Vintage Toastmaster Box Fan- Clean and Service

Well I finally got a McGraw Edison box fan! Been looking for one of these for a long time so i was very happy to find this one! Needed some love, but overall it's a pretty good looking and performing fan!

[@dougg1075]

She’s a beauty! Bought a toastmaster today that matches the description of you teachers fan. Brown with a three speed black knob on top. Super clean and works like a charm. To me the noise they make is like music to my sleeping ears:) I use them for sleep

[@colin_5839]

Thanks Doug! Damn you are lucky! I have still yet to find one of them! They do have a nice sound to them as long as the bearings are good LOL! Thanks for Watching!

[@dougg1075]

@@colin_5839 yea it’s output is much better than my new Walmart one and it’s tone is awesome. Saw that mug in a thrift store SOLD. 25 bucks

[@plumbingstuffinoregon2471]

Man that's just about identical to my 1960s Eskimo. Same cabinet, same blade, same motor, same thing going with the three speed switch and two off positions, very similar cord and plug, similar start up noise, just under a different name. Mines even got a nail holding the wires back too!

[@colin_5839]

That's because they are the same fan lol! Eskimo, Toastmaster, Zero, Happy Home, and a whole bunch of other brands were all different brand names for the Mcgraw Edison company back in the day! Thanks for Watching!

[@plumbingstuffinoregon2471]

@@colin_5839 That explains it then! I always kind of thought they were under one name, sorta like how Ford, Lincoln, Mercury were all pretty much the same thing back in the day. I've also seen a whole bunch of Zero desk fans that look identical to an Eskimo I have.

[@Trshslsa]

The rusty nail holding the wires in is normal. I have 2 of those rebranded as manning bowman and eskimo they both had the rusty nail. Weird choice by edison Also the startup could be a buzz as these motors are notorious for buzzing because the factory varnish is the thin. To make the grilles stop rattling, I put thin grommets between the grille and cabinet under each screw, and my manning bowman doesnt rattle on the grilles anymore. Hopefully that helps

[@colin_5839]

You know, you aren't are the first person to mention that! I almost wonder if they reused nails they got from something else to be honest lol. That's a pretty good idea for the grills! I will definitely keep that in mind! Thanks for Watching!

[@Krispy80]

@@colin_5839 yes, my Eskimo box fan also has a nail but I just cleaned the nail

[@LemontTheFanMan]

what an Awesome startup sound and rare box fan i really enjoyed the video especially the time lapse lol my favorite you should do more time lapse videos lol maybe make a startup sound video as a request of all the fans that have startup sounds on them lol i would love to see that... lol

[@colin_5839]

It's certainly a unique sound! I'm trying to do a mix of timelapse and working through it style videos going forward so stay tuned! : ) I will really have to do a startup sound compilation video at some point, might take me a while to get to that though... Thanks for watching Lemont!

[@LemontTheFanMan]

@@colin_5839 Your welcome bro no problem :-)

[@JohnSurf5]

Nice restoration job! Great looking fan!

[@colin_5839]

Thanks!

[@TheBehemothHyper]

Uh man I want to get one in Canada! These are my favourite type box fans! Totally opposite to the Lasko 3733!

[@colin_5839]

I'm sure you can find one somewhere! If not, then have one shipped! They are cool fans, I like them a lot as well! :) Thanks for Watching!

[@Big_B1-e]

I have a vintage 22" Frigidaire 5 blade 3 speed box fan ..I'm missing the back plastic shroud i have the front one but i can't find one online i heen searching and looking but no luck ive been looking a new motor and no luck with that either.....i have the Frigidaire model SP20

[@dougg1075]

Mother’s Mag Wheel Polish should take care of those blades. I would polish them to mirror if possible

[@colin_5839]

Will do! (At some point lol!)

[@Krispy80]

Nice, I have a similar fan to that but it's Eskimo branded and is seafoam blue edit: I think all of the Mcgraw Edison box fans from the late 60s had a nail to to hold the chord, because my box fan, also from Mcgraw Edison has a nail holding the wires in.

