I'm a great fan of old motors
Here's that fan (again) with its non-functioning motor dangling at the upper right.
First, you need lots of electrical testers
I tested the starting capacitor with my new capacitor meter and realized I didn't know what I was doing. The reading told me that the capacitor was no good or that I was no good.
Nonetheless, I bought a new capacitor—the shiny thing below.
I plugged in a 110-volt test cord. That's an electrical cord with two exposed conductors just waiting to do damage to whatever they touch.
So I touched them to the motor contacts and the motor almost jumped off the work bench.
Lesson learned
After all that excitement I clamped it in a vise, touched the conductors to it, and it started and ran like a new motor, albeit a very dirty new motor.
Gene Wilder was as surprised as I was.
Coming soon: Putting the motor and fan together just to see what happens.
Update
Yes, while I lie on the sofa and eat grapes, Joan toils away on the stairs. See how happy she looks?
Pretty soon, I'll be measuring, cutting, and installing the trim. Then we will decide whether we want some type of stencil or other graphics on the red risers. Suggestions?
Visitors from the hood
Our friends Susan and Larry stopped by and I posed for this photo so that everyone would think I had something to do with all this beautiful work.
And yes, the metal beef-stew sign will soon be back in its place on the wall.
Joan works tirelessly
Yes, she loves to paint stairs. Well, maybe it's not love, but she enjoys it. OK, she hates it, but she does a great job. This is the undercoat for the soon-to-be distressed treads. The risers are barn red, and the treads will eventually look something like the kitchen floor.
From the kitchen, looking up toward the old beef stew sign.
We have fifteen steps, which ruined our plan to use a hexadecimal number on each riser. Maybe Roman numerals, or binary. We'll figure out something, but I'm definitely not adding another step.
All done, except for trim work
Yep, the job that progressed at the same pace as the repaving of I-20 East is now almost done. The flooring planks are installed in the kitchen, pantry, and back-door alcove.
This is the kitchen. The floor is really a bit brighter (whiter) than the photo shows.
View from the back-door alcove through the pantry to the kitchen.
This certainly exceeds my minimum expectations. I'm so glad Joan did the painting and distressing of each plank, followed by meticulous coatings of polyurethane. By the way, the final coat included tiny, tiny particles of slip-resistant compound—something like micro-sand. And it works.
My own fan club
I was banished from the work area for about two days (while thousands of coats of polyurethane cured), so I went dumpster diving.
This old fan was tossed from a Decatur church renovation. The contractor agreed that I could take it, and I convinced him and a handy exterminator to load it into my truck. It pays to look old and helpless.
This spotless one-horsepower motor did not work. But at least the troubleshooting kept me busy and out of the house.
I have a half-horsepower motor that should fill the bill. I just hope it's the strong half of the horse.
Next time: Maybe the base trim
On the horizon: Painting the stairs in some decorative and unusual manner
