Home brew or factory two tone?

[WesternElectricBen]

Here is a Western Electric 500 with a base date of 1954. Is this a home brew, or could this be factory?

Link: http://tinyurl.com/j4jjlaf

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Jonathan Sowers and I discussed this one. I think it may have been done at a refurb center in the late fifties, made of newer Red and White parts, plus a then-aging 1954 chassis.

[jsowers]

I'm thinking the red and white phone is more home brew, maybe by a phone man who liked those red masks from the 302s and had one in his stash. All the parts look like they're 1950s era. It took some thought to put this one together and it looks planned rather than accidental.

We've been seeing lots of odd color combos lately. Phones where they just put in some odd-colored part as long as it worked, with not much thought about matiching. Dials especially got changed out. Or they painted part of the phone. There was a metallic blue (painted) and white 500U that I also think is a home brew. It has a rather amateur paint job. You can see paint on the cord strain relief. Here is the link to that one and a picture below. It's a very late 500U, from 1961. Note that they started marking them 500U and not P/U at the end.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/122087047008

[Kenton K]

Ohh, that mushroom was mine. Just didn't have the time to restore it. It was a white spray painted blue. No cleaner I tied even budged the paint!

-Ken

[WesternElectricBen]

Full disclosure, I purchased it. I think at least, it can be a good parts phone.

Although, I am still curious, was this a official two tone color? I understand it is possible that they could have used a straight line handset cord.

[Jim Stettler]

I think the only "official" two-tone sets are a stock color housing with a black handset and dial.
This was the way the early releases were.

I read a bsp that said to order a color housing to swap onto a black set to create a two-tone. Return the black housing back to supply. This was for special order 2-tone sets.

JMO,
Jim S.

[Jim Stettler]

Here is the BSP I am remembering from.
Jim S.




http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1886.msg26924#msg26924

[jsowers]

Full disclosure, I purchased it. I think at least, it can be a good parts phone.

Although, I am still curious, was this a official two tone color? I understand it is possible that they could have used a straight line handset cord.

Straight line handset cords were pretty much gone by 1957 and this 1961 phone looks like it has its original coiled handset cord. This 500U is white and that color came along in late 1957 after the straight handset cords were discontinued. Good luck getting that metallic paint off and let us know if you have success. As you can see by the shot of the bottom and what Ken, the previous owner said, it's white underneath. You could also drill a white housing from a donor phone and replace the handset. I'm not sure about the blue paint on the end of the handset cord, though. You may have to try paint remover on the cord, very sparingly.

Also, I doubt very seriously if they ever made a two-tone 500U because of the special housing it required. Has anyone ever seen a factory two-tone 500U? I think it was just the 500 C/D and maybe two-line sets and that was it. Also the 500U and 500P came along at the end of the two-tone era, about 1956. By then the dial, cords and body matched on most of the phones.

[Jim Stettler]

Here is the BSP I am remembering from.
Jim S.




http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1886.msg26924#msg26924

The above thread has the bsp  for color and 2-tone sets.

[WesternElectricBen]

Straight line handset cords were pretty much gone by 1957 and this 1961 phone looks like it has its original coiled handset cord. This 500U is white and that color came along in late 1957 after the straight handset cords were discontinued. Good luck getting that metallic paint off and let us know if you have success. As you can see by the shot of the bottom and what Ken, the previous owner said, it's white underneath. You could also drill a white housing from a donor phone and replace the handset. I'm not sure about the blue paint on the end of the handset cord, though. You may have to try paint remover on the cord, very sparingly.

Also, I doubt very seriously if they ever made a two-tone 500U because of the special housing it required. Has anyone ever seen a factory two-tone 500U? I think it was just the 500 C/D and maybe two-line sets and that was it. Also the 500U and 500P came along at the end of the two-tone era, about 1956. By then the dial, cords and body matched on most of the phones.

Hi Jonathan,

I did not buy the mushroom set, I bought the standard 500.

[jsowers]

Hi Jonathan,

I did not buy the mushroom set, I bought the standard 500.

Thanks for clearing that up. Sanctioned two-tones were always black sets with a color housing. Red and white wasn't an option, as far as I know, and what I said earlier still goes. White came along after the two-tone era and never with straight line handset cords.

Ben, you got some good parts and at a good price. Let us know if the red plastics date to 1954. Those would be the era of straight handset cords, but you'd have a lot of parts to get to make that a reality.

[WesternElectricBen]

Thanks for clearing that up. Sanctioned two-tones were always black sets with a color housing. Red and white wasn't an option, as far as I know, and what I said earlier still goes. White came along after the two-tone era and never with straight line handset cords.

Ben, you got some good parts and at a good price. Let us know if the red plastics date to 1954. Those would be the era of straight handset cords, but you'd have a lot of parts to get to make that a reality.

Okay, that clears up my question. I am definitely curious to see what I can do with it. I might try to find a black parts phone that is from the same year.

[poplar1]

Here is a Western Electric 500 with a base date of 1954. Is this a home brew, or could this be factory?

Link: http://tinyurl.com/j4jjlaf

Is it 1954 or 1956? Listing says:
"PHONE HAS A MODEL NUMBER OF CD500 & A DATE OF 3/1956."

Also, I can't tell if the dial and handset are white or ivory.

Some straight vinyl handset cords (H4CL?) were available after 1958, even if they were not standard issue.

[WesternElectricBen]

The phone arrived today, and obviously you were all right right about it being not factory. However, all of the parts are from 1956 with the exception of the line cord and ringer. The dial (-50 Ivory color code), and rest of the parts are all 3-56. The red casing is 9-56.

My plans of right now is to wait and find a ivory shell and line cord. I would like to built a two tone by purchasing a 3-56 black phone. I have already found the phone, but I may wait until the price is reduced or better example comes along. Link: http://tinyurl.com/jgy2mc3

[jsowers]

Thanks for posting decent pictures of this phone that show its true color. I was wrong, thinking it was white. So yes, you can put an ivory straight handset cord on it if you like, but finding one could be pretty difficult.

The date on the housing is blurred on the second digit of the year. It could be 55. Can you tell for sure? Yes, you could use that housing on a black 500 chassis to make a two-tone.

I hope you can find a use for that nice red mask on the number card. Was there anything lurking behind that mask, Kemosabe?    That's from The Lone Ranger--I forget how young some of us are.