[@colin_5839]

Very nice! Probably the same fan just one of the many rebrands they had back in the day. Thanks for Watching!

[@Krispy80]

Another edit: I honestly think the blades or the tag aren't original, because the brand "happy home", also made by Mcgraw Edison made avocado green box fans, so it could have been made by happy home, the blades aren't original, or that is an unusual fan.

[@NorthernMaineProductions]

I have a Yellow McGraw Edison Eskimo from the later 70s that is almost identical to yours with the exception Mine has a Toastmaster Style white Plastic Blade from the late 70's - 1980s , Mine has the same exact nail bent in the same fashion as yours that retains the wires , I have used mine extensively since i bought it in 2008 , I like the Color of yours much better than mine, I just Uploaded a Video to my Channel of My Old fan !

[@colin_5839]

Nice! Those are probably what came right after these fans in the 70's. I believe this fan is a very earl 70's or more likely late 60's. I guess they really did use the nail to hold the wires back then! That's hilarious! They're pretty good fans, just make sure to keep them oiled! I love the color scheme of this fan as well! Can't beat the ol avocado green lol! I'll check out the video when I get a little bit of free time. Thanks for Watching!

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello Colin- I'm a friend of 805RoadKing and I subscribed a while back when he mentioned your channel on his. I have been doing some fan clean-ups on my channel and just found a neglected McGraw Edison (Happy Home) fan in the trash after a heavy rain! =D I will have the video up on Monday. I am slowly learning the thousands of tips and tricks of fan restoration. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge on the subject!

[@colin_5839]

Hey ScoutCrafter thanks for stopping by!! Ohh nice! I'm gunna have to go check them out! Yep there's a lot of little tip and tricks to this hobby, so I always do my best to share them when I can! Let me know if you need help with anything or have questions about restoring vintage fans! I'd be happy to help! Thanks for Watching!

[@fordmuscleluis9710]

I'm glad you got this Toastmaster made by McGraw Edison metal bladed box fan serviced on the motor in order to have a long spin down time I love that start-up sound from the motor which doesn't sound bad I really enjoyed it

[@colin_5839]

Me too! : ) Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for Watching!

[@ShaudFarhang]

Nice fan

[@colin_5839]

Thanks Shaud!

[@JohnSurf5]

The start up sound makes me almost think of a capacitor starting the motor. It’s very similar to my HVAC system outside.

[@colin_5839]

Yea it's a pretty cool sound! Thanks for Watching John!

[@TheBehemothHyper]

A week ago but cool fan!

[@colin_5839]

Thanks!

[@funny36ful]

These are common fans, and with that wear on the shaft, I’d be looking for a new motor entirely. New bearings won’t work with a bad shaft.

[@colin_5839]

Well for whatever reason they don't seem to be common around me! And yes that is true... unless you machine new bearings to fit the worn out shaft, which is what I would eventually like to do. Thanks for Watching John!

[@Lukey06]

Nice job! Also, I'm kind of curious to what kind of insulation did you use for the copper woundings?

[@colin_5839]

Thanks! I used Sprayon EL600 clear sprayon varnish! Thanks for watching!

[@luismuniz2697]

I found a box fan some years ago when I was walking around and just enjoying the evening.... It's olive green with plastic blades...... It operates nicely..... It's was covered with a good amount of dust..... I cleaned it up and it works fine..... They don't make them like that anymore and it's sad.... Where has the good quality went??????

[@colin_5839]

Nice find! Could be a slightly later version of the one in the video! The good quality became a victim of cooperate greed and a throw away society that we now live in unfortunately.... Thanks for Watching!

[@ogrebeast64]

Reminds me of the old fan we used to have that was mounted on a steel rack.

[@colin_5839]

It could have been a similar one! These were quite popular back in the day! Thanks for Watching!

[@dreacdreac]

Thanks. I just got a toastmaster with the 3 metal blades. I just oiled it (without taking it apart). It barely has a rattle on high speed anymore but still rattles on the lower speed. Does that narrow down what is causing the rattle?

