Swirled telephones

[Jack Ryan]

Excuse my ignorance but who made these sets, why did they make them, why are they expensive and is it ABS?

I have heard people say that such phones are the result of changing colour runs but from what I understand of moulding, in particular injection moulding, that can't be the case - there would have to be a mix of pellets in the hopper.

If that is the case, these telephones must have been made on purpose. Were they officially made or were the factory workers mucking about?

While on the subject, who of the telephone manufacturers were capable of moulding their own cases?

They are pretty though.

Thanks
Jack

[.....]

Jack

I have 2 Automatic Electric injection mold test samples that were used to check the molds. Which were (officially made) R&D samples.

The swirl phones are when they did a change over of colour. Usually from light to dark colour. The would flush the molds using the next colour and the parts that were made came out swirled and were to be discarded. (officially made reject) But as you can see some made it out the backdoor.

[Jack Ryan]

Jack

I have 2 Automatic Electric injection mold test samples that were used to check the molds. Which were (officially made) R&D samples.

The swirl phones are when they did a change over of colour. Usually from light to dark colour. The would flush the molds using the next colour and the parts that were made came out swirled and were to be discarded. (officially made reject) But as you can see some made it out the backdoor.

Thanks for that. Test samples and clear or translucent cases are fine.

I wouldn't have thought that cleaning a mould makes a swirl like colour combination of any consistency. I think to make a consistent swirl, you would need to inject mixed coloured pellets.

In other words, asthetically pleasing colour swirls in a telephone case would be planned, not an accident of cleaning. I'm sure you would get mixed colours if you moulded a case rather than purging when changing colour but I don't think you would want to keep the result.

Perhaps I am wrong but you would need to be extraordinarily lucky to get a good swirl. But then to get a consistent case, handset and caps?

Jack

[Jim Stettler]

Most swirl sets are unofficial.
there is a Bell Lab photo of a clear/white swirl 302 housing that was made to study flow patterns of the plastic in the mold.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1928.msg234978#msg234978
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sc made slenderettes (trimlines) in 4 official swirl colors.
the base colors were red, green. yellow and brown. these were swirled with white.
they seem to of used 2 different shades of each base color making 4 or 8 different official colors.
these were factory produced and also done as retrofit kits for rebuilders.
the factory ones seem to be ink stamped C2220B-aD2Q .
some rebuilder sets have the same # as a paper tag.
On many of the sc unofficial sets the plastics don't quite match. 4 of my unofficial sc sets were made by an employee on purpose.
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the western Electric swirl sets seem to be non-official for the most part, I think the matching grip is an indicator if it was made on purpose.
I added a photo of Dave F.'s handset caps. Notice these haven't been drilled. I have some slenderette housings that haven't been drilled either.
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the first time I was offered this set was the early 1990's. the story was that  it was special made for a salesman.
the plastic dates are June of 1970, the chassis is older. He may of just gotten the plastics.
at that time the phone sold for 500.
I missed  the sorta matching sc  slenderette at around 250. I later had a chance to buy it at about 160.
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I also have a pink/white we swirl princess with matching caps. however the handset handle seems to be pastel yellow and pink.
It is not noticeable. the guts are 4/61

the black white swirl is a housing only marked 1960. It was trimmed in red and green with a photo dial center.

the green multi-color is an  Kellogg/Itt housing only on a green Kellogg chassis. I may change the core color.
the other green set is sc with unmarked plastics, the handset appears to of been made at a different time. this is just housing and handset handle. I will probably change core color on this also.

the multi color princess seems to be a generic housing without a finger-stop cutout. It is a we chassis. I added the faded pink we handset. the components are 4/61
the red/white G3 handset is we from 1962.

[Jim Stettler]

Kellogg Itt multi color green swirl

[Jim Stettler]

swirl sc's
these are some quick pics I just took of some of my sc non official swirls

[Jim Stettler]

Fe tap and ae and ericofon.
the fetap are factory. the ae is a desk model that came with a swirl wall plate
the ericofone is a housing only and didn't come with the earpiece

[Jim Stettler]

why are they expensive and is it ABS?
Were they officially made or were the factory workers mucking about?

While on the subject, who of the telephone manufacturers were capable of moulding their own cases?

they are abs and they are very hard to find which makes the unofficial sets pricey.
Most un official sets seem to be workers mucking around.
about 10 of my unofficial  sc swirls a clear sc slenderette a, clear sc 500 housing and a clear sc 554 housing were all purchased from the same ebay seller who got them from an estate sale. most were just housings and some did not have handset holes.
Jim
we,ke,itt, ae all could make there own housings. here were companies that made unmarked housing, to sell to rebuilders ect.

[Jim Stettler]

slenderette swirl ad
there is a green swirl slenderette  in a sc calendar and a 2 page  sc swirl slendertte ad as well.

[Jim Stettler]

swirl discussion
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1896.msg25254#msg25254
swirl topic shortcuts
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=24297.0

[Jack Ryan]

I used to have a Blue W48 that had a very minor bit of black swirl at the front. It was like a few pellets of black accidently got in the mold. 
Jim S.

Was that one of the remade w48s? The originals weren't made in blue, mostly they were black, some were ivory, very few were clear and there were some fairly rare dark colours (gray, brown and dark green) - no blue.

Jack

[Jack Ryan]

they are abs and they are very hard to find which makes the unofficial sets pricey.
Most un official sets seem to be workers mucking around.
about 10 of my unofficial  sc swirls a clear sc slenderette a, clear sc 500 housing and a clear sc 554 housing were all purchased from the same ebay seller who got them from an estate sale. most were just housings and some did not have handset holes.
Jim
we,ke,itt, ae all could make there own housings. here were companies that made unmarked housing, to sell to rebuilders ect.

OK, thanks Jim.

I assume then that modern moulders don't attempt to reproduce the original manufacturer's markings so if you find a WE marked swirled case you can be confident that it came from a WE mould.

Regards
Jack

[Jim Stettler]

Was that one of the remade w48s? The originals weren't made in blue, mostly they were black, some were ivory, very few were clear and there were some fairly rare dark colours (gray, brown and dark green) - no blue.

Jack

I don't know if it was remade or not. It was a nice phone, I sold at a show cheap because I spent to much on other phones.
I do have a clear one.
Jim

[Jack Ryan]

I do have a clear one.

Now that's a good'n!

Regards
Jack

[phonium]

Just noticed I had a swirled handset part, I think I got the phone it was on for $5.