Mimar
Antique Electric Fan
12" Swivel Floor Fan
Antique Electric Fan Specs
| |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Mimar |
| Model | 312-RF |
| Nickname | Bat Signal |
| Size | 12" |
| Housing | Steel |
| Blade | Aluminum |
| Wings | 4 |
| Speeds | 3 |
| Switch | Lever |
| Mode | Swivel |
| Type | Floor |
| Year | 1950s |
| Weight | 23 lb |
The Bat Signal 🦇
In March of 2018, I read an ad on Letgo, $25 for a "Vintage Mimar Industrial Steam Punk Fan". I didn't know anything about the Mimar brand or this model, but I was intrigued by the shape of the housing, the halo handle, and the overlapping blades. I couldn't find much on the internet about Mimar other than a few pictures of some varying models. What I did surmise from the ad was that the seller likely didn't know a thing about this fan because he interjected the word steampunk in the title of the ad. The light-blue color of this fan is anything but steampunk.The seller and I agreed to meet in a public location in daylight to follow traditional safety protocol. He suggested two locations, and I picked the one that was closer to my house. I met the seller in the parking lot of Meijer by lamppost "H" that he recommended. I had the feeling that this wasn't his first rodeo since he was familiar with the lamppost designations without being there. Regardless of protocol, my senses are always heightened at this type of meeting. I remain in my car with locked doors and the engine running, and assess the prospective seller. My senses make sure the sellers don't exit the car in a drunken stupor, wielding a mallet, or wearing ski masks. Clearly I watch too much crime TV, or need to shut off the news.
This was my second attempt to meet the seller who was known by a screen name of "KW" and his profile picture was of a wolf. He had missed our first meeting because he had gotten sidetracked with helping his girlfriend with her car. This is all the information I had when I was about to meet a virtual stranger. I suppose it isn't much different than the information you had when responding to a blind classified ad in a newspaper, but these online ads have a different feel. With classified ads, you were contacting a person that had a phone in a permanent location, and you had an idea as to where the person may live based on the prefix of the phone number. Mobile phones have added a transient layer to life. People change their number for any number of reasons; their ex is a little wacky, the credit card companies want payment, or there are just too many spam phone calls. People also move to different states and keep the same mobile phone number so you may get a response from a number that is several states away.
The meeting ─ he whipped his gold, four door Saturn S-series next to my passenger door. I looked in the car and he was alone, mostly because nobody else could fit into the car. His backseat had a clothes rod hanging between the rear doors that was half full. There were books, action figures in their original boxes, and assorted ceramic figurines stuffed in the back window. It was like an episode of the television show Hoarders had been filmed in his car.
He was a thin man, maybe in his early 50's, and a little unkempt. The hair that was sticking out from his hat was a bit wily. He left his car running and hopped out with great energy; the kind of energy that you get from one too many cups of coffee. He apologized again for missing the first appointment and opened the trunk to retrieve the fan. He placed it on the ground and asked me if I wanted to see it run. At this point, let me remind you that we are in the middle of a parking lot, and I was puzzled as to how he would make this electricity happen without channeling Zeus' bolt of lightning. He squeezed by me to the passenger door of his car, and retrieved a power strip to plug into the cigarette lighter. This man seemingly had everything in his car! He went onto explain that he was in the process of selling three properties so he and his girlfriend could move south, so that hopefully explains the hodgepodge of items in his car.
He plugged in the fan and it started slowly with a little bit of noise, probably from a loose cage screw. After it got to full speed on 1 (low), he switched it to 2 (medium), and then to 3 (high) to demonstrate that it worked on all speeds. I wasn't convinced that it actually worked on all speeds. We were in a parking lot that was adjacent to noisy Illinois Route 173, in the middle of March with blustery winds. Due to the wind and cool temperature, I couldn't feel the air movement difference from 2 to 3, and any RPM pitch was lost in the wind. I told him I would purchase it and he lowered the price $5 for missing our first appointment.
When I got the fan home to a quiet location, as I suspected, it only worked on low and high. Upon removing the bottom, I discovered that the medium speed didn't work because the wiring was not attached. All of it was there; it just needed to be soldered. Once soldered, rewired, and oiled, this fan works on all speeds. Its steel housing and aluminum blade cleaned up really well and the paint still has a nice shine. Due to this fan's large size and ability to be pointed upward, it has gained the nickname, The Bat Signal. This fan is a tremendous air-circulator and I rarely need to use any speed other than low. It sits next in our large living room and runs most days and nights. Not too bad for a non-steampunk fan!
Link to grille patent information.