[@colin_5839]

It is mostly likely due to worn out bearings. These fans were both made cheap and usually beat to hell across their many years of service so that plus the motor shaft really being undersized for the size and weight of the blade means you very often find that the bearings are worn on them. Other than that, assuming it's in good balance, it could also need some fiber washers. Always a good idea to replace those anyways, especially on fans of this vintage. Thanks for Watching!

[@SamZarifYT]

Some one nearby me is selling a vintage Edison fan WITH BOX for 5 bucks! I’m hoping there are no fan collectors around since I’m going to hopefully pick it up this weekend!

[@colin_5839]

You better get it! Gotta jump on the steals! :) Hopefully it works out for you! Thanks for Watching Sam!

[@SamZarifYT]

@@colin_5839 Thank you!

[@SamZarifYT]

@@colin_5839 Looks like I just got it! There’s a lot of rust on the bottom of the fan. I had to strip it off along with the paint. Everything else is great. Some Home Depot spray paint should fix it.

[@ACA332]

You should be able to press that shaft out of the rotor and press it back on backwards. This might allow the front bearing to wear against an unworn section of a shaft. It worked on an old shaded pole bathroom fan motor I repaired.

[@colin_5839]

You know, I never even thought of that! That's pretty smart! Unfortunately I don't have a press here so I'd have to bother a friend to do it for me lol. I might do that one day, but to be honest, the fan has been running pretty darn well so until it starts really making noise I might just leave it. Thanks for Watching!

[@Krispy80]

​@@colin_5839you can just use a hammer, I've replaced shafts on fans by using a hammer, hope that helps

[@chrismiller4308]

My parents got a 3 speed toastmaster fan around 1960 and used it till 2001, the motor finally burnt up is there a motor that might replace this one? They do move a lot of air, it always had the startup growl

[@colin_5839]

That's too bad that it burnt up! I'm not sure if there is a motor that's readily available that will directly replace it or not unfortunately! You might be able to find a parts fan somewhere though! Thanks for Watching Chris!

[@ericrichard5237]

Inherited the eskimo years ago, always use it. Unfortunately motor went up in smoke. All replacement motors i've seen are 2 wire not 3. What gives?

[@colin_5839]

Damn that's too bad! That's why I always advocate for revarnishing these things when you have them apart to service them! Helps extend motor life and sometimes can prevent them from going poof! Chances are you are seeing motors meant for modern attic fans which are only a single speed instead of 2 and they also have the wrong size shaft. Your best bet is probably to find a parts fan, especially if you can find another McGraw Edison or one of their many rebadges because then the motor will be a direct fit. Most box fans used a 1/2" shaft so finding one with a 3/8" like these used is a little difficult. Good Luck!

[@Tadfafty]

The legacy of The Edison Phonograph Company is A fan. Oh yeah, and thousands of great music recordings.

[@Tadfafty]

In case you didn't know, McGraw-Edison is what became of Edison's phonograph company.

[@colin_5839]

Haha!

[@lukea.6298]

Are these older fans safe to use? They make me nervous as I always think they will catch on fire. If in good condition, should I worry about that?

[@colin_5839]

Many of them are! There are a few specific fans I would shy away from, however for the most part vintage fans are perfectly safe to run and use! Many of them do run much hotter than modern fans because the motors are generally shaded pole and less efficient than a PSC motor, however, if in good condition and well maintained you should have absolutely nothing to worry about! I run fans like this and some that are way older than this one all the time and have ( knock on wood lol) never had any issues. The key is to go through them and give them a good clean and service before putting them into service and to keep them cleaned and lubricated! Adding fuses wouldn't be a bad idea either, but I usually don't do it myself very often! The other point I will make is unlike modern plastic fans, even if all hell broke loose for some crazy reason and the motor did catch fire, the motor is the only part of this fan that would burn and it wouldn't last long. The rest is metal, so it would be exciting, but shouldn't really damage much besides the fan itself lol! Hope I answered your question! Thanks for Watching Luke!

