I finished my Birthdate 302.

[Dan/Panther]

I finished my 8-49/302.
I didn't do a lot of ding removal, just enough to make the case look nice.
This will be my every day driver.
I replaced the original handset cord with a newer version.
I recovered the feet myself, it was easier than I imagined.
302's are repidly becoming my favorite style phone.
I bought a can of semi-gloss black, I plan to tear it down and redo the baseplate semi-gloss, instead of high gloss.

D/P

[Dan/Panther]

I was going to polish the ringers, but decided against it. I used Tarnex, to remove the grime, and washed them in soapy water,  to neutralize the tarnex.
I know bright shiney ringers look cool, but this is more original looking.
It takes about 30 seconds each, with a small paint brush. I put enough Tarnex in a small cup to cover the ringer, then use the brush to remove the grime.
D/P

[BDM]

Great job Dan Looks very nice!

[McHeath]

Excellent job!  You do chicken right. 

[Dennis Markham]

Dan it looks very nice.  I especially like the job you did on the leather feet.

You're not the only one that prefers to leave the gongs alone, as far as shining them.  Someone once mentioned to me that they never came out of the factory with that shine.  They are also covered with a lacquer finish.  I don't know if shining them removes the lacquer or not. 

Nice job on that 302!

[Dan/Panther]

Thank You everyone. I really enjoy making these phones look better than they did when I got them.
I forgot to post a photo of it when I got it.
D/P

[contraste]

Really nice job!

Care to share the secrets of phone feet rejuvenation?

[McHeath]

Did you have to do much to the handset cord?

[rp2813]

Nice job Dan.  I'm really impressed with the feet.  And over all, another example of how a phone that might look like a basket case can really clean up nicely and become an exemplary piece of classic industrial design.  Have fun using it!

Ralph

[Dan/Panther]

McHeath;
I decided since I'm  going to be using this on my desk all the time, that I should replace the handset cord with a more pliable one.

As far as the feet are concerned...
They snap apart. Put a small screwdriver through the screw hole from the top. Put it between the two layers in the middle, and slightly twist the screw driver, the two halves should come apart really easily.
Clean them up.
Then lay the outer portion of the foot, on a piece of tablet back cardboard.
Trace it, and then make the trace about 3/8" larger all the way around.
This is your suede pattern. Cut it out, and trace it onto the suede. Cut out the suede, and wet it. Lay the suede with the fuzzy side down, lay the foot bottom down on top of the suede.
Starting with the back of the foot, or the long end, fold the suede up and over then into the recess. Take the insert, and place it against the folded over suede, and carefull work the suede around, and moving the foot insert to hold it as you go. Remove all of the wrinkles at the corners, then snap the insert back into the foot. I used compressed air to speed up the drying by blowing through the screw hole. The suede wil shrink while drying and tighten it up.
D/P

[Dennis Markham]

Dan, a comment and a question or two. 

My comment is regarding the stiffness of the coiled handset cord.  When I read what you posted it reminded me of my first 302 that I bought when I didn't really know what I was doing.  I saw one on eBay as a Buy It Now for $99.99.  I knew absolutely nothing about the 302 and barely anything about the 500's.  I pushed the button and when it came I was excited.  The handset cord was a bit stiff, again I figured they were all like that.  About the third time I used it I turned while talking and pulled it off the desk.  It landed on the corner and you know the rest of the story.  It has a nice crack.  It wasn't until much later that I realized the phone is a mixture of Western and Northern Electric parts.  So I have this 302 that is a "mutt" with a cracked corner that I over-paid to get.  But we live and learn.  So the moral of this story is watch those stiff cords---they can be hazardous to the health of your phone.

My question(s) is regarding the suede.  Where did you buy it, what color does one ask for and how thick should it be??

[Dan/Panther]

Dennis;
The suede is "Natural", or un-dyed. A friend of mine gave me the bag shown below awhile back,. Tandy sells remnants for $5.00 for a half pound. Thickness is shown in the second photo. I would guess .030 thousanths of an inch thick.
Also remember if you have slight bumps on the top of the foot, they won't show, but if you do it right, you won't have bumps.
D/P

[Dan/Panther]

I starting work on another 302, it has the wool feet. three are in  decent shape, but one is bad. Should I cover one or all 4 with new suede ?
D/P

[HobieSport]

If three of the original feet are in decent shape then of course keep them and clean them. If the fourth foot needs recovering you are already the master.

[Dennis Markham]

I'm with Hobie on this one.  I'd keep the three wool covered feet.  I don't run into those that often.  I don't think they're as plentiful....and they're cool too.