole year. This device has a whole lot in common with the fan - -- a base, housing and protective grille. There is, however, no motor. There is a heat element which is composed of nichrome wire wound around a ceramic core. Electricity is delivered to the element and the core heats up. The highly polished parabolic relector focuse the heat outward. This heater has the additional wrinkle of modularizing the heating element --- the ceramic core has a thread on the end just like a light bulb. The core could be replaced easily if the wire burned out. For my money, this is about the prettiest of these heaters that I have ever seen. I found it in a junk pile in Culpeper and took it away for $5, mainly because it was getting late and I didn't have time to haggle...

For those of you with interest in Technical detail, here is the information from the manufacturer's nameplate

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