I'm an old grouch at 33.

It is such a shame the way people are today about anything old :\ That is a cool TV btw.

I'm going to be 24 this month. And anymore, I'm going out of my way to find old electronics and appliances, anything older than myself. The quality there is just amazing, and the stuff will almost never break. And most people my age think all of it is just junk.

People just give me things for free, as since it is old, it must be junk.

I've been actually purchasing old appliances like toasters and electric skillets to use, as I do not want to get the Wal*Mart variety that breaks after a few months. I also collect old box fans as well. Those things will just never break. I'd love to see a Wal*Mart fan last 35-50 years and keep on going.

[David Roper]

One of my most vivid memories from early childhood--probably pre-age seven--was one summer night when a box fan, which was probably not very old at the time, suddenly started filling the bedroom with smoke! It was almost certainly a GE; many years later I removed a GE window fan from grandpa's garage when we sold that house and was disappointed to discover that one of the windings was shorted. I know that there are many very early finger-chopper style desk fans that still run great as long as you keep them oiled, but it's been my experience that the quality with which later fan motors were built was lacking and they don't hold up.

[Chad Hauris]

The best luck we have had with fans are the really old 20's or so Robbins and Myers and also Vornado fans. Once rewired, the performance is very good: the motors on these are high quality and also the blade design moves a lot of air.

There is actually a Lakewood metal blade box fan still being made and it has worked good so far. It is a heavy duty model with a grounded plug. Have not had great luck with most types of box fans, though, even the older ones. There are no oil ports and the motors use Oilite sleeve bushings so after a while of continuous use, the lubrication runs out and the bearings score and that's it. Even if you try and relubricate it, the bushing is damaged and it will seize again.
I think my record for a box fan is 8 years of continuous use, never shutting it off except for power failures.

[Randy Bassham]

IMHO the best of the old fans were the Emersons, at work we've got 2 of the 16 inch oscillating fans from the late 30's or 40's, they still run sometimes 24 hr's a day to move the air in the radio room in really hot weather when the AC is having a hard time keeping up. These old Emersons were there when my Dad came in 1947 and they'll probably be around a long time after I'm gone. I bought a couple of these at auctions and use them quiteabit during the summer. One of them is running now blowing cool air down the hall. I do have a couple of Vornado's and it's amazing the air they put out. BTW Vornado is still in business but the fans are coming from the far east instead of Kansas....

[kx250rider]

Since we're talking fans here, I have two Vornados, and had continuous trouble with both! The do work nicely WHEN THEY WORK. Usually about twice a season, they seize up and overheat. Scary, because they don't appear to be thermally protected and one of them stunk up the house last week with burnt plastic smoke!

My repair is to remove the armature, clean it, lube it with WD-40 in the bearing felt and put a dab of white grease on the armature shafts and reassemble. I hate having to do that!!!! I paid $50 for each of those fans, and they seized up within the first couple months of use when new, and as I say, twice a season since. That's not a reliable product.

I have an old 1950s Allis Chalmers commercial fan that had been in hard daily use at the Downey, CA Police station. That one weighs a ton, and I have NEVER had to do anything with it! It even has a nice RUBBER not plastic heavy 3-wire cord.

Charles

[zenith2134]

I've got a Westinghouse Jet-turbine styling fan from the 50's that runs great. Its exactly like one that they were selling on the Oaktree Enterprises website awhile ago... http://oaktreeent.com/vintage_electric_fans.htm I inherited it from my grandparents; all I did was add a fresh cord and lubricate the motor. Very powerful and reliable. it's a shame they don't build solid metal pieces anymore.

[Randy Bassham]

The best lubricant for small electric motors that I've found is turbine oil, usually available at appliance parts stores in a plastic bottle with a long pull out tube. The transmitters that I work on have 2 squirrel cage blowers with small Fasco motors, they run 24-7. I've got 8 of these little motors running and have only had one failure in the last 12 years.

[Adam]

I have one of the old Emerson fans, never had any trouble with it, it works great.

[bgadow]

I have an assortment of old fans-a sharp looking little R-M, a Knapp-Monarch that is pretty much worn out, a big Hunter table fan-all have broken oscillators which I need to tend to. There is a little no-name metal fan that must have been sold in a dime store-doesn't even have an on/off switch. I use it on my bench to blow solder fumes out the window! Then upstairs I have a reversable Vornado window fan that really does a nice job. I can just never decide if it is better to blow the hot air in or out?

