Awesome Soft Shell 500 Find.

[Snake]

So today, I went to a new antique store I'd never been to before. I could smell it from outside, a Yellow WE500 Soft Plastic in pretty good condition. I look at the price tag and it reads "Yellow Rotary Phone ONLY FOR PARTS OR PROP" I asked the lady who worked there why it was marked that, she said to me it was because the cord wouldn't work with a modern wall jack...
It looks like it's pretty much all there too, I haven't really found mix-matched parts yet. It's a great phone, and I'm looking forward to cleaning it up, and using it. And About that handset cord it's cut up a little bit, I think I might just get another one? I don't think it could be fixed... Anyone have one they'd give up? I also am having a hard time finding a new finger wheel for it, mines broken pretty bad, and it's the raised hollow front type. There is one thing though that isn't quite right with it, it's dial makes a strange noise when you turn it over, I took it off the brackets and flipped the dial upside down and it stopped making the noise so I think something might be loose in it? I might make another post for the dial in the troubleshooting section to try and figure it out. And also does anyone have anymore info on the phone for me, like I've said before I'm fairly new to all of this. I've heard that the soft shells are not very common, and the yellow might make it a little more uncommon. I've tried to look for prices on soft plastic 500's and I couldn't really find anything, anyone have an idea of what it might be worth? I'm hoping my $5 dollar investment into my "parts" phone was a good one.

[rp2813]

I'd say that's an absolute steal for $5, and would say it's a candidate for "find of the month" at that price.  It's super clean and apparently was never moved from the location where it was originally deployed, even with that "Sold By Pacific Telephone" sticker.  I'm betting it was a montly rental that the susbcriber chose to buy outright when given the opportunity.   Is that a Marin County phone number?  I don't recognize 232 as a SF or peninsula prefix.

[nikeajax]

A few years back I knew someone who found a bright cadmium-yellow WE-500, with modular cords of course, but he wanted to paint it so it looked like stone... or... GULP... a flame-job...WTH!  How often do you find an old phone that's actually yellow?  This is the same guy who I had to convince to take his wedding ring off while replacing the starter motor on his truck, "Is it really worth having firemen come down here and cutting yer truck apart to get yer freaking finger out 'cause yer too stupid..."

Jaybird

[twocvbloke]

I could smell it from outside

Either that or someone in there had bad foot odour!!!

Nice find, it's a smidge older than my red 500 (which is 8-56, all matching too!!), and a proper bargain at that price... 

Whatever you do though, don't sniff the inside of the handset.......

[HarrySmith]

Nice find! And quite a steal! I need a soft yellow for my collection, I was bidding on one recently that went for over $160.00
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250980283000

[LarryInMichigan]

$5 is a great price for any colored soft plastic phone.  Yellow is my favorite phone color.  I have a soft plastic yellow 500 and AE80 as well as a yellow SC 1543 and a 1586.

Larry

[Dan]

Congrats--yellow tenite is HAAAARRRDDDD to get. I never see one reasonably priced on eaby, and was able to get mine on goodwill. The cord is cool too, with the fade like you see on the old pink 500's.

[LarryInMichigan]

Since the break in your handset cord outer cover is very close the handset, I would try to pull the cord into the handset just up to the break point.  You probably will not need to shorten the wires.

Larry

[JorgeAmely]

Larry:
You read my mind today. I think there could be a crimp that you may need to open to allow the strain relief to slide down the cord, but it is fairly easy to do.

Congratulations to the owner. Those yellow Tenite phones are as rare as moon dust on earth.

[Snake]

Is that a Marin County phone number?  I don't recognize 232 as a SF or peninsula prefix.

I'm really not all that sure, I'm going to look into it a little more...

Whatever you do though, don't sniff the inside of the handset.......

Nice find! And quite a steal! I need a soft yellow for my collection, I was bidding on one recently that went for over $160.00
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250980283000

I'll keep you in mind if I ever decide to let it go!

Since the break in your handset cord outer cover is very close the handset, I would try to pull the cord into the handset just up to the break point.  You probably will not need to shorten the wires.

Larry

Larry:
You read my mind today. I think there could be a crimp that you may need to open to allow the strain relief to slide down the cord, but it is fairly easy to do.

Congratulations to the owner. Those yellow Tenite phones are as rare as moon dust on earth.

Thanks! I'll try that.





Sounds like I made a good buy, thanks guys. 

[Snake]

One thing I do need though is some help with that dial, now I have very little to no experience working on dials, and I don't really feel like trying my hand at this one as my first. Like I said before it makes a strange noise when dialed like a grinding and scraping noise, and I took the dial off the brackets and flipped it up side down to look at it, it stopped making the noise, so I'm guessing somthings loose But if anyone with experience working on dials would be willing to fix up my dial for me, it would be greatly appreciated and I can pay for time/parts/postage etc. Let me know.

Tristan

[Snake]

One thing I do need though is some help with that dial, now I have very little to no experience working on dials, and I don't really feel like trying my hand at this one as my first. Like I said before it makes a strange noise when dialed like a grinding and scraping noise, and I took the dial off the brackets and flipped it up side down to look at it, it stopped making the noise, so I'm guessing somthings loose But if anyone with experience working on dials would be willing to fix up my dial for me, it would be greatly appreciated and I can pay for time/parts/postage etc. Let me know.

Tristan

Sounds like Kenny C's going to be nice enough to do it for me! 

[JorgeAmely]

I was going to ask: where do you live?

[jsowers]

I was going to ask: where do you live?

Jorge, Tristan lives in Contra Costa County, which I believe is near San Francisco. He happened to say that in a reply to a post I made asking the same question you did, but about a Princess phone mounting cord he has that needs two new spades.

[Jester]

Since the break in your handset cord outer cover is very close the handset, I would try to pull the cord into the handset just up to the break point.  You probably will not need to shorten the wires.

Larry

Yes and yes.  Since your outer cover appears to have only one break, and it is so close to the handset, I would attempt removing the crimp and restraining grommet & all the outer cover up to the break. Then, after squaring off the material around the break, slip the conductor wires back into the grommet & push it back onto the next coil of your cord.  Remember to push the grommet far enough back that the crimp can be reinstalled in front of it.  This type repair has been discussed on the forum a few times.  Here is a link to the thread I started on this topic.  BTW, that is a GREAT find!!

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1157.0