http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?itemid=5783361 (http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?itemid=5783361)
( dead link 06-19-21 )
I felt sorry for this phone and thought that I might be able to rehabilitate it. It looks like it used to be an Imperial before someone mutilated it. I expect that it will be needing a replacement hook switch plunger. Hopefully, the handset can be patched without it looking too obvious. if anyone has any suggestions, such as where to find ivory paint that matches, I would appreciate them
Larry
I think it is probably an authentic "Telephone Pioneers" lamp. They converted 1,000's of old Imperials in to lamps. I think they lamps are missing the plunger, but other than and a hole in the handset it should be good.
I would keep it as a lamp (assuming that it is safely wired, which it probably is).
Put it in your phone area with a 100+ watt equiv. Compact forescant. You will enjoy the light.
Jim
Not crazy at all.
Use it as a lamp for a while then when you get a plunger, start a "deconvertion".
The dial and the cloth curly cord are worth the money alone. It looks like the plate is good on the base of the 202. Nice find for parts or a cool lamp....Doug
Larry,
I'll have to dig, but I have a plunger assy. & switch pile, plus an intact Ivory handset. PM me if interested.
The phone/lamp just arrived, and it is worse than I had expected. The receiver, aside from a nasty hole through the center, is in fairly good condition, but the wires from the handset cord were completely chopped off at both ends of the cord, and the transmitter and receiver elements are missing. The entire plunger assembly is missing, as is the entire hook switch. Worse yet, half of the dial is missing. The dial is marked "5-50" and "5I" or maybe "51". Here is a picture of the inside.
Larry
Larry;
The only issue I can see is find the hook assembly, the rest of the parts are common and easy to find, If you find the hook cheap enough, you did good.
Being the handset is painted, patching that won't be an issue. Even another one is not very expensive.
D/P
D/P,
The biggest problem is that all of the switches and contacts are missing from the dial, which is a real shame, because the front of the dial is in good shape. I sent a message to Steve Hilsz asking if he has the missing dial parts.
Also, I would really like to install a mini network into the base. As far as I am aware, the AE mini networks sold by Phoneco should fit. Does anyone know if this is not the case?
At least the finish of the D1 shell seems to be in good condition.
Larry
Larry,
Check out the TCI Library > http://www.telephonecollectors.org/library/weco/weco.htm < (5th down)
And > http://www.telephonecollectors.org/library/aeco/aeco.htm < (at the bottom).
It should have what you need.
Dougpav
The handset cord should be repairable. Many of us have had to cut them that way intentionally, to get rid of flaky conductors. You'll need to move the restraints back and scavenge the spades off another handset cord, though.
I expect to be able to salvage the cord, but I just discovered that the hole through the handset goes through one of the conductors to the receiver. The handset core is solid, so there is no way to run a new wire. Since ivory painted handsets are very expensive, I think I might try my luck at painting a black F1. I have a couple of spares, and one of them is mostly brown anyway.
Larry
I finally reassembled the Imperial from an assortment of parts. I salvaged the handset cord by adding wires to the ends (I did not want to make it any shorter). I painted a badly worn F1 handset ivory. I took the contact pile from another #5 dial. It looks pretty good now. The gold plating is in great condition.
(http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss74/LarryinMichigan/Imperial/Imperial1.jpg)
Larry
That is an astounding transformation.
That painted handset sure looks like plastic from here.
Jim
Quote from: Jim S. on October 14, 2010, 08:51:21 PM
That is an astounding transformation.
That painted handset sure looks like plastic from here.
Jim
I second that. It looks wonderful
That is an awesome looking Imperial, Larry. Great job! Can you post a "before" photo? The one that was at the link at the start of the thread is gone.
Thank you everyone. Unfortunately, I cannot find any 'before' pictures, but imagine the phone, much dirtier, with an ugly lamp post sticking out of the middle of the top of the handset (not a pleasant picture). I still have the original handset with the hole though it if anyone is interested. I used the caps from the original handset with this one because they were in excellent condition. I tried to match the paint to the original, but the original paint is more brownish than the new. I like the new paint better than the original, and it seems to match the base cover better. The paint I used is Ace Hardware brand enamel spray paint, "Navajo White" color. I brought the original handset with me to an Ace store with a large spray paint selection and compared it to the caps of every can which looked similar, and the Ace Navajo White was the closest I could find.
I have no idea how well the paint will hold up. I probably won't be using the phone much anyway because I don't want to chip any of the gold off of the cradle.
The phone originally cost me about $35 with shipping.
Larry
It does look great. Quite a few of the Imperials had painted handsets anyway. I think the paint will hold up pretty well for you.
That wound up being a beautiful example, Larry. The Imperial is probably the best looking 202 variation, in my opinion.
Quote from: Jim S. on October 14, 2010, 08:51:21 PM
That is an astounding transformation.
That painted handset sure looks like plastic from here.
Jim
Jim...I second that. I thought it was a thermoplastic handset. I had to go back and look again when reading your reply. It looks so good, I totally missed the seams. Larry....outstanding job!
The handset is solid bakelite and so was the original, which was also painted. The paint job actually looks better in the picture than in person, but it still looks better than I expected. I did do some sanding with 2000 grit sandpaper and polishing with plastic polish to remove some of the bumps and runs and orange peel surface.
Larry
WOW! Very nice ;D
Yes, do you have a before photo, I either missed the original post or forgot what it looked like.
It certainly looks excellent, to me. Great work!!
Quote from: Kidphone on October 15, 2010, 08:16:22 AM
Quote from: Jim S. on October 14, 2010, 08:51:21 PM
That is an astounding transformation.
That painted handset sure looks like plastic from here.
Jim
Jim...I second that. I thought it was a thermoplastic handset. I had to go back and look again when reading your reply. It looks so good, I totally missed the seams. Larry....outstanding job!
I went back and re-looked at the photo when I was reading about painting a F1and trying to match Paint. I also checked to see If "I then Found a plastic F1"
If you are going to paint a handset for an Imperial, I favor this color.
JMO,
Do you Still need a plunger?
Oh here, I have one.
QuoteDo you Still need a plunger?
I could probably use a real plunger (the phone type, not the plumbing type). The one that is in the phone now (please don't tell anyone) is from a repro phone. It mostly fits, but isn't quite right.
Larry