Old rusty heater resurrected

I bought an old rusty electric heater at a flea market because I liked its vintage style.  The blower motor was frozen and the heating coils and wiring looked dangerous, but the cabinet was sound, although it had a lot of surface rust inside and out.  This instructable walks through the steps I took resurrecting this old heater.

Step 1 How it all began

I forgot to take a photo of the heater before I began, but from the disassembled cabinet you can see the condition this old heater was in.  The cabinet parts are shown in the first photo, and the heating element/blower assembly in the 2nd photo.  There was a lot of internal and external rust on the cabinet panels, the fan motor was frozen, and the wiring was old and falling apart.  Plus, since these old heaters were made with no safety systems I really didn't want to try and repair the parts that made heat.

Comments

[Ed-win]

Should you have used a junction box instead of soldering the connections? Very nice job! Where can I find out about your electric bicycles? I like the way you think.

[knife141]

The original connections for the new heater were twisted and held together with a wire nut. I used similar wire nuts, however I always solder my connections in addition to the wire nuts. Junction boxes are used inside house walls and attics to protect combustible surfaces from sparks. No need to use one inside a metal cabinet. As for my electric bicycles, I never made an instructable on building them, however I did make one for an electric scooter I built. You can view it here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Electric-Scooter-pushed-by-monkey/

Thanks for your comment.

[tim_n]

How did you earth the metal cage?

[knife141]

The new heater that was used in this was a double-insulated design, so grounding the metal housing was unnecessary.

[snayl]

Very cool, well documented, loved the attention to safety and clean work. You *are* a pro!

[knife141]

Thanks for the nice comment.

[atlantica]

and where does one procure phosphatizant/phosphoric acid?

[knife141]

Don't know where you live, but a google search for "phosphoric acid" will turn up many places to purchase it -- from building supply stores to swimming pool supply stores.

[atlantica]

Ill give it a try thanks. I've never seen it in stores, but that doesn't mean it isnt there.

[slaitch]

I know you said you're already making plans for this nifty metal box right here, but might I add that my first impulse towards that cabinet is guitar amp.

[knife141]

A guitar amp is a good idea, but probably not for me since I don't have the skill to play. But, I am indeed thinking of something electronic. Thanks for the comment.

[rimar2000]

What a good work! I use phophatizant liquid, successfully.

If you don't know it, please read my comments here.

[knife141]

Thanks, Osvaldo! I googled phophatizant and as best I can tell it means phosphoric acid, or at least a diluted form of the acid. Is this correct? Thanks for your comment and the information!

[knife141]

Oops! I replied before I read your comments. It is indeed phosphoric acid. I'll give it a try the next time I'm dealing with a lot of rust!

[rimar2000]

I love phosphatizant!