Item: Electric Ritter Dental Fan Chrome Cherry Base 1920´s
Sold For: $1,284.00
Bids: 11
Date: Jun 10, 2012
Auction: Ebay
Seller: fans_r_russ
Description and Image By: fans_r_russ
Ritter Dental Manufacturing Company Inc Rochester, NY USA
The Ritter Dental Company of Rochester, New York was established in 1887, and still in existence today. In 1895 two men by the name of Alphonse and Oscar Pieper offered the first electric dental motor to the Ritter Dental Company. The Pieper brothers continued for years to contribute dental related patented devices to the Ritter company. Below is a link to some early Ritter dental history.
http://www.ritterdental.com/Story/TheEarlyYears.htm#1891workers
This dental fan was designed and patented for Ritter Dental by Oscar Pieper (patent filed in November of 1923). Originally the fan was attached to the dental station containing all the dental apparatus within easy access to the dentist. The Google patent link is provided below for this Ritter dental fan. This particular model Ritter dental fan is a shorter version.
This Ritter dental fan is of very sturdy construction. It has a universal motor capable of operating on alternating or direct current. The fan operates on three distinct speeds and is currently set up to operate plugged into a modern household AC wall socket. The fan has been securely anchored with a painted welded steel mounting bracket to a stained and varnished cherry wood base. The steel mounting bracket is held down with brass hardware with rubber vibration dampers between the steel mount and wood base. The new braided cloth covered power cord passes through rubber insulators through the bottom of the wood base, up through the steel mount into the fan. A nice antique plug was added to the new power cord.
The fan was completely disassembled and given a thorough restoration. The fans aluminum castings were stripped of the damaged paint, sanded, placed on buffing wheels, and given a polish to a gloss. The metal pivot below the fan motor is made of nickel plated brass with a gun blued wing steel wing screw. The motor was cleaned, the armature sprayed with insulating varnish, the commutator (minor wear) lathed true, new carbon brushes were added. The switch was cleaned, and new cloth covered wiring was added from the switch up to the motor. The felt wicks in the oil cups were replaced new. The steel blade was stripped to bare metal and given new chrome plate, and runs very true. The steel blade guard has been stripped to bare metal and given new paint. Brass screw inserts were put into the wooden base that have central threading to thread the four rubber feet into the base.
The fan is stable on its base, and operates very well on all three speeds.
The fan is ready to go right out of the box after oil is added to the oil cups. I will give instructions if needed.