News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Ivory AE40

Started by LarryInMichigan, May 26, 2018, 11:29:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

LarryInMichigan

I received this ivory tenite AE 40 today: ebay link.  At $25 plus shipping, it was too cheap to pass up, but it is going to need to serious work.  The most obvious thing is the missing transmitter cap.  If anyone here has a spare ivory transmitter cap or knows where I can obtain one, please let me know.  Otherwise, there is no major damage to the plastic, but it has shrunken somewhat, and the discoloration seen in the listing pictures is in the plastic, so it will need some bleaching.  I expect that I will have to remove the numerous things inside the shell and let the plastic soak in bleach and water in the sunlight.  The inside of the phone was quite filthy, but I managed to clean it up a bit.  The ringer is a 66cy frequency ringer, so it will have to be replaced.  I may have a spare here, but I will have to look to see.  I will also have to find appropriate cords and a new rubber piece for the base.

Larry


AE_Collector

Gary Goff for a new rubber base ring.

Make sure you get a chrome band and transmitter capsule with the ivory cap. The bands come off easily in most cases so the possibility exists if getting one without the band.

I wouldn't worry about it not ringing but yes a new Ringer if it has to ring.

How about Johns chemical restoration process rather than bleach?

Terry

JorgeAmely

#2
Quote from: LarryInMichigan on May 26, 2018, 11:29:53 PM
I received this ivory tenite AE 40 today: ebay link.  At $25 plus shipping, it was too cheap to pass up, but it is going to need to serious work.  The most obvious thing is the missing transmitter cap.  If anyone here has a spare ivory transmitter cap or knows where I can obtain one, please let me know.  Otherwise, there is no major damage to the plastic, but it has shrunken somewhat, and the discoloration seen in the listing pictures is in the plastic, so it will need some bleaching.  I expect that I will have to remove the numerous things inside the shell and let the plastic soak in bleach and water in the sunlight.  The inside of the phone was quite filthy, but I managed to clean it up a bit.  The ringer is a 66cy frequency ringer, so it will have to be replaced.  I may have a spare here, but I will have to look to see.  I will also have to find appropriate cords and a new rubber piece for the base.

Larry



Larry:
It is not exactly Tenite. About 10 years ago, I asked Gary Goff about the plastics in these phones. My question was:
"I visited a gentleman in Los Angeles that has a very interesting
collection of candlesticks and colored AE40s. I spent some time
studying a light colored (either White or Ivory) AE40 and started to
wonder after a while whether these phones are plastic or bakelite.
Bakelite is very dense and unyielding, but this light colored AE40
"feels" like a version of the Tenite or "soft plastic" used in WE
phones. These phones have a very difficult to forget cheesy smell. The
AE40 smells different. A couple of black AE40s I have don't smell at
all."

This was his response:
"... The latter are definitely a type of "plastic" that is made with Butyric Acid,
the substance that makes them smell like vomit as they age."

I hope he reads this message and confirms it. It has been a while ... However, they can be sanded and polished like Tenite or ABS phones.

Best,
Jorge

WEBellSystemChristian

Nice buy! I saw that when I searched for sold eBay listings.

I thought I had seen a pair of Ivory handset caps awhile ago, but I'm probably wrong.

Colored AE40s are definitely Tenite. Gary's response about Butyric Acid and the vomit smell only confirms that.
Christian Petterson

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

LarryInMichigan

After more than four years, I finally restored and reassembled the ivory AE40. 

The shell and handset were put through several bleaching sessions.  The plastic is still somewhat discolored, but it is much better than it was.  I had to requisition parts from a few other phones and my parts supply to complete this.  The transmitter, receiver, and base with capacitors and ringer came from a previously functional black AE40 which I had given years ago to a neighbor as a gift and was later returned to me when they lost interest.  The handset cord is an off-white cloth cord from a Japanese replica of a Danish phone, and the line cord is an ivory vinyl Princess cord which had had most of its wires cut off.  The transmitter cap is a black bakelite cap whose chrome band had split and fallen off.  I painted the cap ivory and glued the band back onto it.  The split is facing the side of the phone when the handset is on-hook, so it is not normally noticeable.  I forgot what I had done with the original dial, so I cobbled together a replacement using the best parts from a few spare dials.  The finger wheel was borrowed from a phone which is now happy with a black finger wheel.

IvoryAE40Front.jpg
IvoryAE40Back.jpg 

The receiver side of the handset was shrunken enough so that it was impossible to put a receiver element into it.  I had to remove a large amount of material from the inside of the receiver and some from the inside of the cap and also shave down the aluminum on the receiver element to make it all fit together.  The phone seems to be working now and it doing service on my desk.

Larry

Doug Rose

Beautiful Larry....outstanding job!...Doug
Kidphone

RDPipes

That really did come out looking great Larry, shes a beauty!

stub

Larry,
     SWEET !!!!!!!!!!! Great job. stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

19and41

Nice job!  It surprises me how well the Tenite phone housings hold up.  I also collect and restore old radios and the tenite parts on the radio cabinets and knobs and such seem to deform badly over time and give off bad odors during their spoilage.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

LarryInMichigan

Quote from: 19and41 on August 03, 2022, 08:39:43 PMNice job!  It surprises me how well the Tenite phone housings hold up.  I also collect and restore old radios and the tenite parts on the radio cabinets and knobs and such seem to deform badly over time and give off bad odors during their spoilage.

Tenite warps when exposed to heat, so I expect that that is the reason that tenite radio parts tend to be warped.  I have a Philco 41-221 (youtube link) with a tenite grille/bezel which is only slightly warped, but probably most of these sets have badly warped pieces.  I suspect that the radios which were played more have the worse warping.

Larry

RDPipes

Sweet radio ya got here Larry!

LarryInMichigan

Quote from: RDPipes on August 04, 2022, 06:50:39 AMSweet radio ya got here Larry!

Thank you.  I have way too many radios.  More than plenty of other things also.


Larry

RDPipes

Quote from: LarryInMichigan on August 04, 2022, 09:06:30 AMThank you.  I have way too many radios.  More than plenty of other things also.


Larry

Yeah, at one time my house looked more like a museum then a home until one day I just decided
I didn't need all of the burden of owning so much and got rid of 90% of it.
Of course now I have too many phones but, I'm sure sooner or later they'll go to again. LOL!