A Fan of Fans (Part 1)

The story of two fans.

Fan 1:

We purchased this fan at a local antique store a while back. I really loved the styling of this hassock fan and I had never seen one like it before. I think it was made sometime between the 40’s & 50’s. I decided to restore this in a more sophisticated finish. I think the original colors are kind of circus like or maybe carnival like.

This is a really cool hassock fan that has a built in ashtray on top. It does not have a makers mark on it, but it is awesome.

Fan 2:

This poor fella was was found in the appliance scrap heap at the local landfill. The cord was cut off and the switch was broken as well. I had to save it from being crushed by those bulldozers. I can’t understand why if something can still be used they would rather destroy it as opposed to letting someone restore it.

I had no idea if it worked or not but I took a chance. Like I said before the landfill does not like you to take things out of their yard. But, I couldn't let those machines crush it. When I got this it had no switch on the front and the cord was cut off. I tested it yesterday and it is a 3 speed fan and fires right up. Why do people throw good stuff away?

The first step was to dismantle both fans completely or at least as much as possible. Fan 1 was a nightmare to disassemble becasue the supports were welded in place. I had to dismantle the fan inside the housing (what a hassle).  Fan 2 was great because it basically was able to be completely dismantled.

Broken down and the next step is sanding, primer and then paint.

This one will finish nicely because I was able to break it down so completely.

The next step is to sand, primer and paint.

I applied a good coat of primer to both fans. Now the primer just needs to dry and then comes the paint.

Once the primer was completely dry I then sprayed hassock fan 1 with a maroon and black combination. The second fan I wanted to paint in a Mediterranean color so I could bring some retro color into the room.

I love the colors I chose. I think they will look great when reassembled.

This fan will look super clean when all put back together.

Now that the paint is is done I need to let it dry. With the cooler temps it takes longer for paint to set up. As far as the switches go on these fans, they both need to be replaced. Fan 1 has a 3 position rotary switch that I was able to locate at Lowes. Fan 2 has a low profile 4 position rotary switch that I was unable to locate at Lowes, so I ordered one from Ebay that should arrive in a few days. I should be able to put fan 1 together in the next day or so. I will post updates as soon as the fans finish.

I was able to find a replacement 3 position switch at Lowes for this fan so I should have it reassembled in a day or two.

On this fan Lowes did not carry a low profile four position rotary switch so I had to order one from Ebay. Once it arrives I can finish this fan up.

More to come soon!