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Mottled Brown Western Electric 302

Started by Doug Rose, October 09, 2013, 11:00:21 AM

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Jim Stettler

Quote from: Doug Rose on October 11, 2013, 03:50:42 PM
Jim...North made a motled brown which is amazingly close to this color, a tad more brown but still looks black to the naked eye, until you have a black handset or black phone next to it. I have mine displayed under a very soft picture light.

Only one member from the TCI had any info as he said there was a brown 302 recently on eBay and he sent me the pics. I never saw the auction. Pics below.

No one else had any inclination to reply form the TCI list except for the finger wheel.  ::). Unusual  color 302s have no interest in the general collectors scope. I tried to get some interest in the Blood Red soft plastic 302 a while back. There was none. If this were a 500 set, I feel there would be a whole lot more interest....Doug


Many collectors go after "standard issue color " sets and don't realize how cool special finish sets are.
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That is a very nice "extra" cool non-standard color.  It would be in my "permanent" collection if it were mine.
I like special finish, non standard, proto type, shiny (Imperial finish)  and  odd-ball sets.  Oddball sets have lift plungers turn knobs ect.

I would have interest in trading for something just as cool if you ever decide to get rid of it.
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On unique sets like this, trading for something just as cool or cooler is the only way to get rid of it without having seller's remorse.
JMO,
Jim





You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

Doug Rose

This is from Mark Scola:

"I was told it was a glitch in the post war plastics having to do with the dye they were using.This color is like the "Tenite" used on their colored plastic phones and had a bit of translucence to it. Try shining a flashlight through the housing see if light shines through. If it does it is the dye that has faded making it look like it is mottled brown.  Then a change was made to darken up the color by adding more black paint pigment. By late 1947 it was fixed."

This is the same theory as the indigo blue 302s of 1946 as well. My set is definitely brown and I am very happy with it. I had one nickel sani dial left and I put that on it. I am bleaching an Ivory F1 that I have and just might add that to it.

thanks to all that replied to this thread....Doug
Kidphone

Doug Rose

Here is the finished phone with an Ivory F1 and a sani dial nickel finger wheel. Real tough to get an accurate color in the picture. One with a flash, one without. I am very pleased with it. It looks much better in person....Doug
Kidphone

AE40FAN

Nice Job Doug!  Looks really nice with the Ivory F1 handset.  Keeper for sure....

AE_Collector

Quote from: Jim S. on October 11, 2013, 07:48:53 PM
As a token "Find of the Month" moderator, I say finding a phone you didn't realize (or remember) you have is very acceptable as a  Find Of The Month entry.

Been there,
Jim

Yeah finding something in a box that you forgot that you had is acceptable. Falls into the "bending the rules" category unless of course you have only had the box for a month or so AND STILL forgot that you had it! Then no rules were bent at all.

And Jim, your chance to up your position from "Token Find of the Month Moderator" is right around the corner! I am back on the high seas from November 11 through December 10 with likely only occasional internet access. Would you like to slip back into the Moderators "Lazy Boy Chair" again for a chance to play with the controls? We have a new Big Screen Plasma TV for keeping an eye on all the contestants to help guard against fraudulant activity etc.

I was just keeping the "Lazy Boy" warm for you while you were otherwise distracted.

Terry

Doug Rose

I purchased a large amount of phones last year from a guy who cleaned out a hotel that went out of business many years ago. The phone system had been upgraded to a different switchboard and the 302s were in Comdial and ITT boxes. I opened this box for the first time last weekend. I still have many more unopened boxes. I had no idea this was in the box until I opened it. More surprises to come!  Maybe ::) ....Doug
Kidphone

HowardPgh

#21
Take a picture of the phone outdoors on a nice day, not in direct sunlight.  Have had better luck with natural light than with incandescent or fluorescent lights or flash.
How close is that brown to the brown colored Uniphones?
Howard

Doug Rose

Howard...I tried outside in natural light, direct sunshine, flash, no flash its just a tough color to photograph. It is about the same color a a North Electric mottled brown and a bit darker than a Northern Electric. ....Doug
Kidphone

WEBellSystemChristian

#23
To be honest, I think you should have stuck with the original cloth cord, not a coiled one. I personally think the phone looks better with the straight cord. Other than that, very nice job. :D
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Gilas

Doug,

Great phone!  The one that I have that is Indigo has those same spots in it that I can see when you placed it in the sunlight. 

Doug Rose

thanks guys....I am very pleased with it. I am now on the look out for an Indigo Blue next.

Mike....what is the date of your Indigo 302? 1946 seems to be the time of the dyes not being perfected. Then again, how many of these do we see? Sounds like a very small sample to not take the dye properly....thanks....Doug
Kidphone

Gilas


Doug Rose

thanks Mike.....I was May, yours was 5 monthes later in October 1946. Can you get a picture of yours. I know it is tough!....thanks...Doug
Kidphone

Gilas

Here is the link for when I posted it here.  You can see the purple through the case and also the same specks or flakes that yours shows.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=7736.0