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Restoration: Desk Fan

In this video Bounty Archive restores a rusty 1960s desk fan from the Goodwill electronics department.


About the Project:

This is the Superlectric model 853, and it’s loud as hell. The fan features a beautifully simplistic design, from a time when safety was maybe the 4th or 7th concern of product designers. Let's just say its best to keep any hot dogs far away from this thing.

This was a relatively simple project, with huge upside. The fan was running alright, but the blades were slightly bent and the hardware was loose and broken in some places. This led to the fan making a loud humming sound and vibrating around the table.

Once disassembled and washed, I stripped the old paint from all of the components. The base was repainted with a similar municipal pedestrian brown color, while the cage and fan blades were treated to off-white.

After rewiring all of the components, it was running just like the day it came off the factory floor 80 years ago (still loud as hell).


If you have any questions about this project, tools, materials, or otherwise contact Bounty Archive Management, or leave a comment.