Restoring old 416 Leahy cabinet incubator

I just bought a Leahy 416 also. Could you tell me if yours makes a loud humming noise while running?
The fan does make a humming noise but it shouldn't be loud. Look on the fan motor for a couple of small holes. If it's an old motor, then there should be holes to oil the fan. A try a couple of drops of household or sewing machine oil.
Also, check to see if dust and fuzz junk have built up on the fan shaft.
See if that helps with the noise.
 
Looks good. It takes a lot of elbow grease to re-furbish one of these but you're going to love it when you get it finished.
I'd just put another piece of sheet metal back in the bottom with a couple of screws to hold it down. If you keep it clean you shouldn't have any trouble with it.

My water tray is not the original. The previous owner used an old traffic sign that was the exact width needed to fit on the slides. It's pretty thick metal so it doesn't sag any. Then on top of that is a baking sheet that's probably an inch deep. I have to cover the sheet with aluminum foil to decrease the humidity level but it will hold enough water to last 2-3 days.



How do you set up the humidity trays for a lockdown? I have this pretty much exact units except the next size up and I find the trays try out by day two of lockdown. Trying to figure out how I can add humidity and refill the trays without opening the door. Can't get the humidity up high enough and have had horrible hatches as a result
 
Looks good. It takes a lot of elbow grease to re-furbish one of these but you're going to love it when you get it finished.
I'd just put another piece of sheet metal back in the bottom with a couple of screws to hold it down. If you keep it clean you shouldn't have any trouble with it.

My water tray is not the original. The previous owner used an old traffic sign that was the exact width needed to fit on the slides. It's pretty thick metal so it doesn't sag any. Then on top of that is a baking sheet that's probably an inch deep. I have to cover the sheet with aluminum foil to decrease the humidity level but it will hold enough water to last 2-3 days.



How do you set up the humidity trays for a lockdown? I have this pretty much exact units except the next size up and I find the trays dry out by day two of lockdown. Trying to figure out how I can add humidity and refill the trays without opening the door. Can't get the humidity up high enough and have had horrible hatches as a result
 
Looking good. The Leahy 416 is a great incubator. I got one last year and got it up and running. It works great.
You can read about it in the link in my signature.
I'm currently working on a Buckeye kerosene incubator.

Looking at your photos, replace the heating element, wafers and micro switches and any wiring that looks suspect. I added a fuse to mine plus an internal power strip and LED light.

The hardware on the Buckeye was pretty bad looking so I used a tumbler to remove most of the finish. Still had to sand a little but the tumbler got most of it. The finish on my Leahy was still pretty good, just dirty. Cleaned it with wood soap but it still needs more. I bought some Kramer's Best Antique Improver to use but haven't got to it yet.
The Buckeye had old varnish that had bubbled so it had to totally stripped. I went back over it with Danish Oil and it looks pretty good.

PM me if you got questions. I'd be glad to talk with you about it.
Where would I go to get replacement parts for the 416 heater? My dad's old unit finally went out.
 
Oh man yours looks like it was in waaaaaay better condition wehn you got it then mine was. I swear they must chase never cleaned it. Are the redwoods usually stained? I've not much experience with woodworking so I don't k is if there's a wood stain on it or not. I just know I do have to remove the varnish since got some ugly spots. I'm using a 220 sand paper on a little machine thing to sand down right now - should I be using something else? The heather works fine just dirty so I'm cleaning it out. But the wafers I do not know where to get new ones. The electrical I will probably also change since these cables seem pretty ancient. I will upload pics of my progress when I get to a computer.
I'm looking for pictures of your trays. I need to rework my trays for the 416 Incubator. Thanks
 

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