Hi Paul Weiss Here form Connecticut. I never appreciated rotary telephones until I matured ! Just something that was on the wall in the kitchen. I finally purchased an old ITT Wall phone but it needs some work to get it going and up on the kitchen wall! It seems to need some work and I am pretty handy but this is new to me. Hopefully I can get some help here and post pics as I go along. Firstly, how do I remove the cover? The rotary is sticky and it seems like it needs some cleaning how do I do that after I've opened it up?
Thanx in advance.
Hi Paul :D Welcome to the forum! I am originally from Conn, born & raised in Stamford until I moved to FL about 10 years ago. To remove the cover there is a release lever inside just above where the handset cord comes out. Have you tried the phone yet? For the dial it will be pretty obvious once you opn it up, a screw on each side.
A warning: these phone cause Phonitis, a progressive incurable disease that will suck up your money and all the space you have ;D It is impossible to resist, this phone will multiply. A desk phone to match or perhaps another color wall phone and one from a different manufacturer, one from a dofferent year, OH YEAH, a 'birthday" phone, one that has matching dates for your birthday :)
Seriously, enjoy it, these things are a blast and there are lots of great people here to help out!
Welcome to the forum Paul. The dial is easy to remove. Once you have it out, remove the back cover, and give it a spray with electrical contact cleaner. That almost always works for me. Afterwards, you can carefully oil the pivots applying oil very sparingly. Avoid letting any oil go onto the metal contacts.
Enjoy your phone!
Larry
Hi Paul!
Welcome to the forum. I am a relative new-comer here ,as well. I hope your head is spinning at the wealth of information you've been finding; mine still is.
I've read a gazillion threads, and haven't even scratched the surface...
The nicest thing about our place here is that everybody is helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, etc... (maybe we were all Boy Scouts?) :D I certainly was.
I've asked all sorts of newbie questions, and been helped by professional telco people, collectors even older than me, and people half my age.
Unlike most any other forum on the WWW, I've never seen anybody ridiculed, or shot down in flames.
I think when Dennis approves our initial requests for membership, he toggles a setting that puts down newspapers on the floor, until we learn more! ;D
Enjoy the forum, share your finds and questions with us, stick around, and enjoy the fun!
Best regards!
Welcome Paul.
Here is a page that will give you a visual on the cover removal.
http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/telephones-554.html
Your dial is a later #9 series dial. Unlike the earlier #7 dial, the gears are for the most part made of plastic. Larry's tips for cleaning and lubing are right on the money. Good luck with your phone!
Thanks guys! I got the cover off and as you can see wasps had made a nest inside ! It seems like I should blow it out with compressed air and remove and clean the rotary. The gear look like dk grey plastic do I want to lube them or just clean them. The rotary is a bit stiff.
Quote from: weiss5 on January 11, 2013, 09:35:27 AM
Thanks guys! I got the cover off and as you can see wasps had made a nest inside !
A phone with a bonus. No charge for the wasps! Don't let the seller know - he may charge extra!
Dave
Good thing that the Wasps weren't still there! And if you had rang the bells before opening it up they would have been "Mad as Hornets"!
Welcome to the forum!
And "Well Said Mr. Bones"!
Terry
Quote from: DavePEI on January 11, 2013, 07:48:29 PM
Quote from: weiss5 on January 11, 2013, 09:35:27 AM
Thanks guys! I got the cover off and as you can see wasps had made a nest inside !
A phone with a bonus. No charge for the wasps! Don't let the seller know - he may charge extra!
Dave
RARE!!! VINTAGE!!! WASP NESTS!!! HARD TO FIND!!!
;D
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 11, 2013, 08:57:37 PM
Good thing that the Wasps weren't still there! And if yo had rang the bells before opening it up they would have been "Mad as Hornets"!
Terry
I would not want to be on the 'receiver-end' of wasps when they reacted to a 500-series ringer, either! It would not be pretty! :o
Weiss5, if you have any questions as to how to proceed to remove the mud-dauber nests, lmk. I have gotten rid of lots of them with great success, and zero collateral damage, over the years.
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 11, 2013, 08:57:37 PM
And "Well Said Mr. Bones"!
Terry
Awwwww,
shucks...Thanks, Terry! I shoot from the hip, and always speak from the heart...
Best!