Lovely Berns Air King! It's in great shape! I just put my Dominion in the window close the window on it gently but enough to keep it sturdy, and hope for the best.
Can I add an oil tube to just about any of these small electric motors such as found in other electric box fan motors from the 1950s & 60s? If not, why not? If it is simply adding a means to readily get the proper amount of the proper lubricant to the right location then why should I not do this to any of my box fans from this era? I wish you could take this apart to show exactly where the 2 tubes lead (although I can image the location since this is not rocket science & I have taken one of these motors apart). Why couldn't I just use the higher quality, easily available bendable hydraulic brake line tubing to create my own two oil tubes placed in the perfect location to allow any man to drop in the correct amount every 500-1000 hours (or less depending on how dusty the atmosphere is or how much outside air it is moving)? I suppose if I was a fanatic I could just add a motor hour meter to tell me when to add lube based on how many hours it has operated within a given environment. Lastly, was there a factory sticker or maintenance guideline anywhere on the machine regarding type of oil to use as a lubricant or how often to lubricate (like on my Air Berns 1956, 3.5 amp box fan that states clearly to use SAE 20 weight oil to lube the motor every 6 months)? --Obviously if the fan is not used very much then there would be a great reduction in the need to lubricate it. In today's world of fantastic lubrication products, is there any other type of grease or oil that is clearly superior to the inexpensive and perfectly effective 20 weight non detergent oil?
wow. this is intense. Thanks for commenting. first, I'm an ammeter hobbyist. this is a hobby for me. I'm not an electrician, engineer, mechanic, or restorer. from what I've gathered from the vintage fan community here on TH-cam you want to use a 20weight oil. Zoom Spout is great. And there IS a version of 3-in-1 that is suitable for fans. Usually a red and blue bottle and there will be a picture of a fan blade showing that it is made for oiling fans. grease does not apply to the types of shaded poll motors generally used in these type of fans in the mid-century era (late 50s, 60s, 70s, mid 80s). As for putting in oil tubes - sure. If you're going to drill you must be very careful to make sure no metal shavings make it into the motor and the bearings. One TH-camr (JordanU) suggested not to drill GE bearing cover plates. Rather to use a sharp nail - pierce an opening for oiling. Great idea. no shavings. I still haven't tried but it's a good idea. Check out Jordan U on TH-cam. work safely.
@@thebombyall76 Thanks for your detailed reply. We are both amateurs it seems but learning fast. I have seen enough engineers who do not have enough hands on experiences so you may be better than a typical engineer these days. I am not a fan collector either but I picked up two vintage fans a few days ago. Just after I made my comment I took apart a 1961 Fasco Fan motor (a family heirloom that I cleaned up and sanded and painted and replaced the electrical cord). As I took apart the electric motor sure enough the two holes located at the top of the motor as it is oriented in the fan box had tubes sending oil to the right locations. In my second fan, a heavier and more robust 1956 Berns "Air Berns" model box fan with a stronger motor (3.5 AMP) and stronger fan blades and a stronger frame holding the motor in place, there were also two oil tubes going from the oil holes on the motor to the right location. Someone had taken care of this beast because the wadding where the oil goes was nice and moist with oil. So all I did was clean it up with Q-tips and a rag, and buy a 3 oz. bottle of the 3-IN-1 Motor Oil rated SAE 20 so I should be set to go for future oiling needs. I'm going to guess as a cost saving move(?) they started to remove these oiling tubes entirely before 99% of companies in the U.S. just decided to kill fan production partly because no one wanted to maintain anything any longer and simply preferred to use and buy new & preferred the quietness of the newer lighter weight models. I also have a 3rd fan, a Westinghouse 1969(?) model, that I will soon take apart to see how the inside of the motor is. I notice that it has no outside oiling tubes and also no oil holes on the motor, just a solid cover. So when I take this motor apart I will see what is going on inside and if necessary drill a couple oiling holes & put little tubes in place or see if they are just some kind of replaceable bearings. Perhaps they designed a different kind of lubrication system with these models with a sealed unit and a man is just supposed to replace it when it runs out of lube?? Of course it is not an electric fan, but On my Heavy Duty 2003 Gravely Zero Turn Commercial model lawn cutter, for example, there are few grease points because they are mostly sealed and apparently work well and if they start to seize up you just buy a whole new bearing! I've never yet had to replace any bearing yet with only 650 hours of service here in southeast Michigan, but I am only mowing about 1.5 full acres on a 2 acre spread. This is different from my 1969 Cub Cadet which has grease-able bearings on the original mowing deck for all three blades & if I keep them greased once a year it lasts and lasts. Each setup can work fine and maybe this Westinghouse can last for 5000 hours before the motor needs servicing to replace the bearings and lubricant... I'll find out!! Meanwhile I am so impressed with the features of this 1956 Berns fan with a extra heavy and strong motor and a separate plug in cord for the motor so servicing it is so easy as you just unplug it and remove it from the switch! Great!
