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Have you seen one of these before?

Started by Dewdrop, December 19, 2009, 04:41:28 PM

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Doug Rose

Connecticut Telephone  Meridian CT made these phones. The gray is a thermoplastic the will shrink, crack and warp like the color 302s. They are made with Western Electric parts that were used in the 302. Most did not make it as one fall to the floor and these guys were pieces. I have one, but the case is warped in the back. Known as the "Toaster Phone." The majority were made of metal and painted black for Signal Corps. This is one cool phone....Kidphone
Kidphone

HobieSport

#31
Jester, what a beautiful gray thermoplastic Connecticut "toaster phone".
I just have to ask in jest: It doesn't actually make toast, does it. Sorry; obvious joke.  ;):P
-Matt

Dennis Markham

Stephen, nice pair of telephones.  I really like the look of the gray Connecticut.  The 5302 ain't to shabby either!  Nice job on both of them.

Jester

Thanks Dennis.  I haven't made time to work on the 5302 yet--I was looking for something to compare the size of gray CT to and it was handiest.

Doug, these seem even more fragile than the 302s to me.  I feel fortunate in finding one as good as this one.  I did notice some warping around the cords at the back, but it isn't as bad as it could be.
Stephen

Dennis Markham

Doug, do those Connecticut phones have the tendency to crack on the corners as the 302's do?  If so Stephen, I'd consider grinding out a bit of the plastic on the inside corners.  It's a tough pill to swallow sometimes doing that but I have done that on the 302's to avoid corner cracking where the housing is starting to shrink against the metal base.  I use my Dremmel tool with the grinder bit and just remove some of the thickness of the plastic.  Just be careful that it doesn't jump and score the outside.  I know when I've done it I hold my breath until the procedure is complete!

Jester

Dennis,
I don't know what Doug has observed about these, but the stress points seem to be the four posts cast into the cover for the base mounting screws.  As the weight of the dial, switch & handset push downward on the cover, the outer walls tend to distort, causing tension at these anchor points.  The way the base fits to the bottom doesn't seem to cause a problem, except that the holes to hold the mounting screws are set far enough inside that it's the screws and the mounting holes that don't allow the cover to "stretch" without stressing these weak points.  Just my observation.
Stephen

Dennis Markham

Thanks Stephen for that information.  That is an interesting telephone.  Very elegant looking. 

Doug Rose

In the few that I have seen, wihout the sharp edges of the 302, they seem to shrink and warp more than crack....Kidphone
Kidphone

foots

     One good thing about the metal bodied phones, no need to worry about cracks.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

HobieSport

Quote from: foots
    One good thing about the metal bodied phones, no need to worry about cracks.

Yeah, just don't drop your metal Con Tel Signal Corps phone on your feet, Foots.
(Sorry, I know I've said that before... ;D)
-Matt

foots

     Hobie, I appreciate the warning but it's too late, I've already done that a few weeks ago. No damage to the phone I'm happy to report and only very mild blunt force trauma to my foots.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

Jester

Quote from: foots on December 19, 2009, 06:35:27 PM
     Hello Dewdrop. I do have one of these - mine is a metal housing and happens to be a Signal Corps model.  I have seen only one other plastic housing before. It was some kind of intercom model and had a speaker where the dial goes. Yours is the first actuall telephone that I've seen before.

Here is a current auction for three Connecticut intercom stations.  They appear to all be soft plastic, & the handsets look like the one on my telephone, color & all.  Seller seems quite proud of them.

http://tinyurl.com/yhl8qb6
Stephen

bingster

I spotted those, too.  I've seen these before in very raggedy condition, but never in such beautiful shape.  They're really quite nice.
= DARRIN =



Jester

And worth the starting bid, too--maybe.  Time will tell, I guess.
Stephen

Doug Rose

These are WAY over priced. I bought one a few years back on eBay for $7.99. I needed to upgrade my handset. The handsets are the same. These come and go on eBay. ...Kidphone
Kidphone