The Damn Perversity of Inanimate Objects!

A Non Functioning Oscillating Stand Fan

How to Dismantle, Clean, and Reassemble

...or…

What to do when your brain stops functioning from too much political news

I'm Looking at fan in a daze and wondering why I want to take this damn, dirty thing apart to make it work, instead of just tossing it to the ground, kicking it and calling it names.  

1. Haul fan over to table and remove outer fan cover...and realize it’s too dirty to put on table. Take to kitchen.
2. Using hand, untighten center cover-nut and remove fan.  Take both to kitchen.
3. Using hand, untighten another center nut which holds back fan cover.  Take both to kitchen
4. Look at motor cover to determine type of screws holding it on.  Get up to find three different size Philips’ screwdrivers to see which one will fit screws, and manage to stub toe on chair leg in the process.  Grit teeth.  Remove screws and drop screws on floor. Take a breath.
5. Get Que-tips and mineral oil.
6. Remove housing cover and take to kitchen.  Wash all dirty, greasy dust laden parts with Kaboom!  Leave on counter to dry later.
7. Back to fan motor. Thinking I can take the back cover off, I proceed to unscrew the one screw that is apparently holding it on.  Drop screw on floor!!  Pick it up. Cover won’t come off! Grrrr!  Try to center housing to get screw in straight.  Can’t.
8. Sit down.  Think.  Drop Screw again. Think.  Use toes to pick up screw, and proceed to get major cramp in side bending over to get it out from between toes.  Rest.  Breathe.
9. Stand up and get high density flashlight to see where the hole lines up...found hole and replaced screw.  Yay!
10. Take a Cue-tip to reach into front and sides of coils to collect what dust I can see.  
11. Take another Cue-tip and soak with mineral oil to oil shaft that won’t turn.
12. Plug in fan.  Shaft won’t turn.  Go in kitchen and dry fan and front and back covers.  Bring to table.
13. Go get pliers.  Unplug fan.  Sit down and try to turn shaft.
14. Plug fan in to see if it will turn.  Slowly turning.  Take pliers to help it turn.  Lean fan on side...Apply more mineral down the sides of shaft as it spin. Get Cue-tip caught in shaft. Turn off fan...pick pieces of cotton from shaft. Turn back on. Shaft spins!! Turn off and unplug.
15. Reassemble covers...a part is missing? Back cover won’t stay on...Can’t figure it out, so get up to wash my hands of the whole thing and see the missing part on the sink! Same color as counter top!  Phew!  Reassemble. Plug in. Turn on. It works! Would have figured it out sooner if all my brain cells were functioning!