Don't Touch That Dial.

[Dan/Panther]

I have right now sitting before me a WE 500, that has been in storage for MANY years.
Now being that I've learned a tremendous amount about what NOT to do when you first obtain a vintage radio, I assume, there must be likewise things to do when you first obtain a vintage phone, before you connect it for service.
Will someone list those DO THIS FIRST items....

Dan/Panther

[Mark Stevens]

This sounds like a job for Dennis Markham!

[jsaxe]

Dan,

Aside from maybe taking out the mouthpiece element and smacking it on your leg a couple of times to loosen up the carbon granules, there's not much to be concerned with.

Some phones have discreet components, like my North Galion, and you will find probably two capacitors, however, you don't have to be concerned with them too much, since they don't tend to go bad.  The highest voltage you will find on a phone line is the 90 VAC ringing signal which runs about 10-20 ma, if I recall correctly.

The thing I love about old telephones is that they're a fully evolved technology.  You'll hear phone men talk about "five nines" a lot, which refers to the 99.999% reliability that the Bell companies aimed for.

You don't have to be concerned about filter caps and the havoc they can create.

John

[benhutcherson]

Perhaps I'm a daredevil, but, provided that there's not something weird about the wiring(i.e. party line or key phone), I just plug 'em right in.

WE 500s are pretty much bullet proof-I've yet to have one not work when I tried it out, and I have tried out a fair number of them.

One side note, however-It can be really helpful to have on hand another telephone that has some capacity to tell you whether or not a phone is off the hook. We have cordless phones that do this, plus I have an old 537A subset(local battery subset factory-converted to common battery) I use with my 151AL that dings every time a phone is taken off or put on the hook(bell tap). If the subset taps when plugging in an on-hook phone, or the cordless phone gives an "off hook" indication, I know somethings wrong. Like I said, though, I've never had this happen with a 500 set.  

[Dan/Panther]

The dial is a little noisey, is there an acceptable lube for this, or does blowing them out usually do the trick ?
Dan/Panther

[benhutcherson]

The only proper fix is to disassemble the dial, clean all of the parts, and then reassemble with very, very light lubrication.

Most dials are surprisingly, in my experience, once this is done.

Just oiling the dial without taking it apart and cleaning can help things for a while, but the oil will, after a months, just collect dust, and gum things up even more.

[BDM]

Keep in mind, a 500 series dial sounds like gravel anyhow. More so the number 6 dial. The number 7 is slightly quieter. Not sure which one you have. Besides what John mentioned, 99.9% of these phones are plug & play.

[benhutcherson]

Keep in mind, a 500 series dial sounds like gravel anyhow. More so the number 6 dial.

Which is why, to me, the #5 represents the pinnacle of dial development. They're reliable, easy to work on, and nearly dead silent(save for the beloved "clickety clack") when properly serviced.

At least #9s rarely need to be serviced. #6s and #7s, in my experience, typically need some help, and are more difficult to put back together with the floating gear train that needs to be positioned correctly.

I say this as I'm about to tear into the 7A dial on my '52 500 set, in hopes that I can quieten it down some.

[Dan/Panther]

O.K. this is what I did, and it is as smooth as silk.
I took the dial off of the phone, I removed the clear plastic cover, I blew the works out with compressed air, being careful not to blow directly on the delicate spring etc. I then sprayed WD-40 into the mechanism, Then blew out the excess. I wiped the entire thing clean with a very clean lint free clothe, added a few drops of 3 in 1 oil. It works as smooth as glass.

Dan/Panther
If I did anything wrong, it was all Bill Cahill's suggestions. Except he recommended rinsing with a garden hose.

[Bill Cahill]

O.K. this is what I did, and it is as smooth as silk.
I took the dial off of the phone, I removed the clear plastic cover, I blew the works out with compressed air, being careful nbot to blow directly on the delicate spring etc. I then sprayed WD-40 intot he mechanism, Then blew out the eccess. I wiped the entire thing clean with a very clean lint free clothe, added a few drops of 3 in 1 oil. It works as smooth as glass.

Dan/Panther
If I did anything wrong, it was all Bill Cahill's suggestions. Except he recommended rinsing with a garden hose.

Well, what about when you told me you were going to use carburetor cleaner on the case? And, you were planning on painting it in psychedelic colors!!!! 
Bill Cahill

[McHeath]

Never taken a dial apart, too chicken that I will ruin it, which has happened once or twice in my life.  My 354 had a sticky dial but some WD-40 did the trick, I'm sure that was the wrong thing to do but figure that these phones are like cockroaches, they can't be killed.

[Dan/Panther]

I figured these things look bullet proof. Compared to vintage radios, phones are tanks.
Hey Bill, that color scheme sounds pretty interesting.

Dan/Panther

[bingster]

The experts will tell you that the last thing you want to do is spray WD-40 over the dial, but I'll confess that's exactly what I've always done.  It works like a charm, and has never caused a problem.

[benhutcherson]

I admit that I'm cringing at the thought of spraying a dial with WD-40.

With that said, however, it could certainly make a dial work for a while, although eventually it will just attract more dust and make it seize up even worse.

If you do spray a dial with WD-40 or some other cleaner, however, I would caution you to keep it away from the governor. If you get oil on the governor, the dial can run too fast.

I'm do actually enjoy working on dials, which is one respect in which I'm sure I'm rather odd.

[Dan/Panther]

benhutcherson;

Would you post your method of cleaning and lubricating dials...

Dan/Panther