It is VERY difficult to find folks willing to work on "vintage"
Electric Fans, primarily due to parts
availability and the lack of techs.
Electric Fans from the early to late-middle 20th Century can be
wonderful things and are generally built to last many (as in 50+) years
or more. However, there are some aspects of them that time and use (or
the lack of) is no friend. Rubber / Plastic parts (not many 'plastic'
parts on the classics), cloth parts and lubricants do degrade over time. The moving parts always rely on lubricants to function properly and
there are commonly a rubber parts / components as well. Most 'vintage' or
'antique' fans
you see available today, were originally sold from the early1900's through the
early 1960's. Thus at best, one of the 'classic' electric fans is probably at least
40 years old and more likely 60+.
Interesting things happen to 40+ year old
lubricants and rubber parts. Lubricants actually coagulate and will cause
"close tolerance" parts to seize or freeze up rendering them
immobile. Rubber parts can become brittle and cracked, only to break
when a the part is manipulated or the unit is started up. The rubber can also revert back towards
it's natural state and become a gooey tar. AC cords have most certainly
lost some if not all of their insulating qualities and are therefore
'un-safe'. Virtually every used
fan out there will need and require 4-18 or possibly more hours of technician time
to be brought to a minimum of "usable" state or a 'fully restored'
state. Simply 'repairing' an obvious
symptom, is typically not enough to address the issues a machine may
have to any degree of usefulness. The main 'fix' for a 40-80 year old
fan (or any electro-mechanical device for that matter) is to have 'the clock rolled back' on it.
Most of these folks should be able to assist in the
repair / restoration of your 'Vintage / Antique' Electric Fans by brands
such as; Adams-Bagnal "Jandus" fans, Air-Castle, / BERSTED MFG "ESKIMO",
Barber-Coleman Electric Fans, Century, Command-air electric fans,
Crocker / Curtis electric fans, Antique Dayton desk and Ceiling Fans,
Vintage Diehl Ceiling Fans, Dominion, Fresh'ND AIRE (not Fresh-n-Air),
GENERAL ELECTRIC / GE "VORTALEX" Electric Fans, Kwik-Way, Peerless,
Emerson electric fans such as the famous 'Silver Swan' models, Galvin
Electric Fans, Gilbert, Hunter-Century "ZEPHAIR" Electric Fans, Kenmore
electric fans, Knapp-Monarch, MASTERCRAFT, McGRAW ELECTRIC CO.,
Menominee electric fan, Montgomery Wards 'Kwik-Kool' fans, Phil Rich 'Windmaker',
Polar Club Electric Fans, REX-RAY / Rexall Drug Company, ROBBINS & MYERS
/ "R&M" Electric Fan repairs, Roto-Beam Fans, Sampson Electric Fans w/ 'Safeflex'
rubber blades, Signal and Signal-Junior fans also known as 'Cold-Spot',
Singer 'Ribbonaire', StarRite, SUPERIOR ELECTRIC PRODUCTS CORP.,
Sea-Breeze, Vornado, Victor, Victron, Wagner Electric, Westinghouse,
Wizard and most other brands of electric fans.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Antique Electric Fan
Repair / Restoration:
California, Costa Mesa,
'Electrotech Service',
Phone: 949-295-0815 email; kotzakov@yahoo.com
They
can repair most fans, including
antique electric fans and vintage fans. Fan wiring, bushing, bearing,
switch repairs.
Michigan,
Birmingham
'Birmingham Television Co.,
Inc.' Modern & Vintage, Consumer Audio repairs.
Phone:
248-646-2035
btvtj@juno.com
After years in the biz, The folks at ''Birmingham
Television Co., Inc" are able to
do repairs on most types of
antique / vintage
electric fans.
Member of NESDA.
New York,
Wilson, "G.E.H.
Electronics"
"Electronic service and repair since 1972."
716-751-6187
G.E.H. Electronics Service
repairs recent and 'Vintage' electronics, offering service to the Wilson
/ Buffalo area. They can accept 'shipped in' repairs as well as
'walk-ins' with appointment. They are able to repair / restore most
vintage / antique electric fans, including custom paint / re-finish.
