This fan still worked when I found it, but it looked really nasty. I didn't need to refurb it, but I thought it would be a nice first instructable.

Fan-Resoration.pdf
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Step 1: Take It Apart

First, I had to take the base off of it and the blades. The only problem was I couldn't get the blades off. They had rusted onto the shaft of the motor. That meant that I couldn't take out the screws from the motor or clean the blades easily. I wasn't too worried about it because I will be using it as an exhaust fan for another instructable(airbrushing booth).

Step 2: Polishing and Painting

For the actual restoring part you will need:
-Duct Tape(of corse)
- paper towel
- cotton cloth (old t-shirt)
- pocket knife
- small bucket o water
- brillo pad
- metal polish(kerosene works)
-spray paint
Gloves would be a good idea too.

Step 3: Paint the Body Prep

You will want to tape off everything that isn't being painted. i.e. the blades, power info, and the cord. The take a dry brillo pad and lightly scuff the entire surface for the paint to grab onto.

Step 4: Spray Away!

I only put two medium coats of spray paint on and it looked pretty good.

Step 5: Paint the Base Prep and Spray

This was a little more involved, because there was rust. I took off the rubber grommets first with the pocketknife. Then, I had to use the wire wheel on my bench grinder to get all the paint off of it. Then, I sprayed two heavy coats of metallic paint to cover up the little pits. It still looked good.

Step 6: Blade Polishing

For this I brushed the blades with a wet brillo pad, using the built in soap as lubricant to not scratch the surface so bad. Then, I put the cotton wheel on the bench grinder and buffed out the blades. After, I took the metal polish and shined it to a mirror finish. There should be a grey liquidy substance on the metal after applying the metal polish remove that while wet with the cotton cloth.