New air con for the shed! Ancient GEC fan.

[Lloyd 1985]

I've been out bargain hunting today, and come back with this health and safety nightmare!

It's solidly built, so much better than the modern plastic ones that fall apart if you fart too loudly near them, I'm sure the base is cast iron. The finger guard leaves a little to be desired! It'd probably make a good lawn mower with those blades! It has 3 speeds, and I'm glad to say it works perfectly too, needs a new cable though and a good clean. I've only fired it up briefly, through an isolating transformer too, just in case, as I haven't had chance to dig out the megger yet to check for leakage. The motor runs nice and smooth too.

Does anyone know approximately when it was made? I've seen similar ones on the net from a quick search that say its from the 40's, and one website that says from the shape of the blades it dates to before 1920 (be nice if it was!)

Regards,
Lloyd

health and safety nightmare

No it's not, merilly a common sense tester, I like it (a lot). It is one of those lovely things where form follows function, like the motor just being a motor and not covered is some "styling" shroud. The switch is marvelous!

[Herald1360]

Well the label (BSS380-1930) bit suggests it can't be older than 1930!

[emeritus]

The 1911 GEC catalogue has several pages of fans, but all the table and wall fans use a common set of components, so have just copied the page that illustrates the spare parts. The fan blades and protective cage, which are pretty well common to all models, are clearly different, so not 1911. I also have an incomplete GEC 1893 catalogue which includes fans in its index. Unfortunately the fans are in a part I do not have.
.
The complete set of GEC catalogues that used to be kept in the Marconi Museum, went to Oxford with the Marconi collection. I don't know how accessible they are in the present situation. In GEC days the archivist would have looked through them and got back to you in a couple of days with a free photocopy.

[Jonster]

The BSS number contains the date 1930 so that may be a clue that it's later than that...

I would hazard a guess that it is mid to late thirties in design, but may have been built later.

It's a lovely looking fan and I bet it works really well! As you say it will outlast the modern tat.

[AC/HL]

Similar one here with the same BSS number: http://afcaforum.com/forum1/24980.html

[G6ONEDave]

I wonder if the fan blade guard was originally painted black or possibly chrome plated. Serviced and cleaned up, it should be good for many more years.

[McMurdo]

Rather nice! How does the speed control work?

I have a similar semi-open fan from Pifco, albeit 1950's. I didnt think I'd be daft enough to come a cropper but one sultry night while I was on my computer I reached around to grab my drink and put my fingers through the guard. Luckily only as far as my fingernails but it seriously hurt. Easily done, I'm sure..

[alanworland]

Love old fans! Much better than new ones they have character.
My workshop GEC fan has totally unshrouded rubber blades and reminds me of a Merlin engine running!

Alan

[Lloyd 1985]

Cheers for all the responses! The catalogue is most interesting, and I’d never thought of the BSS number for the date! Not sure what the guard was originally finished like, possibly bronze effect like the blades, which look like they might clean up, the guard is a bit rusty, I’ll attack it carefully with a bit of steel wool see how it comes up.

The speed control has 3 settings, and there is a tapped coil on the other side of it, strangely setting number 1 is the fastest setting, but it could have been wired wrong. The switch has a nice positive click to it too.

I’ll get some nice modern cloth covered cable to rewire it, plenty of nice ones on eBay these days, and in various colours, often I find picking the colour takes the longest time! I’ll fit 3 core and earth it.

I like the idea of it being a common sense tester! I could imagine reaching for the switch and Miss judging it and loosing a finger, pleased to hear you still have your fingers Kevin! I certainly won’t be using this one on hot summers nights in my bedroom, I can see me falling asleep and sticking my foot in it in my sleep!

It does make a nice sound when running, a sort of hum with a slight rasp noise from the blades. It also kicks the airflow a good distance too even on its low speed setting.

Regards
Lloyd

[Paul_RK]

Ah, that's a beauty: does look mid-'30s or thereabouts to me. The workhorse here is by "Monomark BCM/B&Y" whoever they may have been, probably ten years or so younger but with a similarly casual guard, and has often been running all day lately to help me endure the heat. It's quiet at full speed, almost silent at lower settings, and the base doesn't get quite hot enough to scorch the carpet.

Paul

[Radio_Dave]

Originally Posted by Lloyd 1985

strangely setting number 1 is the fastest setting, but it could have been wired wrong.

I think you'll fine this is right. I've several old fans dotted around the house and they all start at the fastest speed from the off position.

David

[emeritus]

Apparently this is done to ensure that the fan starts. At college the variable speed extractor fans in our lecture rooms worked like this, and one of the mature students who had worked for the company that made them said this was the reason.

[m0cemdave]

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

The workhorse here is by "Monomark BCM/B&Y" whoever they may have been
Paul

Monomark BCM signifies a postbox address (via British Monomarks).
The manufacturer's name must have something to do with "B&Y"

[McMurdo]

many fans were like this, so going through fast to slow to give the bearings a kick. Some big audio amps do the same thing when you power on, they run the heatsink fans fast for a few seconds then revert to temperature control, stops them getting stuck so easily.

[Electronpusher0]

Funny coincidence, visited my local car boot today for the first time since lockdown and there was an identical GEC fan!
The seller wanted £40 for it. I was tempted but managed to resist.

Peter

[Lloyd 1985]

I hate to say, that one at the car boot was cheaper than mine!

I’ve got it in bits at the moment for a bit of cleaning, I think the blades were originally bronze effect, very much like the speaker fret of the Ekco RS3 radio’s, and sadly some hooligan in the past has had a damn good go at scraping it all off! The blades themselves are made of either solid brass or copper, and have tarnished again over time, I did consider polishing them up to shiny copper/brass but decided that would just look wrong, so all I’ve done so far is give them a wash and a very light polish with Silvo (like brasso, but not as harsh), then a coat of Briwax to give them a little shine. The case is coming up nicely with just using Silvo on the black painted parts. The guard is probably going to have to be a winter project! That also looks like it was bronze effect too, but on steel, so it rusted and popped off most of the coating, it does come up ok with a bit of steel wool though, as did the GEC badge.

Someone has been at this fan before me, apart from the dodgy wire replacement, they also messed with the motor, I’ve found what looks like a stack of M8 washers on the shaft! I guess there was something else there before, but is long gone now. There are deep grooves in the motor shaft too, I’m surprised at how smooth it does run! I wonder if fitting a couple of ball bearing races would be beneficial? For now I’ll just clean it up and re oil it.

That Monomark fan looks nice too!

Regards
Lloyd

[McMurdo]

maybe they were trying to take up end-play with the washers, if the shaft gets worn, the rotor can drift in and out making a really annoying drumming sound, happens on shaded pole motors too (and on this old Goldair fan here).

[emeritus]

I fitted washers to the fan of our old fan-assisted electric oven for that reason.

[mark_in_manc]

(For your steel guard - I recommend having a go with electrolysis of rust (caustic soda electrolyte, work cathode, scrap anode, about 2-3A through it in a plastic tub) on a complicated shape like that. It's easy, and you end up with a patinated surface (but not dry and flaky) which you can varnish or wax, and which will look right. I think!)