I got a really sweet deal on a 50 about a week ago, got it in the mail and noticed it was missing the little chrome plunger. I learned that any other AE phone plunger would do the trick once trimmed down, but I continued searching for other model 50's and noticed that a large percentage of them are MISSING the hook switch button all together! I mean I see a LOT of them missing....Why would that piece ever go missing?
To open the phone, you have to unscrew the plunger. The Plunger can be a real (expletive deleted) to get back on. Probably why so many are missing...Doug
Phone removed from wall and recovered to the Telco. Plunger not reinstalled properly, just tossed in the box with phone and ....it's gone. Our shops made up retirement gifts for plant guys mounting a 50 to a nice oak backboard and putting a plaque on the board etc. They had no problem getting the 50's but towards the end of this practise they had 50 or more of them in stock and zero plunger sets. They decided to make new plungers and nuts to the tune of $60-$75 a set at the time.
The first thing to look for when buying a 50 is that this part is included! Second thing is to check for SL versus Frequency Ringers (40's and 50's)!
Plunger sets are around $35 on eBay I think. May be less expensive to try to snag a damaged or "under the radar" AE 50. Also watch for the dial card ring to be included/missing.
Terry
I think the plungers for AE 35 and 50 ended up in the same place as the L brackets for 211s. And the subsets that had been used with 202s, 211s, desk stands.
Always amusing to see a 211 on eBay with the seller holding it upright with his/her hand since there is no bracket included.
Quote from: poplar1 on February 24, 2018, 01:34:59 PM
I think the plungers for AE 35 and 50 ended up in the same place as the L brackets for 211s. And the subsets that had been used with 202s, 211s, desk stands.
Always amusing to see a 211 on eBay with the seller holding it upright with his/her hand since there is no bracket included.
Graybar/Western Electric Interphone backplates are also there.
JMO,
JIm S.
Yeah I got this one under the radar on eBay. Seller listed it as a Western Electric vintage telephone ;D ;D. My grandad actually alerted me of it! Fresh listing, snapped it up immediately. The phone is in great condition otherwise, and I mounted it to a nice stand today to be used with my Xlink Bluetooth system with the cell phone. Just recently discovered you can dial out with rotary on it!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D
Maybe a WE cord? Never seen a cord like that on an AE....Black material...Maybe dyed?
this phone was the first I ever collected... has an extremely loud ringer.... though There have ben some with poor performance... I tried completely rewiring one with new wire one time... it worked but was a bugger to do.... Mine is now a museum piece in my kitchen, still able to be used, but just to look at now.... not bad for a $9.99 investment back in 1980....
AE had straight rubber cords...is that what It Is?
Were you missing just the plunger, not the nut? Did you find or cut down a plunger from an 80?
Terry
Gary Goff had a special tool made to install/remove these special nuts, and it REALLY helps! This same tool also has a special end on it to also install/remove those pesky nuts in the middle of the AE type 38 handset (receiver end). Don't know if he has any left though, as they were difficult to make.
When I began getting ready to cast the AE 50, I began sourcing parts to complete my creations, and was fortunate to find a cache of those missing plungers, so I do have a few to sell. They are $20 ea which includes shipping.
Unfortunately, if I price them cheaper, "someone" always tries to buy ALL of them then raise their price to $35/ea. I see that he has now had some made and placed on eBay. I have not seen or used one of these reproductions, but mine are originals so they may have some nicks and wear.
Here is a monophone tool
Both the Plunger and nut Ray... The set?
Great deal if so!
Robbie's Monophone Tool is the original, the reproductions didn't loook like this but they do the same job.
Terry
Quote from: rdelius on February 25, 2018, 10:32:08 AM
Here is a monophone tool
This is a very desirable find. I had two that I had in NOS Monophone sets in box and they sold for twice of what the phones went for. I kick myself for not keeping one for my collection....Doug
I haven't seen or searched for one on eBay in a very long time but years ago I seem to recall seeing a couple sell in the $60 - $80 each range. I am fortunate to have one given to me by my late phone collecting friend Grant Munro.
Terry
I have one somewhere. Whenever I find it, I can't remember it's use.
Jim S.
Ray summarized its use a half dozen posts prior to this one.
....oh maybe you know it's use now but forget again when you find it! Happens to us all....
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 25, 2018, 10:55:07 AM
Ray summarized irs use a half dozen posts prior to this one.
