Larry -
How adventurous are you feeling? It is sometimes possible to balance a rotating part by temporarily attaching a small weight to it, and then experimenting with the amount of weight and the placement. This, of course, is how automotive wheel balancing is done. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), it is easier than it sounds. I've balanced a couple ceiling fans this way. The slower speed of a ceiling fan probably makes it easier, but the idea is the same.
In the case of a fan, I would start with a small flat washer as a weight. Choose a fan blade at random, and tape the weight onto the blade, near the hub. Restart the fan. If the unbalance is worse, try the opposite blade. If still no improvement, move the weight out a bit. If worse nothing works, try a smaller weight, or a larger one. What makes it easier is that if you need just a small weight adjustment, you can substitute a small position adjustment, rather than trying to find an object that weighs only a little different.
You get the idea. Keep experimenting until you find the best result, then remove the tape and glue the weight in place.
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Sometimes you can get a head start by simply observing the fan blades and noting wobble.
Sometimes you can get a head start by holding a crayon just outside the blade tip circle, then gradually moving it toward the hub until one blade tip strikes the crayon and gets a color daub on it.
Let us know if you decide to do this. Exciting!
Bill
