Free infamous Mistral Gyro-aire box fan - needs repair

[texaskirbyguy]

Vintage fan collectors!
Free infamous Mistral Gyro-aire box fan - needs repair

From the early 70's, this model has had a bad reputation from a particular design flaw, making them very rare to come by today. I can tell you the details in a reply but can be found in an online search.
Therefore I am giving this to a fan collector only, who will understand the flaw and how to work around it.

Fan has no blades, case screws, feet, or cord. The resistor that usually failed in these has failed, but not in the way it usually did.
This is the way I had received it and I do not have a blade to fit it.
Motor ohms out and is a bit tight - it will need disassembly, cleaning, and relube.
Case is in very good condition.

This unit is 'too bad' to throw away so hope another collector would like to fix/modify it and add to their collection, or just to display as conversation piece.
Unfortunately if no one wants it, then it will be thrown away in a month or so as I just do not have space for it.

Free for pickup in Plano TX, or pay just for shipping.
Thank you,
-Rob

 

[justjunque]

I had never heard of them, until your post.
I found a video that explained a lot of the issues; once I ignored all the videos of people destroying them.
Pretty interesting fan!
I wonder if anyone has ever essentially rebuilt one to eliminate all the problems.
I hope someone claims it. I hate to see anything vintage get tossed.

 

[centralvacs1928]

A Gyroaire Mistral was our bench fan at the vac shop for years. I started there in 2000 and it was always hanging around. The handle was broken, the plug had been replaced, it was filthy, but it worked as long as I can remember.

This brings back memories!

Owen

 

[texaskirbyguy]

The variable control circuit design can be updated to make it safer (higher wattage resistor and added heat shielding above PCB), or the whole board can be replaced with a self-contained module (but would change the look of it).
The issues were the one resistor that ran too hot (that blew its top in the picture) and the fact that the fan did not have an OFF position (just low enough that the motor did not spin).
These things were known to start on fire from time to time, but were probably no more dangerous than a samsung 8 phone. The greer-style dehumidifiers were much worse. High production numbers and unattended use increased the risks.

This fan would be best left as just a demo unit (with mods done) and a blade and cord added, for historical sake.
Afterward I would recommend a sticker be put on it somewhere that it should not be run unintended (although it would be much safer after the mods).

I have a few more unsung hero fans in the attic that need homes. One is an Edison 12" box fan that has a damaged front grille. Whoever wants the Mistral can have that one too if desired.

Yes, I hate tossing vintage things as they are a part of history. These fans also have potential for resto and display.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

This one is reaching its D-day, or EOL.
If anyone wants to link this post to another site, feel free. I am not on many other forums and never been close to any so-called media sites.
A true fan collector would appreciate the history of this thing.