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Cleaning 495A Network

Started by savageje, February 06, 2010, 10:49:24 PM

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savageje

Just picked up my first Princess for $15, and it's kind of a dog -- but I am excited that it appears to be a 1960 model.  The phone has lots of dings and scratches, and a small bit of rust inside.  I've spent loads of time working on the dial, which needed major work, and have just started working on the plastic.  However, I have a question -- is there a way to remove the 495A network for cleaning?  It has some corrosion on the side and bottom.  It looks to be riveted to the bottom plate, but I thought I would ask some of you more experienced guys if there is a way to get it all the way out.

Thanks--

Phonesrfun

Rivets are rivets.  The only way to remove the network is to drill the rivets out and replace them with screws or your own pop-rivets.  Keep in mind that the clearance on the under surface of the phone base is minimal for the heads of the screws or pop rivets when replacing the network.  Basically, you only have the thickness of the rubber base pad to work with.

I would not try to remove it if I could work around the cleaning in another way.

-Bill Geurts
-Bill G

savageje

Thanks for the response.  I kind of thought that would be the answer.  I'll just do my best to get the corrosion off the sides of the network and clean the top.  Deep cleaning the inside of a 701 is sure a heck of a lot more challenging than the roomier 500s!

Wallphone

Maybe a baking soda solution will help in cleaning the network. I would try this first before thinking about drilling out the rivets.
Dougpav

savageje

Thanks for the suggestions.  I have managed to get the top and sides of the network pretty clean at this point using electrical contact cleaner and Simichrome on the sides.  There is a hole in the top of the network, which I probed gently with a Q-Tip, and there seems to be a tar-like substance inside.  I hope that the inside of the network is not compromised.  I don't see any real evidence of that from the outside, but who knows where the phone has been.  I haven't had a chance to hook it up and test it yet -- cleaning was my first priority.

Phonesrfun

The substance inside is a jelly-like substance which Ma Bell used to keep moisture and other things out of the network.  It is pretty gooey stuff, and I doubt that you have compromised it.

-Bill Geurts
-Bill G