....oh maybe you know it's use now but forget again when you find it! Happens to us all....
Terry
I have known it's use a half dozen times. When I find the tool again,I will probably remember it is a cool tool to own, I probably won't remember why.
Jim S.
Next time you find the tool park it on a AE35 or AE50 Plunger or in the receiver end of a type 38 handset. That will help you remember!
Terry
Here's a much larger discussion about the AE Monophone Tool.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5596.0
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 25, 2018, 12:57:22 AM
AE had straight rubber cords...is that what It Is?
Were you missing just the plunger, not the nut? Did you find or cut down a plunger from an 80?
Terry
No, it's a cloth cord. I had the threaded portion, and Yes, I cut down a clear plastic plunger from an old 80 I had laying around.
So you kept the wide base part of the AE 80 plunger, shortened it and then rounded the cut end? Good fix that will not fall out. I fixed a 50 in a very old house once where the plunger had been unscrewed and put together again with the plunger upside down. Thus it could be lifted right out and just stayed in place by gravity. And, it no longer worked the phone properly.
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 25, 2018, 12:41:22 PM
So you kept the wide base part of the AE 80 plunger, shortened it and then rounded the cut end? Good fix that will not fall out. I fixed a 50 in a very old house once where the plunger had been unscrewed and put together again with the plunger upside down. Thus it could be lifted right out and just stayed in place by gravity. And, it no longer worked the phone properly.
Terry
Yes, exactly. I put the little step end in a cordless drill, spun it up, and used a sanding wheel to make a perfect dome shape on the plastic cut off end. I used some light hair clipper oil on the plunger, and it cleared it up like glass! Works perfectly now.
As a little side note with these AE models, as I'm sure you all know you can hear them go off hook from ACROSS THE ROOM. I've been messing with the contact placements on phones that go POP when taken off the hook, and I've found if I just adjust one set to close shortly after another, the pop is removed. I know this is common place on WE and other models, but the AE early phones always have that POP! and it DRIVES ME NUTS!!!
Yes, described perfectly...can hear it across the Room! Other solutions apparently is to add (is it?) a Varistor across the receiver capsule. Like they eventually did in newer AE receiver capsules. Interesting that you can adjust the hook contact timing to eliminate the pop. Maybe the contacts go out if adjustment with age?
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 25, 2018, 01:07:22 PM
Yes, described perfectly...can hear it across the Room! Other solutions apparently is to add (is it?) a Varistor across the receiver capsule. Like the eventually did in newer AE receiver capsules. Interesting that you can adjust the hook contact timing to eliminate the pop. Maybe the contacts go out if adjustment with age?
Terry
I've had 302's make that pop, and it was found out that they contacts were making contact the same time! Stretching one out a little fixed the issue, I've had to do it a lot lately as a matter of fact!
I used to have a few varistors, and did in fact use them to aid in pop reduction. I just love how the 302's made it where you didn't hear a single peep going on and off hook - quality engineering.
I have one of the repo tools. It works great.
Quote from: Russ Kirk on February 25, 2018, 11:46:45 PM
I have one of the repo tools. It works great.
I've got an AAS in CNC Machining, and I can tell you even on a manual machine, you'd have a few hours in making that one tool...Very nice.
I've discovered that little can be done other than a varistor to fix the pop on a 50. I adjusted the contacts two times, where one would close before the other, and it looks like one set of contacts purely dictates when the receiver is allowed voltage, resulting the in the POP....I guess that would be an easier place to put a varistor than in the handset....
Couldn't you just put a capacitor insted of a varistor? My mind tells me that the loud pop is the sitting 48vdc on the line, before the POTS service sends you the AC...A capacitor would block this DC, and then allow the AC to flow in....
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 25, 2018, 10:34:19 AM
Both the Plunger and nut Ray... The set?
Great deal if so!
Robbie's Monophone Tool is the original, the reproductions didn't loook like this but they do the same job.
Terry
Yes, Terry; I didn't want to get rich, just provide we collectors with the necessary parts to put their phones together. As for the tool, yes the photo of Robbie's is an original design. Gary Goff & (I believe) John Infurna improved on the design with a "T" bar through the middle (instead of the knurled ring) for getting a better grip on hard-to-turn nuts.
I have one of the tools from Gary, it works great! I would urge anyone who is going to work on these phones to get one.