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GE Vortalex Fan Lamp
11 years ago
So here we are once again with another exciting restoration project!
Now, me and my friend Casey have had this long-running joke that whenever an antique is broken, we should just turn it into a lamp. It may have been a joke, but the idea really appealed to me when it came to vintage electric fans. I've seen a couple of people repurpose them, putting sockets on a center hub with lights spreading out as if they were blades. That idea kinda sat on the back burner while I was working on other fans.
Then a couple weeks ago, Casey called me when a 16" GE Vortalex came into the shop with a rather affordable offer. Now if you know me and if you've seen some of my other restorations, you know I have a big affinity for the Vortalex fans. So when that came in, we decided that was the one...the one that would become a lamp! And I bought it!
Here's what it looked like when I bought it~
http://i.imgur.com/5TjADfk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ndGyqWB.jpg
Prior to this project, I'd actually done a fair amount of research into lamps. I learned about lamp wiring, their anatomy, what their parts are called, and what parts I needed to make this happen. I'd also done plenty of fan restorations up until this point. That all being said, I was pretty much on full autopilot through most of the beginning stages of this project. Wiring all the sockets to the center cluster body was a little challenging with the cramped space, but...me and Casey got it all taken care of with a fair amount of trading off. It was like tag-team wiring! Work till you got a headache, then tag the other guy in.
And when it all came down to putting the lights into their sockets for the first time...when it came down to flicking the switch on... I was in a state of bliss! I can say with complete confidence that nothing I have ever created has made me more proud than the outcome of this lamp project. I mean, fans are cool, but I just brought myself to a whole new level!
Ladies and gentlemen, my GE Vorty Lamp!~
http://i.imgur.com/KMmqaGu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jrXtc3V.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4biKrAn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z7Lj0bV.jpg (sorry for blur, couldn't find my tripod)
Casey and I are looking into possible starting to create these for sale at his shop. I'm very excited to see how this may play out. In the meantime, I think I'm going to keep this one for now. I think it's too pretty. My heart flutters every time I look at it~ <3
Enjoy everyone!
Now, me and my friend Casey have had this long-running joke that whenever an antique is broken, we should just turn it into a lamp. It may have been a joke, but the idea really appealed to me when it came to vintage electric fans. I've seen a couple of people repurpose them, putting sockets on a center hub with lights spreading out as if they were blades. That idea kinda sat on the back burner while I was working on other fans.
Then a couple weeks ago, Casey called me when a 16" GE Vortalex came into the shop with a rather affordable offer. Now if you know me and if you've seen some of my other restorations, you know I have a big affinity for the Vortalex fans. So when that came in, we decided that was the one...the one that would become a lamp! And I bought it!
Here's what it looked like when I bought it~
http://i.imgur.com/5TjADfk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ndGyqWB.jpg
Prior to this project, I'd actually done a fair amount of research into lamps. I learned about lamp wiring, their anatomy, what their parts are called, and what parts I needed to make this happen. I'd also done plenty of fan restorations up until this point. That all being said, I was pretty much on full autopilot through most of the beginning stages of this project. Wiring all the sockets to the center cluster body was a little challenging with the cramped space, but...me and Casey got it all taken care of with a fair amount of trading off. It was like tag-team wiring! Work till you got a headache, then tag the other guy in.
And when it all came down to putting the lights into their sockets for the first time...when it came down to flicking the switch on... I was in a state of bliss! I can say with complete confidence that nothing I have ever created has made me more proud than the outcome of this lamp project. I mean, fans are cool, but I just brought myself to a whole new level!
Ladies and gentlemen, my GE Vorty Lamp!~
http://i.imgur.com/KMmqaGu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jrXtc3V.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4biKrAn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z7Lj0bV.jpg (sorry for blur, couldn't find my tripod)
Casey and I are looking into possible starting to create these for sale at his shop. I'm very excited to see how this may play out. In the meantime, I think I'm going to keep this one for now. I think it's too pretty. My heart flutters every time I look at it~ <3
Enjoy everyone!
would be really cool if the lights actually spun (speed controlled so not too fast), and they were wired like a brush motor, where the lights would be lit while spinning, would be neat :)
I'll believe its possible when I see it X3
lol nice lamp!
glad you could repurpose the mosheen. it looks good too!
Nah. I dont know how wiring would fair if it did spin. Either way, it has no motor in it anymore. Had to make room for the wiring xD
Love those kind of bulbs. I have a bunch of genuine mazda cage filament tungsten bulbs from the 1910's, and many other early GE lighting products. My earliest lightbulb is a 1888 Edison. :3
I am glad they make these styles as "reproductions" of sorts for someone who wants that vintage feel. Having an old bulb would be cool, but I'd never want to use it. X3
Mine are like this one: http://www.electronixandmore.com/ad.....abulb_off1.jpg
I honestly refrain from using original accessories or hardware unless I'm doing just a mechanical or original-finish restoration. Otherwise, vintage accessories that show wear or signs of use don't match well with a brilliant new paint job with gleaming polished metal of a full restoration. I'm suuuuuuch a nitpicker!!! Of course, I do keep those accessories if I come across fans or other things that may need them later. Got a box of vintage switches and plugs~ XD
this particular fan looks good how it is, i was just thinking about alternate ways to make one of these X3
NOOOOOOO! Nope nope nope nope! XD
wouldn't it be kewl to have glowing blades!
it has an oil-filled motor (the windings and everything are immersed), and its super old, original with the house, which was built by my grandparents
might have already been an old used fan, grandpa tried to go budget on that house X3