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AFCA Forums > Antique Fan Collectors Association > Pre-1950 (Antique) > What Kind of Fan is this? GE star oscillator hoop handle?
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AFCA Forums > Antique Fan Collectors Association > Pre-1950 (Antique) > What Kind of Fan is this? GE star oscillator hoop handle? | |||||
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| What Kind of Fan is this? GE star oscillator hoop handle? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Thu Sep 1st, 2011 08:22 am |
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1st Post |
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Shawn Sass Guest
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I have an old fan I'd like to restore and it works just fine in all speeds, but there are a few things I am wondering about it before beginning the restoration. 1) what is it? The motor plate says GE and has the information shown below, but the center of the cage says "Western Electric" (see picture below). Is it the correct cage, or should I try to find a replacement badge? 2) Where can I find a gear for the oscillator? The horizontal worm gears look fine, but the gear on the vertical adjustment "star" shaft is totally stripped. Are these type of parts hard to find? 3) what color should I re-paint it? It looks like it might have been green at one time, but I'm not sure if it's the actual color or a primer base or something. 4) Should the cage be polished brass, or be painted the same color as the rest of the fan? The info on the motor tag says: Alternating current fan motor No. 1444241 Cat. 75423 Type AO Form T1 Volts 110 Cyc 60 Pat. Feb 6, 1906 General electric co USA My grandpa always had this fan hanging in his wood working shop in the basement of his house. When they had an estate sale and moved to a retirement home, I grabbed the fan cause I remember being fascinated by it as a boy since it was so dangerous with the wide open cage. It's really dirty and covered in sawdust, but I think it's pretty complete and mechanically sound. The cage needs a little straightening, but that should be easy. I'd love to get it all cleaned up and restored and then show it to my grandpa. Heck, he might even want to use it again! I'm sure the oscillator gear is stripped due to the way my grandpa had it hanging by the handle and the cage was stopped against the corner wall so it couldn't turn. Thanks for any info you can share. I'm sure I'll be asking a lot more questions once I get started and I'll post lots of pictures.    Attached Image (viewed 832 times):
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| Posted: Thu Sep 1st, 2011 08:30 am |
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2nd Post |
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Lewis Fitzgerald-Holland Guest 
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Bad news is your fan has been pieced together it appears. It was at one point a star oscillator, looks to have been a two star. The cage is incorrect as well as the blade which looks to have come off of a century. The brass bell under the oscillation mech is not original, that would have been a disk with a star underneath. Hopefully you can find the replacement parts you need, though it may take some time.
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| Posted: Thu Sep 1st, 2011 08:46 am |
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3rd Post |
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Steve Stephens Guest 
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You still have a nice fan. A proper GE cage shouldn't be too hard to find. The cage on the fan now is a Robbins & Myers made cage rebadged for Western Electric. R&M made their fans of this era (1920s). The FORM T gives your fans date as 1917-18. The cage would have been wrapped (not welded) steel but could have had some brass wires in it. The blade, most likely, would have been gold painted steel or brass plated steel. WWI you know so the use of brass was curtailed by some fan makers. Color was probably a shade of dark or olive green typical of GE fans of this time. Look in the nooks and crannies or inside the base to see if you can see some unmolested original paint. GE fans were black until about 1916 when they went with dark green in various shades through the 30s on most of their models. Parts should be reasonably easy to find with some looking and a want ad on the buy-sell-trade forum. The best part is that your fan was made during a time when it was one of the better models of the GE AOU oscillator and it isn't too rare to find parts. Ask your Grandpa if he remembers the fan when it had a GE cage on it. Maybe the fan fell and the cage got killed. It's also possible that someone built the fan up from a parts fan and other parts. See if you can read the date on the paper tag on the bottom of the fan. It's manufacture date would be sometime after that, as much as several years perhaps.
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| Posted: Thu Sep 1st, 2011 08:25 pm |
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4th Post |
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Shawn Sass Guest
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Thanks for the info gentlemen. I've posted a list of some items needed on the buy, trade, sell section based on what you've told me. The search begins!
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| Posted: Sat Sep 3rd, 2011 07:48 am |
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5th Post |
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Shawn Sass Guest
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Steve Stephens wrote: Color was probably a shade of dark or olive green typical of GE fans of this time. Look in the nooks and crannies or inside the base to see if you can see some unmolested original paint. GE fans were black until about 1916 when they went with dark green in various shades through the 30s on most of their models. You're right Steve, I took off the bottom plate and pried back the backing paper a bit to reveal the dark olive drab color. Here's a picture of it against something black to show the green better. Should I just take the piece in and try to match the color, or is there a known color code I can reference? Attached Image (viewed 792 times):
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| Posted: Sat Sep 3rd, 2011 07:52 am |
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6th Post |
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Lewis Fitzgerald-Holland Guest
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I don't know if you can find an exact match, but rustoleum charleston Green I've heard is a good match for the GE paint. Last edited on Sat Sep 3rd, 2011 07:52 am by Lewis Fitzgerald-Holland |
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| Posted: Sat Sep 3rd, 2011 08:21 am |
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7th Post |
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Steve Stephens Guest
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I'd take the color in to try to match. Then you'd have to have it put in a spray can or be able to spray it yourself. My recollection of Charleston Green after seeing a fan painted with that color is that it was not a good match for a GE green. But I also think I've seen the color in the store and it looked like it might match. Photos can distort the color from the actual look. And remember that GE used at least three shade of green over the years. I don't think they had a name for their greens such as Hunter green or Pullman Green. Pullman green was not a definite color but came in various shades...just like GEs' greens. You just have to end up with a color or shade that pleases you.
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