What is "Tenite"?

[Greg G.]

I haven't even figured out the whole hard v. soft v. ABS plastic thing yet, now there's this stuff.  I found this blurb in my travels online.  Is what they say true?  If so, then the 49-500 at the Seattle museum has a replacement housing?  But the housing that's on it is specifically marked "49" and has clear plungers.  I don't consider plungers as part of the shell because they can be easily removed and replaced.  Something doesn't add up.

You can tell if your phone has a Tenite housing by checking the 2 plungers.... If they are black, the housing is Tenite. If they are clear plastic, then the housing is a later replacement of ABS plastic.

[rdelius]

Tenite is the soft smelly old plastic made by Tennessee Eastman company in Kingsport TN
It can get moldy looking or shrink if badly stored. Automatic Electric used it on older colored telephones.
Robby

[baldopeacock]

Briny, that blurb you found contradicts much of what I've learned on this site about soft plastic.   I have two soft plastic 500s and both have clear plungers.

Never mind, I just read the following post.   I didn't take black phones into consideration.   Duh.

[jsowers]

Western Electric used Tenite (soft plastic) on 500 sets from 1950 to the latter part of 1959. Starting in June, 1959 they used ABS (hard plastic) from then on in the color sets (and black Princesses in 1963) and ~1965 in the black 500 sets. There are many latter 1959 color 500 sets with both hard and soft plastic pieces, since they used up leftover parts. See the latest pink 500U thread for a good example of that.

So Tenite is soft plastic and older, and ABS is hard plastic and newer.

BTW, six holes in the earcap does not always mean soft plastic since seven holes didn't occur until 1960, six months or so after the change to hard plastic. Also NE made six hole earcaps throughout the 1960s.

Briny, I think what you read is correct. They changed the plungers when they went to hard plastic in black 500 sets. Color 500 sets have always had clear plungers. At least that has been my observation.

[LarryInMichigan]

Tenite is made from wood cellulose, that it why it can grow mold.  Look at http://www.eastman.com/Brands/Tenite/Pages/Overview.aspx.

One really quick way to tell is a phone is tenite or not is to sick your fingernail into it.  If your fingernail gouges it, it's tenite (and you have damaged your phone).

Larry

[Doug Rose]

Tenite is made from wood cellulose, that it why it can grow mold.  Look at http://www.eastman.com/Brands/Tenite/Pages/Overview.aspx.

One really quick way to tell is a phone is tenite or not is to sick your fingernail into it.  If your fingernail gouges it, it's tenite (and you have damaged your phone).

Larry

I'd try the inside of the phone for gouging, but that's just me....Doug

[Jim Stettler]

I haven't even figured out the whole hard v. soft v. ABS plastic thing yet, now there's this stuff.  I found this blurb in my travels online.  Is what they say true?  If so, then the 49-500 at the Seattle museum has a replacement housing?  But the housing that's on it is specifically marked "49" and has clear plungers.  I don't consider plungers as part of the shell because they can be easily removed and replaced.  Something doesn't add up.

You can tell if your phone has a Tenite housing by checking the 2 plungers.... If they are black, the housing is Tenite. If they are clear plastic, then the housing is a later replacement of ABS plastic.

With telephones there are always exceptions.
While we were reseaching D/P's 1948 500. It was found that the early mock-ups had clear plungers. I think D/P ended up going clear on his. The 1949 set made it appear that the earliest 500's probably had clear plungers.It appears that the earliest of sets used clear plungers.(I think they may of been flat top?)

JMO,
Jim

[Greg G.]

I haven't even figured out the whole hard v. soft v. ABS plastic thing yet, now there's this stuff.  I found this blurb in my travels online.  Is what they say true?  If so, then the 49-500 at the Seattle museum has a replacement housing?  But the housing that's on it is specifically marked "49" and has clear plungers.  I don't consider plungers as part of the shell because they can be easily removed and replaced.  Something doesn't add up.

You can tell if your phone has a Tenite housing by checking the 2 plungers.... If they are black, the housing is Tenite. If they are clear plastic, then the housing is a later replacement of ABS plastic.

With telephones there are always exceptions.
While we were reseaching D/P's 1948 500. It was found that the early mock-ups had clear plungers. I think D/P ended up going clear on his. The 1949 set made it appear that the earliest 500's probably had clear plungers.It appears that the earliest of sets used clear plungers.(I think they may of been flat top?)

JMO,
Jim

The 49-500 in the Seattle museum has round-top clear plungers.  I'm going to guess that they are original to the phone due to the wear and tear on them.

So the "black plungers" test isn't necessarily accurate.  What were the black plungers that were used for a while?  I'm curious as to why they used clear, then black, then back to clear.

[Jim Stettler]

did they appear to be "standard" clear plungers, like were used on the colored sets?
Jim

[Jim Stettler]

Tenite is made from wood cellulose, that it why it can grow mold.  Look at http://www.eastman.com/Brands/Tenite/Pages/Overview.aspx.

One really quick way to tell is a phone is tenite or not is to sick your fingernail into it.  If your fingernail gouges it, it's tenite (and you have damaged your phone).

Larry

Early 500's were made of "soft" wood (smelly plastic)

Not to be confused with the early wooden phones that were typically made from "Hard" woods, (like  oak.)

[Greg G.]

did they appear to be "standard" clear plungers, like were used on the colored sets?
Jim

Are we now talking about two different types of clear plungers?  Yikes!  I don't know, those are the pictures of the plungers in the 49-500.

[Jim Stettler]

did they appear to be "standard" clear plungers, like were used on the colored sets?
Jim

Are we now talking about two different types of clear plungers?  Yikes!  I don't know, those are the pictures of the plungers in the 49-500.

I was thinking that clear plungers had an edge as they rounded. I looked at the plungers on a 1957 med blue 500. They were rounded like these.

I think it is the later sets with the "edged" plungers.
Jim

[deedubya3800]

So, Tenite comes from Tennessee, not hell. There is a stark distinction between the two. I am reminded of my favorite bad pickup line: "Did it hurt when you fell from Tennessee?"

Is ABS considered a hard plastic? I consider it a loud plastic.

And what plastic would my 1954 and 1942 302 shells be made of? That is, if I were to have a 1942 plastic 302.

[Jim Stettler]

As an exception you can find soft platic 302's in black and colors. The colors don't match the "official" colors.
JIm

[deedubya3800]

As an exception you can find soft plastic 302's in black and colors. The colors don't match the "official" colors.
JIm

What meanest thou by that? What are the "official" colors made of?