Does anybody else do this?

[Greg G.]

Or is it just me?  I have my Dutch PTT on my 'puter desk, plugged in.  It's become my favorite working phone cuz it's fully functional, and the dial makes more of a clicking sound both on the rotate and return than any of my other phones.   

Anyway, every now and then, just for kicks and giggles, I reach over and spin the dial just to hear it.   

[bingster]

Guilty.

[dsk]

I have an x-german automatic field telephone (rotary dial) beside my bed, a 1934 Elektrisk Bureau at the kitchen, a 1967 EB at the guest room, and an field exchange at the basement. (and a few magnetos attatched to the field exchange)

dsk

[Dan]

I turn my 5302 WE on the shelf. It's got a 5H, but it clicks the best (even better then my 4H 302). I turn the dial every once on a while too.

[Dennis Markham]

Hey, a guy has to make sure the dials don't freeze up!  I'm sitting in a room with over 50 rotary phones.  I'll confess that I like to compare dial speeds with one against the other......or see how many I can get spinning at once......a cacophony of spinning dials!

[Dan]

That reminds me of the guy who used to spin plates on a stick on the old Ed Sullivan show!

[BDM]

I spin my dials on a regular basis also

[rp2813]

Use it or lose it applies to rotary dials as well as  . . . other things.

But since we're on the subject, I do have one 10/56 dial that's been dormant for a number of years.  When I give it a few whirls, the return speed will vary from one spin to the next.  Is there a particular component that's responsible for this variation?  I have no doubt that things could have gotten kind of gummed up over the years of sitting unused but haven't taken it apart to examine it.

Ralph

[Dan/Panther]

Sometimes it takes an extra 5 minutes to get out of my man cave, just because I turn each dial on the way out.
D/P

[Dennis Markham]

Ralph, often those dial gears and axles get gunked up with old lubricant.  Sometimes there is lint inside too that slows them down.  I like to get a can of non-detergent electrical contact cleaner and spray off the gears and axles followed by a good blast of compressed air to clean the gunk away.  Then again using a fine non-detergent oil I oil the axle points.  Don't use WD-40. The contents will eventually slow down the dial.   I posted some tips on dial lubrication here:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=285.msg2467#msg2467

[benhutcherson]

Yes, guilty.

My favorite to do this on is my D1 mount with a 4H dial, since it just sounds so nice when spun.

[McHeath]

Yeah, this is a personal weakness of mine.  Probably a 12 step program that I ought to get into for "Dialers Anonymous"

[rp2813]

Thanks for the link Dennis.  Should I ever match a handset up to the base the dial is on, I'll clean up and lube the gears as you've advised.  I'm sure that's all it will need.  It really has a nice quality sound to it and is quieter than the 7-series dials on my other 500's.

And really, the answer to this thread's question is probably "yes" from every last member.  Why else would we be into rotary phones?  LOL

[foots]

Not only do I do it, but everybody that stops by just has to go dial one of my phones. I find myself dialing my D1, Galion, or Connecticut often. The Connecticut is my favorite - it has a certain mechanical feel and sound to it.

[rp2813]

When I had my 202 connected, that was a fun one to dial.  It has a #4 that is seriously raspy and clicks about as loud as any dial I've ever used.  It has so much resistance that since the felt on the base bottom has been worn smooth over the years, combined with the light weight of the 202 set, that it causes the phone to move around while dialing most times unless you hold it still. 

My daily dialer is the 7A on my 10/50.  It's on my desk and gets the most use of all of my early 50's 500's.

Ralph