Texas,
Dallas,
The Fan Man Shop
www.fanmanusa.com
They are able
to handle most any repairs / restoration to antique electric fans, be it
electrical, mechanical and / or cosmetic.
Texas,
Keller, ‘Vintage Fans’
www.vintagefans.com
They have 'decades' of combined experience and can handle most any
repairs / restoration to antique electric fans. They have a metal shop
and are able to 'fabricate' many parts 'on the spot'.
They are able to
handle most motor repairs, including complete rewinds. Most
'Refinishing' tasks will be no problem. They appreciate the 'build
quality' of the vintage fans and will 'Do It Right"!
I actually heard about these guys from one of my customers, and they had
done numerous fans for him. He was completely pleased with their work.
Wisconsin,
Oak Creek, ‘Vintage Fans’
www.rcrescent.com
They
specialize in vintage Vornado repairs / restoration and Vornado Fan
parts and replacement decals. They are able to repair your Vornado Fan
motor, blades, yokes, wiring, switches and more. They also have a couple
Vornado electric fan wiring diagrams on-line.
Fan Parts:
Antique Fan Parts, Hickory, N.C.
www.antiquefanparts.com
Restoration /
Repair supplies and parts for many different, antique / vintage electric
fans. Cloth AC Power Cords / wiring, 'old style' AC plugs, screws,
hardware, blades, cages / guards, switch parts, Brass-cast-bronze and
Nickel blades and props, badges / Logos, bases, bodies, housings,
covers, replacement motor parts. It's a 'salvage yard' for fans, and
most parts are 'original' so probably in VERY limited availability. If
you see the part you need, better 'buy it' before someone else decides
to own it.
Antique Electric Supply
www.tubesandmore.com
Restoration /
Repair supplies for all kinds of vintage electrical / electronic stuff.
Cloth AC Power Cords, Brass and Nickel plating supplies, wrinkle paint
finishes, Hammer-tone finishes, plastic parts molding supplies, Nichrome
and lacquered magnet wire for rewinding motors, and more.
South Carolina, Aiken, "Hudsons
Custom Machining", www.hudsonscustommachining.com
Some Fan Parts
Texas, Garland "Jim's Restorations",
www.jimsrestorations.com
Garland, TX.
Some original and reproduction fan parts
available.
'Sundial Wire'
www.sundialwire.com
for Cloth AC Power
Cords
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Again, we do not do any work on
'customers' equipment here at Oak Tree Enterprises, LLC. We only restore
and sell our own inventory. The above 'Repair / Restoration Resource'
contacts are merely contacts we have amassed. You would need to contact
them directly with your needs. They may or may not choose to take on
your project based on many factors. We are not endorsing their services
in any manner and any business you choose to pursue with any of them is
at your risk / choice.
These are links around the US we are aware of that can potentially do
repairs vintage / antique electric fans. Always check them out
independently on your own. Some may have the ability to accept shipped
units.
One of the most important aspects to sending a unit off for repair or
restoration, is to POSITIVELY INSURE that it has been packed
sufficiently & appropriately for safe transit. You must also inquire as
to the ability of the business that repairs / restores the unit to do
the same. This cannot be assumed. Even professional packaging companies
may have 'new hires' that are not experienced in packing, 'high-mass /
fragile' electronics for safe transit, so you must ask detailed
questions as to the packing methods that will be utilized and ascertain
that they will be sufficient.
While transit damaged units are great for our parts business, almost
all damage to shipments is due to inadequate packaging. They are not
making most of these vintage units anymore, and it's a real shame when
we loose another piece, un-necessarily to unprofessional packing. You
know it's going to get 'rough handling', dropped, kicked, ran over, shot
at, and probably involved in a F5 tornado somewhere along the way, SO
PACK IT THAT WAY.
If you are one of the above listed companies and want to modify your
listing, or to be added to a category change, categories, or be removed
from the page completely, feel free to contact us.
If you would like your repair facility listed and feel it would be a
'good fit' for the page, feel free to contact us.
Hope this info helps.
