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WE 354 switch hook: Finish? Color?

Started by Bill, June 12, 2011, 02:43:49 PM

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Bill

I few months ago, I bought a crate o' phones with the idea of cleaning up most and selling them, to pay for my favorite. Just dug out the crate, and I think my favorite has changed! There is a nice WE 354 wall phone in there, waiting for a general cleanup.

My question? The metal of the switch hook has a rough matte finish, as if it had been sandblasted at some point. That doesn't sound right, does it? There is no sign of a shiny chrome finish, but no sign of a painted finish either. Looking around the Internet turns up pictures showing a shiny chrome hook, and pictures showing a colored glossy hook matching the body color - but no matte-finished hook. What is going on? Was matte ever original? And what should I do?

Dennis, you have posted a couple pix showing a 354 with a glossy black-painted switch hook, and I like that finish. The chromed finish is less appealing to me. And the matched-color hooks - well, don't even go there.

The pic below shows the hook with the original grunge, but even when I clean it off, it isn't going to be smooth. And I can't imagine trying to sand that stippled surface smooth enough to re-plate or repaint. What is my next step?

Bill


Dennis Markham

Bill, I don't recall running across a 354 with a hook the color and finish of the one you have there.  Somewhere along the line I read or "heard" that chrome hooks only appeared on the Ivory 354.  The others had black painted hooks.  But I have seen so many black 354's (on eBay and elsewhere) with chrome hooks that possibly they were released with them. 

I don't know if your hook is a result of corrosion or if it is similar to the satin finished 554 hooks.  I believe you're correct in that no matter how clean you get it, the rough surface will remain.

OPW sells a chrome hook but I'm guessing (again) that they have theirs chromed.  They're quite expensive but do make a nice looking phone if one prefers a chrome hook.

Bill

#2
Thanks, Dennis. Maybe it an instance of

LQQK!!  RARE MATTE FINISH!!  SEND YOUR MONEY RIGHT AWAY!!

Seriously, the reason I asked is that the roughness in the finish is so regular that it might be legit - and it might look OK when I get it cleaned up. Random corrosion should look like a splat of big pits and little pits - this is all uniform.

I'll finish cleaning it, and see what it looks like. If it looks good, I'll post.

Bill

paul-f

#3
Make that "RARE SATIN CHROME" finish!

There's a reference in C32.509 Issue 4 -- page 1 is posted below.

Five or six years ago, someone sent me the attached photo of 3 hook finishes, and I saved a past auction photo of an ivory set that apparently has the satin chrome hook.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Sargeguy

I have one with the 'satin finish" hook.  It feels kind of weird.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

K1WI

   Paul F .....  you ARE amazing.  Don't think I've ever known anyone with as much concise accurate  ,( and backed by BSPs etc). information about telephone sets. I have an early ivory set with what appears to have a "satin finish" switch hook and always thought it was from corrosion caused by  the phone being in a CO power room for 40 years !
   Thanks for always being there..I've learned so much from you!
                tnx 73          Andy    (K1WI)
   

K1WI

PS  Sargeguy   ...The set came from your home town , (234 Washington / 10 Greene) ..Why they used an ivory set I'll never know.  It was in the room with the locomotive diesel !  I guess PVD always was classy .

Sargeguy

Cool!  If you want to sell or trade LMK!
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

K1WI

 Saregeguy,
  I worked the last 15 or so years  in EI dept in New England , based in Proviidence (I spent many many nights there) Was an EI testman installing Nortel DMS switches.  New England was the only operating company that had its own employees installing switching equipment.  Worked SxS and 5Xbar before that.

Dennis Markham

Thank you, Paul for the information.  I guess that settles it.   That explains the black sets we've seen with the satin finished hooks.

Bill

Paul, you da man! The hook on my 354 is definitely the same as the middle hook in your photo of three. I'm glad I asked - I could have spent days trying to sand that thing smooth, and then painting it with epoxy paint. And it still wouldn't have looked very good.

I don't know how you keep all this info indexed in your mind, but I'm real glad that you had the answer, and shared it with me. Sounds like others have benefited from this bit of arcana as well. Many thanks.

Bill

paul-f

You're all welcome!

Fortunately, I don't have to keep much of this info in my mind.  There's way too much detail to trust to memory.  I have been saving photos for quite a while now and have a passable filing system. 

It's always good having an excuse to look something up, as I invariably find something interesting I wasn't looking for.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Bill

One further note. This silvery satin finish is plated on, over copper, and it is not very thick. Beware.

By the way, I'm not sure what adjective to use to describe this finish. It seems a little rougher than matte or satin - more like a sandblasted  finish.

At any rate, there was some brown stuff on the surface (nicotine?), and some blackness in some of the pits in the finish. The first step in the cleanup was a trip through the dishwasher, which accomplished nothing, but didn't hurt anything either. I went looking for my brass-bristle wire brush, couldn't find it, so grabbed a brush with fine steel bristles. A very gentle application cleaned up the surface nicely - except for one kinda dark spot. Checked under a magnifier, and sure enough, it was a tiny spot of copper peeking through the silvery finish where the handset had caused some wear. Fortunately, I had stopped brushing before causing any further damage.

Very glad I didn't try to sand it smooth! I would have been in for a complete re-plating job.

Thanks again, Paul.

Bill