Screwed on rubber feet, 5302/ 500

[Jim Stettler]

There are several threads that have talked about screwed on feet on 500 sets.
I just found a 5302 and a 500 that have 2 suede feet and 2 screwed on rubber feet. I thought I should post some photo's of the feet.
Jim

[Phonesrfun]

Boy, That's what I call screwey!

[McHeath]

Sure is screwed up!

Just another example of the frugalness of Ma Bell.  Can you imagine the outcry if any modern company got caught reusing old parts like this?  Of course why would they, the new parts don't last long enough to reuse.

[dencins]

The 500 looks like someone used a 1/4" binding screw and screw post to replace the riveted neoprene footpads.  I have seen this before and it was usually done by someone who did not have the capability to rivet the footpads on the phone.  The rivet used on the round and triangular 500 footpads was very unique and I have not be able to find any equivalent.  These rivets tend to corrode so I suspect someone wanted to replace the corroded rivets and used to old footpads with binding screws.

On the 5302, I have never seen the 302 shape footpads made from neoprene.  These look like they are held on by T nuts.  This one is a mystery to me.  Possibly one of the companies Western Electric subcontracted to build the 5302 was involved.  I do not see 302 neoprene footpads as an after market item since in 1950 Ma Bell still owned the phones and there would not be a consumer market.

Dennis

[Dan/Panther]

Did Western Electric  do refurbishing, or was it left to independents, or field shops ?
D/P

[Jim Stettler]

Dennis,
Off hand, both sets look like Ma bell replacements, to me . The first photo isn't that great at showing the 500 feet.

I will  open it up again and take some better photos. I will even pull one for a closer look.

I will do the same for the 5302.

My current impression was that they were Done in-house.

I would like for you to get a "proper" impression of the feet, You're the best guy to keep track of this info.

Jim

[Jim Stettler]

As luck had it, when I was handeling the phones I picked up the 5302. The next phone was the 500. If we hadn't been talking about feet a while back, I probably would of noticed it, but ignored it.

It is worth a closer look. I will get some more photos while they are handy (footy?)
Jim

[dencins]

Did Western Electric  do refurbishing, or was it left to independents, or field shops ?
D/P

Dan

Depends on the phone.  Early 5302's (ultimate 302 refurbish) were assembled by WECo then they were subcontracted out as the 500's ramped volume.  Any 5302's returned from the field went to subcontractors to salvage whatever could be salvaged.

500's had service centers for repair but later the service centers were subcontracted.  I guess in a way the service center could be called refurbish but it was more intended to repair the phone and send it back in the field.  It was not like the 302 programs that salvaged parts for reuse.

Dennis

[paul-f]

Last summer I had a chance to visit a former independent refurbisher who was finally cleaning out his warehouse.  In the pile, he still had a carton of new old stock 5302 housings.

He showed me several documents including memos dated from 1956 - 1959 from Western Electric detailing instructions for converting 300-series sets to 5300-series sets.  They even included a cording diagram to show where WE intended the wires to be run.

A 1959 note showed detailed pricing for each component required for the conversion.  The housing was only $1.40, but there were seperate prices for the hand hole cover, plungers, number ring, screws, washers, switch assembly and number plate, for an additional $4.36 per set.  If a dial was needed, they recommended a 6H at $6.60.

Needless to say, he said they cut corners wherever they could.  His minimum wage workers weren't rocket scientists.  They certainly didn't mark the set bottoms with the proper model numbers.  I think we can guess that they saved the $0.55 per set by not switching the dial number plates to the new black part with white dots.

[Jim Stettler]

The white 5302 that was in this group of phones also has 4 screw on rubber feet. I suspect they may of been standard on the colored 5302's. That is just a guess.
Jim

[LarryInMichigan]

For what it's worth, I have a black 5302 with four screw-on feet like the ones in Jim's first picture.

Larry

[Jim Stettler]

Larry, Is yours marked Bell system or WE ?
Jim

[Dan/Panther]

Larry;
Are you referring to the rubber feet in Jim's photo ?
D/P

[LarryInMichigan]

The shell of my 5302 is labeled "BELL SYSTEM MADE BY Western Electric".  For what it is worth, the phone has an F1 handset  I was referring to Jim's picture.  Here is a picture of the bottom:

Larry

[Jim Stettler]

That kinda knocks my colored 5302 theory out of the water. A WE housing could of including a non-Bell application.

My current theory is that rubber feet were cheaper than tradional leather feet. "Hey, let's do them for 500's as well, Hey again, lets rivet rubber feet on 500 sets, it is even cheaper, Hey, me too, why not make smaller round rubber feet and rivet them. The stockholders will be happy.
But, I speculate.
Just a thought,
Jim