The only problem I had with an old fan was a Sears Kenmore I bought at a church yard sale. It was still in the box, must have been from the 50s. It seized up while I was sleeping; luckily I awoke. I tried to fix it but it seized up again so I dumped it at the auction.

We needed a new fan in the house because dear Mrs. Gadow prefers a stand-up oscillating fan and none of my old ones fit that description. The last one we had developed a broken neck-it would only aim down at the floor. The latest Crapola chinese fan I bought to replace it will not last long. I'm almost afraid to move it for fear of breaking something off.

[rca2000]

:I've been actually purchasing old appliances like toasters and electric skillets to use, as I do not want to get the Wal*Mart variety that breaks after a few months. I also collect old box fans as well. Those things will just never break. I'd love to see a Wal*Mart fan last 35-50 years and keep on going.

Would you like one of those "homart" belt-drive fans??(with a 1/6 HP motor, open-back and metal blade!!)

I picked up one a few weeks ago. Figured someone would want it.

If you want it, come and get it!!

[rca2000]

:Oh yeah... The thing needs a tune-up BAD. I told him that an EFI 2.2L is a pretty good engine that will last a while, but he needs to tune it up. I even offered to help. He doesn't want to spend time working on it. OK, keep washing those cylinder walls down with raw gas and well see how long until that car is gone too.

Enlighten me here, guys--- If an engine is missing a bit, HOW could it "screw it up"? I understand that gas mileage will be bad and such--but permanent , serious engine damage?? HOW??

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by Einar72

I AM a grumpy old fart. I'll be 52 on the 7th. Happy birthday to you, Nowhere Man 1966. I have fond memories of listening to that song when I was 11, in 1966, riding in my dad's 1966 Toyota Crown. How's that for tying the last two posts together?
I have always been happiest when I spend less than my peers for something. I will always be known for cobbling together cars, TV's, computers, whatever. I simply enjoy fixing things that others have given up on. I wish people would look at something for what it really is. Today's world is too filled with those who crave vanity, status and power. I feel sorry for those who can't be happy with what they have.

"Poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be kings,
And a king aint satisfied till he rules everything" --- Bruce Springsteen

Yeah, I know. Some people think I'm a little weird for wanting to fix up old things and use them and so on. Well, maybe I am, but I look at it this way, if I'm happy doing it, well, that's my choice. We are truly a wasteful society in many ways, I'm sure you've seen stories where people toss out perfectly good TV's and stuff on here. BTW, I think the Bruce Springsteen quote is right on and I thank you for the birthday wishes.

[blue_lateral]

A dead miss can sure make a mess. The cylinder that misses will build up gas which will wash the oil off of the piston rings in that cylinder.

If that wasnt bad enough, the 2.2's had closed loop fuel control. The oxygen sensor looks for oxygen, and pushes the mixture leaner until it gets some. Then once it does, it pushes the mixture richer until there is none. Then it goes the other way again, back and forth all day long.

If there is a constant miss, there will always be oxygen in the exhaust. The system will go richer trying to get rid of it. SInce it cannot get rid of the oxygen it will continue to push the mixture richer until it is as rich as it can go. This will wash the rings on all the cylinders, and take quite a bit of life off of the rings. it will just make the engine burn oil, which is not the end of the world, but something to be avoided if possible.

It also will dilute the engine oil with gas. How much damage that does I guess depends on whether the oil ever gets changed.

John

[kx250rider]

I just picked up the MOTHER of all fans on Monday! You've never seen anything like it! It has a 1/3HP belt drive motor, 48 inch blade, and took two of us to get unpacked from the carton!

It isn't for me, it's for the place where I work. But I'm the one with a truck so I get fingered for this type of thing. AK'er Steve K walked right past it when he came to get his CTC-9 (later determined to be CTC-10) on Monday afternoon. It was on at low speed, and he didnt' even notice! It's rated 11,750 CFM!!!!!!!!! It sounds & feels like standing behind a small aeroplane on run-up. He must not be a FAN fan...

Charles

Originally Posted by rca2000

Would you like one of those "homart" belt-drive fans??(with a 1/6 HP motor, open-back and metal blade!!)

I picked up one a few weeks ago. Figured someone would want it.

If you want it, come and get it!!

Cool Thanks.

I'm just not sure when I'll be able to make it out your way though.