AMC box fan partial restoration

[cwilliamsws6]

I work at a thrift store and an AMC box fan came through the donations. My manager priced it at $4.99 and something about that fan just spoke to me, so I bought it at the end of my shift before I went home. The fan itself was in decent shape, the grilles on the front and back were the worst part actually, large areas missing paint and rusty. The fan itself was covered in a layer of gunk that must've been a quarter inch thick, and safe to say the previous owner was probably a smoker. I spent the better part of an hour and a half spraying it with SimpleGreen and scrubbing it off which finally revealed the fan's original color and an ID sticker for the model and serial number. I ended up using a dremel with a wire wheel to clean off the grilles and then spray paint them with a white primer/paint mix which while not perfect it ended up looking worlds better. I left the actual fan itself as-is, largely due to time restrictions and the fact I don't have the patience to do it all "properly" and plus, a little patina never hurt nobody, right? The only part I ran into trouble with - and if anyone could offer advice on it that would be greatly appreciated - is one of the little "legs" on the fan grille that hold it to the body had rusted through and broke off and I can't get epoxy or JB weld to set and hold it in place, so that corner of the front grille is currently zip-tied on which is also what is holding the leg in place as well. Photo album: https://imgur.com/gallery/Apejv1x Start/run video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzsZTcK9Sa4

 

[Dave9]

The grill looks good, but more on topic on this site, did you Lube The Fan Bearings? As far as the grill leg, I doubt anything besides welding a new piece on would last for long so the zip tie would be as easy as anything.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Originally Posted by Dave9

The grill looks good, but more on topic on this site, did you Lube The Fan Bearings? As far as the grill leg, I doubt anything besides welding a new piece on would last for long so the zip tie would be as easy as anything.

I did not lube the fan bearings because the fan runs super smoothly as-is, and I'm afraid of damaging or ruining the motor if I try to take it apart. I am the king of taking stuff apart then not being able to get it back together.

 

[Dave9]

Taking that type of motor apart is usually not hard. Typically there is a set screw on the fan blades to get it off the shaft. Next there are two to four screws holding it to the cross member it's mounted on, or if they tried to economize the design then the cross member screws might be the same bolts that hold the casing together. Next there are probably two (or more) long bolts running from one side of the motor to the other with nuts on them. j That's it, the casing comes apart and you can put (depending on the felt reservoir capacity) between a few drops and a teaspoon of light oil in both reservoirs. On "some" old fans you might not even need to open the motor casing, there might be a lube hole at the bearing, or some even had a tube coming out of the lube hole for this. There are no brushes or anything else to be concerned about in this type of motor, maybe a washer or two on each end of the shaft right before the bearings. While it is open you also have the opportunity to clean dust out of the inside, which is bound to be a lot if it was that dusty outside.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Nice job on the restore. I have the Floor fan my parents bought in the mid 60's. It still looks new because I keep the chrome clean and oil the motor (has 2 oil holes)

 

[Fitter30]

Guess all fans blow...Š

 

[Fawteen]

Originally Posted by Fitter30

Guess all fans blow...Š

All fans also suck, depending upon which side you're on.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

MasterSolenoid that's a beautiful fan and good thing you're keeping up on maintaining it. That fan and my AMC surely will beat anything sold nowadays! I like the stand that it has on it too, that's neat. Tomorrow after work I'll look into taking apart that motor and adding some oil into it. In my garage I have 3-in-1 oil, WD-40 and some non detergent 30 weight I use for an old compressor - which of those 3 should I use? TIA!

 

[MasterSolenoid]

cwilliamsws6 Use 3-in-1 or non-detergent 30w Cleaning inside of motor: Only you know how dirty the inside of motor is and if it's worth the risk of taking it apart to clean. Might be good to take apart and clean just once. Dave9 gave good advise on taking motor apart (for cleaning) My fan had just 'dry' dust in it and I was able to blow it out by pointing an (air compressor) nozzle in the large holes. I also used Contact Cleaner and Q-Tips. Look for 'oiling holes' above the bearings/bushings. NO motor should have to be disassembled to oil it (as 'regular' maintenance). I have a cheap Chinese fan on my basement floor that started making noise, without taking it apart, I put one drop of oil on the Shaft and it quited it down. Good luck

 

[Dave9]

Originally Posted by MasterSolenoid

Look for 'oiling holes' above the bearings/bushings. NO motor should have to be disassembled to oil it (as 'regular' maintenance).

Absolutely, it's a shame that so many motor manufacturers stopped putting the lube holes in a few decades ago, in not just box fans but many types including quite expensive ones in HVAC like the main blower and inducer blowers. They want to tell you it's "lubed for life" which just means it lasts the warranty period, a shorter lifespan because it deters owners from lubing. In some applications there is a valid argument that a lube hole could let contamination in, but in these designs with the felt/etc (fibrous material) reservoir, it would be hard for significant contamination to get past that, is effectively a filter as well as a sponge for the oil reservoir.

 

[RF Overlord]

MasterSolenoid, I love that fan, especially the cute little colour-coordinated wheels.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by RF Overlord

MasterSolenoid, I love that fan, especially the cute little colour-coordinated wheels.

For sure! Seems funny getting excited over an old box fan, but it does bring me back to my childhood! Those were everywhere. You know those suckers were HD when they took minutes to coast down to a stop.