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233G payphone arrived today

Started by KeithB, August 30, 2010, 08:09:16 PM

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KeithB

The coin vault door finally arrived from Rod Lanthier today.  It was in better shape than expected, because it was described as 'paint ready'.  I figured I should expect a little more stripping, brushing, and painting.  It was chrome with some minor defects, as might be expected with anything of this age.  The top layer is blistering and flaking away in some spots, so I'll see if I can remove the rest of it.  If not, I'll take it to a local shop and let them handle it.


Wallphone

Keith, I agree with Dennis & the others about the fine effort that you made restoring this payphone.
You certainly didn't take the easy way or cut any corners in getting this phone done just the way that you wanted it to be. Congratulations on the results.
Dougpav

KeithB

Thanks, Doug.  I really appreciate the support and all the positive comments, guys.   ;D

The chrome came off the vault door a LOT easier than expected.  I applied a sharp pointed knife to the few bubbles I saw, then started peeling the thin chrome layer away from the steel beneath.  Whoever chromed it had not cleaned the steel very well, and those dirty spots are where all the defects and bubbles occurred.  Beneath them there were thin spidery veins of dark oxidation in the steel.  The fine wire wheel removed the worst of it, a paste of Bar Keepers' Friend took away what remained, then some 600 and 1000 grit sandpaper prepared the door for priming.  The primer is drying now, then it will receive a light sanding and second coat of primer before the glossy black lacquer is applied. :D

Thanks to the inspiration of all your kind comments, I spent almost two hours working on the G3 handset.   I completed the first round of 2000 grit sanding, and depending on how it looks when it dries, it may get a bit more before the Novus # 2 goes on.

I hope everyone is enjoying a great weekend! 
Fall is here, and cooler weather should arrive any day soon.  :D

KeithB

A couple of 685A Northern Electric subsets arrived from Phoneco on Monday.  One has a beige plastic cover, and the other has a black plastic cover, over-painted to beige.  One is vintage 1961 and the other is 1964.  Monday night I cleaned up one, removing the bells, the ringer, and all the connection screws.  I followed Dennis's tip on soaking the bells in boiling vinegar and water, and although it softened up the tarnish and made them easier to clean, it didn't actually remove or dissolve the tarnish.  Monday night's subset was relatively clean, being only slightly tarnished/oxidized inside.  Tuesday night I cleaned up the second subset, and it was really dirty inside.  It had apparently experienced much more humidity and dust/dirt during its lifetime than the first subset. 

It's been raining the last few days here in Charlotte, so I haven't really been painting anything.  It finally started to dry out this afternoon, so hopefully I can put the first coat of glossy black lacquer on the coin vault door tonight.