1930's "Zero" Electric Fan Complete Restoration
138,489
Published 2023-07-03
I purchased this for $8 from a local antique store that was going out of business. It was being sold just as a rustic decorative piece and the cord had been completely snipped off.
______Timestamps ______
0:00 β Overview and Disassembly
4:10 β Cleaning the small parts
4:51 - Cleaning the rotor
5:38 - Mastercraft logo cleaning and nickel plating
5:56 - Mastercraft badge cleaning
6:13 - Base and housing rust removal and painting
9:03 - Fan blade rust removal, sanding, polishing, nickel plating
10:47 - Rear housing sanding, polishing, nickel plating
11:55 - Fan cage rust removal, sanding, polishing
13:11 - "Zero" badge cleanup
13:28 - Motor restoration
15:39 - Reassembly
19:39 - Before and After
20:16 - Testing
21:29 - Thanks for watching and please subscribe!
______Tips for restoring your own "Zero" Electric Fan ______
Please leave a comment if youβre restoring your own fan like this and need any advice along the way if anything in my video was unclear!
The disassembly is fairly straightforward. As you remove every screw you can find it'll start to come apart pretty easily. Be very careful with the delicate motor internals. If you're lucky the coil windings will still be intact.
For restoring the motor internals, I first tested the coils with a multimeter to make sure there was at least a continuous circuit. Fortunately there was. The only other alternative is to wind new coils, but the armature of this fan was manufactured cheaply and was never intended to be disassembled to put new coil windings into it. If you notice the coating wearing off on the wires in the coils you can spray them with a fresh coat of varnish or brush on liquid electrical tape. I used friction tape (heavy duty double-sided fabric tape) to re-tape the coil windings, which is recommended by the Antique Fan Collectors Association.
______ Social Media ______
Instagram: @catalyst_restorations
MERCH SHOP: my-store-cae4fb.creator-sprin...
#restoration #Fan #antique
All Comments (21)
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The classic "finger chopper. I'll take one of these any day, over any cheap plastic unit that might only last one season.
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I love the little icons in the top corner stating the tool or part. Nice touch!
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My dad restored and old GE fan from the 1940s when I was younger. I remember him saying it was the easiest fan he has every worked on. You did a great job with this one.
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oh, this video is so comforting. i grew up with a fan like that but it died when i was in my teens and i never saw it again. i wish it will still with me fully restored like the one in your video!
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Nicely done. Love the red paint job. π
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Fabulous job... I like how you brought the chrome parts back to life with the nickel plating. Love the new logo btw π π
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I am so glad you do these videos, man! Thank you. I am so sick of the fake restoration channels out there. (bushcraft, primitive living, et all). You are a star! Keep up the good work.
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Man, im so jealous. I love those old school fans. great job. :)
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As always, great job! You've restored it wonderfully. Such a design of an asynchronous two-winding electric motor is still found, perhaps because of the simplicity of manufacturing.
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You did a beautiful job on that fan. It works and it's beautiful.
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Nice work and great presentation. You can have vintage pieces that actually work and donβt have to just sit around collecting dust. π
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Very nice work !! I love the red and silver it looks AMAZING !! Very very nice !! ππ
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Cracking little resto job, will happily be around for more years to come π
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From ZERO to HERO, this is an excellent restoration of an antique fan. Very competent work! Love the chrome against the bright red.
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Very good restoration πππThank you for sharing. Be safe π¨π¦
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That grill was a mess, such great patience to bring it back! Great job on that fan. I need to get a plating kit for some old sockets that are rusty I got from my father in law when he passed!
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Great job , Yes I would like to see more fan restorations I also have a couple of old ones
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Nicely done!
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Looks great!
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Thats one cool looking restoration π
