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Now the Story Can be Told - 1949 WECo 500 Set

Started by Dan/Panther, March 20, 2010, 11:08:11 PM

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Dan/Panther

Morris;
As we speak, I'm looking at the phone right now, in it's cabinet. I still get butterfly's looking at it.
If anyone has ideas on displaying it, let me know. I'm open for whatever is best for all.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

WEBellSystemChristian

#1006
Anyone notice how the "after" pictures of the phone are on the same page number the phone was built, '48?
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

andre_janew

Yes, and I think he planned it that way somehow.

Partyline4

Top notch!

Outstanding!

Such a great read....So hard to imagine getting such a wonderful piece of history.

Hey,

Have you considered a time capsule?

The phone will surely be passed down to someone in the future.

We certainly don't want it getting ditched at an estate sale for $5   ;D

What if you could get it sent into space?

A "monumentally historic artifact in the history of Earth bound communication".

I like it.

McHeath

Ha!  Sending it into space is so crazy it sort of makes sense.  Give it the right angle and enough thrust and it will pretty much end up eternal, traveling forever, like the Voyager probes.  It would be one of the few human creations to last an awfully long time, and of all the stuff that we've made that ought to survive I think this phone probably deserves a spot. 

Now all we have to do is talk Dan and NASA into it. ;)


RotarDad

D/P - There must be a place for a phone like this in a national museum, like the Smithsonian, I would think.  After all, this is most likely the only survivor of a field trial for the most-produced telephone ever in world history.  Am I over-stating its significance?  It doesn't bling like the "Spirit of St. Louis" aircraft on display, but the phone is a huge piece of American communications history......
Paul

Dan/Panther

The photos of the completed set were posted at random as I obtained them. No conspiracy here, just coincidence.

I would have a better shot at contacting Elon Musk for a shot at launching the phone into space, my son works for Space-X as an engineer on the Dragon Capsule project.

It never gets old or routine looking at the 48-500. I am quite a nostalgia nut, and have several relics that are from days long gone, but the 48-500 rates number one on the list. I really have mixed feeling about exactly what to do with the phone. A small museum may go out of business, and the phone would be lost for ever. However the chances of a major museum accepting the phone for permanent display is rather slim.
I welcome a serious discussion on it's future.

D/P 

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Greg G.

Quote from: Dan/Panther on August 27, 2018, 11:56:04 AM
The photos of the completed set were posted at random as I obtained them. No conspiracy here, just coincidence.

I would have a better shot at contacting Elon Musk for a shot at launching the phone into space, my son works for Space-X as an engineer on the Dragon Capsule project.

It never gets old or routine looking at the 48-500. I am quite a nostalgia nut, and have several relics that are from days long gone, but the 48-500 rates number one on the list. I really have mixed feeling about exactly what to do with the phone. A small museum may go out of business, and the phone would be lost for ever. However the chances of a major museum accepting the phone for permanent display is rather slim.
I welcome a serious discussion on it's future.

D/P

What about the Connections Museum in Seattle?  They already have a 49-500, a 48-500 would make a good pair.

https://www.telcomhistory.org/connections-museum-seattle/

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2689.0
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

RotarDad

In keeping with my belief that this phone is a huge piece of US history, I did a bit of searching on the Smithsonian site and found an FAQ, which includes the inquiry process for gifting or selling an item to the museum:

https://www.si.edu/faqs

Seems like it couldn't hurt to test the waters with such a process.  One issue might be ensuring the phone is actually displayed, as museums have lots of warehoused items.  Apparently the Smithsonian has been at work making items available for online viewing as well, which is very nice.
Paul

AL_as_needed

TWinbrook7

Jim Stettler

Quote from: AL_as_needed on August 27, 2018, 07:40:25 PM
online viewing.... so basically CRPF  ;)
A link could always be provided to the Smithsonian. :)
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

RotarDad

#1016
Dan - How about offering to swap the Seattle Connections Museum their '49 for your field trial unit.  If you are confident about that museum's longevity, you would get a permanent home for your set and a long-sought-after '49 in return.....  Then you can will the '49 back to the museum at your passing if desired.....
Paul

Dan/Panther

Paul;
I was thinking along the lines of what you are saying. I wanted a 49-500 set because 1949 is my birth year.
NOW if someone came up with an all matching dates 10-49, WE 500, I was thinking a trade may be in the works. I just don't know what the 48-500 is valued at.

D/P


The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

RotarDad

Dan - Value is super hard when there is only one, as you well know.  I would bet your field trial set is much more valuable than any other 500, but you'd only know by auctioning it off, which you probably won't do.  I guess you could EBay with sky-high reserve and test the waters..... :o.  The challenge is that dollars aren't the big question here.  If it were mine, I'd want some compensation if possible, but the longevity in the public domain would be very important.  Couldn't hurt to chat with the Seattle museum folks to see where it might go.....

Paul

MaximRecoil

You did a beautiful job fabricating that finger wheel; it looks factory-made. If you feel up to making another one, I'd suggest trying Delrin rather than ABS and see if you like it better. Delrin is very dense and rigid; even denser than Bakelite (1.41 g/cm³ for Delrin vs. 1.3 g/cm³ for Bakelite):

QuoteThe acetal resins are among the strongest and stiffest of all thermoplastics, and are known to have great fatigue life, low moisture absorption, high solvent and chemical resistance, and excellent electrical properties. Because of these properties, acetals often compete with nylons for many of the same applications. Bushings, gears, bearings, rollers, and wear strips are just a few common examples of how acetals are used.

Also, Delrin machines beautifully. Here's a picture of some machined Delrin parts.

QuoteDelrin is the crystalline thermoplastic of choice for impact and wear resistance in a wide range of industrial and mechanical applications. With low, consistent internal stress, the material is easily machined and fabricated, experiencing little dimensional change during machining and use. Delrin is also known as acetal.

Also, the color of the ABS you used is sort of a very dark gray which doesn't match the deep black color of the phone's shell and dial bezel; at least that's the way it appears in the pictures. I don't know if you'd get a better color match with Delrin or not. I suppose painting is always an option. Does anyone know what type of paint that Bell used when they sometimes painted shells and handsets during refurbishment? I have a black painted 500 and whatever paint they used is very tough.