Vintage Electronics - Antique Fan Restoration and Repair Service

Antique Fans

How We Restore Antique Fans:

Our Antique Fan Restoration Service Process

Why We Restore Antique Fans:

Ok, so why did we include antique fans? Because they are cool! :-)

Antique fans are pretty much the same as modern fans. They work the same way. An electric motor spins the fan blade which produces a movement of air. This is a very simple device as far as functionality is concerned. But like all the other technologies we service, there was a progression in the development of the modern electric fans from antique electric fans. This was not so much in the technology per say, but rather in the materials used and the craftsmanship incorporated.

Antique fans were very heavy, and usually made of cast iron, as opposed to today's plastic counterparts. The basic functionality has not changed much from their ancient predecessors. However, what has changed has been detrimental to the original quality and longevity of the device. Like all modern products made who knows where, today's fans will not last for long. They are, like everything manufactured today, engineered to fail, and fail soon! They are made of inferior materials, have blades that do not produce adequate air movement, are rickety, and are prone to being noisy. That is because they are cheaply made.

Original antique fans were made using heavy gauge copper wire for the windings of the motor. They had solid iron motor casings. The beautiful art art-deco style blades were made of metal plates that were designed to move a lot of air. And they were perfectly balanced to be quite, and as efficient as possible in their air-moving process. Added to that, they oscillated! That is they almost all had a mechanism, that ran off the same drive motor efficiently. It turned the fan back and forth so the air would be moving to all areas of the room. This provided the best cooling possible. If a fan blows on you continually, your body adjust to the air flow, which is counter productive at best. But if a fan oscillates, your body gets burst of air that are timed to enhance the cooling effect on your skin. Today's oscillating fans achieve somewhat of the same effect. However, they will wear out much faster than today's stationary counterparts, because of their oscillation components put more work load on the motor's inferior quality and cheaper material makeup.

If you have an old antique fan, we would love to restore it for you! Retoring the fan could easily add another fifty to eighty years to its life! If you rather not deal with it and see it as more of a boat anchor than a useful small appliance, please sell or donate it to us! We luv's um! :-0