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Zinc pest / zinc rot

Started by countryman, September 10, 2021, 08:44:04 AM

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countryman

Here's a "nice" example of it.
Inferior types of zinc cast may get victim of this irreversible type of corrosion or deterioration. The material swells and crumbles from inside out. I had heard about it but not seen it yet, let alone in this severity. It can happen under good environmental circumstances where other metals persist, but moisture seems to speed up the process.

This part has been inside a wooden desk intermediate phone or intercom. It's not essential for a basic phone function, and I will try to restore the rest.
More info, besides Wikipedia: experto.de, google will translate.

TelePlay

Hadn't heard of this before but a quick search shows it quite prevalent in older model trains.

This one talks a bit about repair.

https://dfarq.homeip.net/zinc-pest-what-it-is-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Seems like a fatal condition.

FABphones

I have seen and handled pieces like that many times and had no idea it had its own name.

Thanks both for bringing the detail of this to the fore. Good thread countryman.

:)

A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
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Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
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RB

I can't tell from the pics what function that part served???
But that is a nice phone.
Some hefty elbow grease, and some TLC, and it will shine again!
Maybe you could manufacture something out of aluminum?? to replace it???
Good luck, and post some after pics we can drool on ;)

countryman

It is a mount for a push button switch assembly - line selector. There is a second one out of pressed steel which is very rusty, but solid. Maybe it was already replaced when the phone was in use? The capacitors have stamps from the 1930ies, but the rest is much older. I guess I could fabricate a replacement mount out of aluminium or steel if required.
It's a Priteg phone (Mannheimer Privat-Telefon-Gesellschaft mbH - Mannheim private telephone company limited, a branch of Harry Fuld's telephone imperium). That makes it interesting even in a certain state of being kaputt ;-)
This thing went through hell to be exact. I'll do my best to bring it back...