Adding to my earlier reply: I did inspect the Westinghouse fan I earlier referenced, and yes there are no oil tubes and the fan lubrication of the shaft is all self contained. It runs so smoothly I decided not to drill any holes in it. Are these supposed to just squeak and chatter and that is when a man is supposed to give attention to the lubrication and change out these sealed components? At that point I suppose it would make sense to tap or poke or possibly drill a tiny hole at the top (as long as I was able to keep metal shavings from falling inside of the lubricant!.) --Or--and here are my final question?: Could you somehow pop off the back of the lubrication bearing and repack it?? Has anyone done this before? If you take off the back is there some kind of O-ring in there? If grease is never applied to any of these types of motors used in these fans, would there be a bunch of packing immersed in 20 weight SAE oil, like called for (printed on the motor exterior housing near the oil holes) on the 1950s Berns Air King model motors I have seen? I have never serviced a fan like this so I'll just hang up and wait for a reply on how to add lubricant to a fan motor where the components are sealed & then just stop talking about it! --ha! ha!
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Lovely Berns Air King! It's in great shape! I just put my Dominion in the window close the window on it gently but enough to keep it sturdy, and hope for the best.
Very cool...I love those oil tubes. I always overdo the oil, LoL.
I've had thoughts of fastening a box fan to a piece of plywood & securing it to the window.
I just set mine on a table in front of the window. Or on the window sill. (my moms place has window sills the size of tables.LOL
Have you worked on your old emerson yet
Our single hung windows are old and heavy so they keep the fans in the window.
I'd say a bungee cord or a hook.
Can I add an oil tube to just about any of these small electric motors such as found in other electric box fan motors from the 1950s & 60s? If not, why not? If it is simply adding a means to readily get the proper amount of the proper lubricant to the right location then why should I not do this to any of my box fans from this era? I wish you could take this apart to show exactly where the 2 tubes lead (although I can image the location since this is not rocket science & I have taken one of these motors apart).
Why couldn't I just use the higher quality, easily available bendable hydraulic brake line tubing to create my own two oil tubes placed in the perfect location to allow any man to drop in the correct amount every 500-1000 hours (or less depending on how dusty the atmosphere is or how much outside air it is moving)? I suppose if I was a fanatic I could just add a motor hour meter to tell me when to add lube based on how many hours it has operated within a given environment.
Lastly, was there a factory sticker or maintenance guideline anywhere on the machine regarding type of oil to use as a lubricant or how often to lubricate (like on my Air Berns 1956, 3.5 amp box fan that states clearly to use SAE 20 weight oil to lube the motor every 6 months)? --Obviously if the fan is not used very much then there would be a great reduction in the need to lubricate it. In today's world of fantastic lubrication products, is there any other type of grease or oil that is clearly superior to the inexpensive and perfectly effective 20 weight non detergent oil?
wow. this is intense. Thanks for commenting. first, I'm an ammeter hobbyist. this is a hobby for me. I'm not an electrician, engineer, mechanic, or restorer. from what I've gathered from the vintage fan community here on TH-cam you want to use a 20weight oil. Zoom Spout is great. And there IS a version of 3-in-1 that is suitable for fans. Usually a red and blue bottle and there will be a picture of a fan blade showing that it is made for oiling fans. grease does not apply to the types of shaded poll motors generally used in these type of fans in the mid-century era (late 50s, 60s, 70s, mid 80s). As for putting in oil tubes - sure. If you're going to drill you must be very careful to make sure no metal shavings make it into the motor and the bearings. One TH-camr (JordanU) suggested not to drill GE bearing cover plates. Rather to use a sharp nail - pierce an opening for oiling. Great idea. no shavings. I still haven't tried but it's a good idea. Check out Jordan U on TH-cam. work safely.
