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Blue Banjo

Started by LarryInMichigan, September 05, 2019, 05:53:25 PM

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LarryInMichigan

I just received this dark blue Kellogg "Banjo" phone:
ebay link.  This may be the first one of these phones in this color that I have ever seen.  When I saw it as a $25 BIN item, I couldn't resist.  The line cord was cut off, and the handset cord is in poor condition.  The finger wheel needs to be replaced with a clear one, and the piece under the cradle is black, but otherwise I think that I got a good deal.  These must be seriously rare.

Larry

Key2871

Very nice, that was a good find. Congrats
KEN

Jim Stettler

That is a Find of the month type find.

Any of the colors are hard to find. Blue is always a tough color on any brand.

Paul F. has a color chart for DK500's there are quite a few colors
http://www.paul-f.com/color.htm


I bought a green one on a BIN http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=22554.msg226984#msg226984
It is a standard green color vs how it looks in the auction photos.

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

Doug Rose

Great find Larry. Would the black finger wheel and black cords be original or would it have had blue cords and the clear finger wheel you are going to install? Can't beat the price. Definitely FOM....Doug
Kidphone

LarryInMichigan

The handset cord is not black.  It is either dark gray or blue.  I haven't figured that out yet.  It has a number of cracks and tears in it and it feels fragile.  I will probably have to replace it with a black one.

I expect that the phone used to have a clear finger wheel.  Perhaps the clear one broke and a technician replaced it with a black one that he had on his truck.  I plan to give it a clear finger wheel.  I think that I have some spares around here somewhere.

Larry


RB

unique style there for sure. 8)

LarryInMichigan

I took a closer look at the handset cord, and it is dark blue, but it is took cracked and fragile to be salvageable.  The line cord, which was cut just outside of the phone shell, is black.

Larry

tubaman

Nice find!
I wonder if the part under the cradle was black originally as, being mostly out of site, they may not have worried about making it in other colours?
:)

Pourme

I love Banjos! This is a big find! You did good!

FOM?
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

HarrySmith

Great find! Great price too! Definetly FOTM material. Congrats. Can't wait till you get it to see inside pictures.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

LarryInMichigan

I briefly removed the shell last night.  Someone has been in there.  The ringer is missing, and there is plenty of dirt, spider webs, and mummified spiders.  One of the screws which holds the shell to the base was missing and replaced with a wood screw.  I took a screw from a junk WE 500 base for it.  I should still have some spare ringers and some black cords.  The shell and handset will need some sanding.  My desk is still covered with parts of dismantled clocks, so I don't want to start working on this phone until the clocks are reassembled.

The "MK-500" designation on the bottom would suggest that the base was originally part of a manual phone, so I expect that this phone had a complicated history.

Larry

david@london

Really great find Larry,

I can't see any damage to the phone, no cracks or chips.

Could the handset cord be shortened? The broken parts seem to be at either end.

Would the correct clear fingerwheel be interchangeable with an early WE500's one or did Kellogg have its own type on Banjoes?




LarryInMichigan

There are numerous cracks through the length of the cord which do not appear in the pictures.  The plastic does not appear to have any cracks, but there are plenty of scratches and scuffs, some of them deep enough to feel, so sanding will be needed (I really HATE sanding).  If I had any sense, I would resell the phone for a profit, but I haven't any.

There is no difference between the Kellogg and WE finger wheels.  The one which would be appropriate for an early phone like this would be thicker and use different hardware than the ones from a couple of years later, but I don't think that I have the early type, so I will use the slightly later one.

Larry

Dan/Panther

I agree with Harry, hands down FOTM. Don't even bother going up against him. Just award it to him now.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

david@london

#14
Well, you never know Dan, tomorrow someone may come up with a Blue Banjo for twenty-four dollars.

Shame about the cord Larry.

Re the sanding, Teleplay and Christian would be able to advise on the techniques of chemical sanding. Not to recommend practising on the Blue Banjo obviously, but it's an effective (and quick) method I believe.