General Electric
Antique Electric Fan
12" Vortalex Desk Fan
Antique Electric Fan Specs
| |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | General Electric |
| Model | FM12V43 |
| Nickname | Vorty |
| Size | 12" |
| Housing | Steel |
| Cage | Steel |
| Blade | Aluminum |
| Wings | 4 |
| Speeds | 3 |
| Switch | Lever |
| Mode | Oscillation |
| Type | Desk |
| Year | 1950 |
In the late 1990s I owned a couple Volkswagen pick-up trucks. Many people have forgotten that VW manufactured a truck, likely because the truck was only produced for four years. VW enthusiasts refer to them as Caddys. It was so simple and small; the designers at VW had essentially taken the front of a Rabbit and attached a bed to the back of it. So many of these trucks were painted robin's egg blue or beige. I wanted a Caddy that was painted white or gunmetal grey. I would scour newspaper ads for months in search of a truck, only for it to turn up in that dainty blue that I despised. I have never been a dainty girl; I hung out in the garage, loved all the shiny steel wrenches neatly laid in the drawers of the toolbox, changed my own oil, and rotated my tires.
I have had three blue Vortalex fans from the 1950s pass through my possession, along with a few other Vortys that I still own. The extreme blade pitch is mesmerizing to me. I love the hook of the trailing edge. This particular blue is not my first color choice for any fan. It reminds me of the blue VW truck that I never liked.
I keep this particular blue Vorty at work to help cool the east-facing accounting department. A few co-workers commented that they loved the blue color. You can probably hear my eyes rolling as you read this. I have read posts on social media from people that say that they wish they could find a blue fan in their section of the country because they are stuck in a world of black fans. I think that has helped change my opinion on this fan color. Maybe that is how some VW truck enthusiasts felt about the robin's egg blue color of the Caddy, as they were stuck in a world of gunmetal grey trucks.