@@thebombyall76 Thanks for your detailed reply. We are both amateurs it seems but learning fast. I have seen enough engineers who do not have enough hands on experiences so you may be better than a typical engineer these days. I am not a fan collector either but I picked up two vintage fans a few days ago. Just after I made my comment I took apart a 1961 Fasco Fan motor (a family heirloom that I cleaned up and sanded and painted and replaced the electrical cord). As I took apart the electric motor sure enough the two holes located at the top of the motor as it is oriented in the fan box had tubes sending oil to the right locations. In my second fan, a heavier and more robust 1956 Berns "Air Berns" model box fan with a stronger motor (3.5 AMP) and stronger fan blades and a stronger frame holding the motor in place, there were also two oil tubes going from the oil holes on the motor to the right location. Someone had taken care of this beast because the wadding where the oil goes was nice and moist with oil. So all I did was clean it up with Q-tips and a rag, and buy a 3 oz. bottle of the 3-IN-1 Motor Oil rated SAE 20 so I should be set to go for future oiling needs.
I'm going to guess as a cost saving move(?) they started to remove these oiling tubes entirely before 99% of companies in the U.S. just decided to kill fan production partly because no one wanted to maintain anything any longer and simply preferred to use and buy new & preferred the quietness of the newer lighter weight models. I also have a 3rd fan, a Westinghouse 1969(?) model, that I will soon take apart to see how the inside of the motor is. I notice that it has no outside oiling tubes and also no oil holes on the motor, just a solid cover. So when I take this motor apart I will see what is going on inside and if necessary drill a couple oiling holes & put little tubes in place or see if they are just some kind of replaceable bearings. Perhaps they designed a different kind of lubrication system with these models with a sealed unit and a man is just supposed to replace it when it runs out of lube?? Of course it is not an electric fan, but On my Heavy Duty 2003 Gravely Zero Turn Commercial model lawn cutter, for example, there are few grease points because they are mostly sealed and apparently work well and if they start to seize up you just buy a whole new bearing! I've never yet had to replace any bearing yet with only 650 hours of service here in southeast Michigan, but I am only mowing about 1.5 full acres on a 2 acre spread. This is different from my 1969 Cub Cadet which has grease-able bearings on the original mowing deck for all three blades & if I keep them greased once a year it lasts and lasts. Each setup can work fine and maybe this Westinghouse can last for 5000 hours before the motor needs servicing to replace the bearings and lubricant... I'll find out!!
Meanwhile I am so impressed with the features of this 1956 Berns fan with a extra heavy and strong motor and a separate plug in cord for the motor so servicing it is so easy as you just unplug it and remove it from the switch! Great!
Adding to my earlier reply: I did inspect the Westinghouse fan I earlier referenced, and yes there are no oil tubes and the fan lubrication of the shaft is all self contained. It runs so smoothly I decided not to drill any holes in it. Are these supposed to just squeak and chatter and that is when a man is supposed to give attention to the lubrication and change out these sealed components? At that point I suppose it would make sense to tap or poke or possibly drill a tiny hole at the top (as long as I was able to keep metal shavings from falling inside of the lubricant!.) --Or--and here are my final question?: Could you somehow pop off the back of the lubrication bearing and repack it?? Has anyone done this before? If you take off the back is there some kind of O-ring in there? If grease is never applied to any of these types of motors used in these fans, would there be a bunch of packing immersed in 20 weight SAE oil, like called for (printed on the motor exterior housing near the oil holes) on the 1950s Berns Air King model motors I have seen? I have never serviced a fan like this so I'll just hang up and wait for a reply on how to add lubricant to a fan motor where the components are sealed & then just stop talking about it! --ha! ha!
The blade looks like it is too far back on the shaft