[@tophercragg4812]

Cool fan kinda reminds me of the fan we had in the shop before it went up in smoke 😂 it was a brown one though

[@colin_5839]

Thanks Topher! Ohh jeez! That's always exciting, right? Certainly don't get that with modern fans and all their thermal protection and fuses lol! You should find a new motor for it! Much like the antique engines, the old fans are far better than anything made today! Thanks for Watching!

[@tophercragg4812]

@@colin_5839 I definitely agree with you on the old stuff being better but unfortunately my boss scrapped it last year after it blew up lol

[@colin_5839]

@@tophercragg4812 I figured that would be the case. Not everyone realizes what you an I do and far fewer people are weird like ma and appreciate electric fans... 🤣

[@CartierEd]

Where would one get new bearings made for their fan?

[@colin_5839]

You MIGHT be able to find some bronze bushings that would work on sites like Grainger or McMaster Carr, but if not you can make them or get a machinist to make some on a lathe fairly easily! Thanks For Watching!

[@CartierEd]

@@colin_5839 Thanks. If you have done or plan to do a video on making them, that would be awesome to see!

[@MrScottie68]

McGraw Edison made these box fans by the thousands in the late 60s and into the 70s and badged them with various names and colors. They move a ton of air…..and when oiled regularly, those motors even though cheaply made last for decades.

[@colin_5839]

Yep! You hit the nail on the head there! Thanks for Watching!

[@andrewfournaris8790]

Those nails on them are original.

[@colin_5839]

REALLY??? That's nuts! How do you know? Thanks for Watching Andrew!

[@andrewfournaris8790]

I have a fresh'naire by Cory with thermostat that's basically a McGraw& Edison that has the same setup as your fan your welcome for watching your video.

[@ericvilmer3902]

How did you get the rivets out safely, I have an edison model 124004 12 inch box fan with a motor not working correctly and need to get the grills off

[@colin_5839]

Not sure what rivets you are talking about... Usually the grills on these fans use were held on by sheet metal screws!

[@sureshkumarc.k6534]

hello colin,nice vidya

[@colin_5839]

Thanks Suresh!

[@Xyspade]

Wow, really nice condition paint on there indeed! Short cord seems pretty typical of Toastmaster/McGraw-Edison lol. I'm not too big on McG-Ed because of the bearing issues and the lack of speeds on most of them it seems, although I like that "startup sound" on this one just enough that I'd be tempted to leave it alone! Blades are also kind of a neat design, they definitely have that classic McG-Ed design to them with the circular shape and the slight overlap near the hub. I was surprised to see the hub is the green color instead of the blade color, that looks quite good! I might just steal that idea if I ever have to repaint a fan. Speaking of, what do you do to paint the guard, do you sand it down first or use paint stripper chemicals, or just paint over whatever it is after a good cleaning? I'm guessing you used spray paint judging by the intro (that was quite an interesting way to hold it up!). I recently got a 20 inch Sears Homart that needs a few touchups. Never seen wear on a shaft like that to the point that it's thinner, that's amazing.

[@colin_5839]

Thanks Xyspade! Yea I have another, newer Toastmaster fan with a cord that is even shorter lol! It's kinda ridiculous! Then again, these were cheap fans back in the day... I always loved the blade design on these fans as well! Super cool! And yes, the painted hub always looks good, definitely recommend taking the time to do it when doing a resto! As far as painting goes, with fan grills unless I'm doing a full restoration it's usually a situation like this fan or the GE from the intro where the rest of the fan is in really good shape so I want to just touch up the grills a bit and I'll just clean the grills really well and then just do several coats over whats there. When doing a full restoration I'll usually wire wheel stuff down to bare metal, smooth it out a bit, then use primer and enamel paint for a tough finish. Haha! yea that was an interesting one! I usually use my paint booth and just lay the grills flat but for some reason in that video I didn't feel like doing that and got a bit creative! Worked out pretty good lol! Yea this is the first time I have seen that level of wear on a rotor shaft like that in a fan.. usually the bearings wear out first but I guess McGraw Edison used soft metal for their motor shafts in these fans. Either way it's definitely impressive lol! Thanks for Watching!