The Edison "ironclad" fan is a particularly rare and unusual early
battery-powered fan. Very small in size, the blades measure only 7" in diameter.
In its earliest incarnation, as seen here, there was no protective cage around the
blades, which rotate at 1,000 rpm. The fan was originally powered by a set of 3 large
Edison-Lalande cells, Type Q, in a heavy wooden carrying box. This battery set was
considerably larger and heavier than the fan itself, and very inconvenient.
The
early ironclad fans, as seen here, had a flat commutator enclosed within the main
casting, and a glass back for inspection. Later versions had a redesigned motor and
castings with a larger cylindrical commutator coming out of the rear opening.