1962 WE black wall phone w/handset cap removable problem

[Dewdrop]

Purchased the phone a week ago from a flea market that I have passed by several times. Finally got the hubby to stop and let me OUT. I have tried several times to remove the transmitter cap using a hair dryer. "No Go". Had the hubby try with his extra grip and strength. "No Go". This sucker is STUCK on. Has anyone tried using a hand held clothes steamer on a problem like this?

This one has a really STRETCHED out cord. The cost of the phone was $5. On the last picture I put a gray cover on for fun. It kinda looks cool. The reflection of the pine trees shows up on the cover, so it's not discolored.

Appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Debbie

[Dennis Markham]

Debbie, I wouldn't use a steamer on the transmitter end.  The moisture can't be good for it.  I am the hair dryer guy....get that hair dryer out again and keep heating it up.  That cap will come off.  On one phone where that cap just wouldn't budge, I ended up getting a large zip lock bag and putting the handset inside the bag to trap the hot air.  I then zipped the bag around the nose of the hair dryer literally got soft, like it was going to melt.  The cap came off.  It was like a pillow of hot air with the handset inside.  I directed the air at the mouth piece cap.   Those plastic caps on the Bakelite handset are very tough to remove.

I think I photographed that procedure.  If I can locate the photo, I'll post it.

~Dennis

[McHeath]

What Dennis said.   

I've only had one phone with a bakelite handset and plastic caps, and I ended up doing the same deal to get the caps off, point a hair dryer at it for a long time. 

That's a nice phone for 5 bucks.  The really messed up handset cord can be "healed" with our oven method.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=202.0

Use the oven bake method on this cord as there is nothing to hurt on it. 

[Dewdrop]

Thanks for the great tips using the ziploc bag and using the dowel for the handset cord. I'm heading to town. I already had 409 (with $1 off coupons) and ziplocs (with coupons) on my list. Will try to find the 3/8" wooden dowel. I never have taken off the wired handset cord from the body of the phone only from the handset. It will be my first. Surely a newbie can do it.

Also I didn't know that a Stromberg Carlson cover would fit on a Western Electric wall phone. I have three of the gray colored ones, plus a gray dial plate.

Debbie

[Dan]

If your gray dial plate is dark gray, Dennis would be very interested in it!

[Dewdrop]

The gray dial plate I have matches the gray cover shown in the last picture of this post. That picture shows the gray lighter than it is.

Debbie

[McHeath]

It's a nice look with the gray cover, which looks like it's a Stromberg Carlson by the logo.  I went to an antique store here today and found a 554 for sale, it was very badly discolored white, dated 1979, had tape and stickers all over it, and they wanted, drumroll please, $50 whole American dollars!

[Dewdrop]

The gray cover over the 1962 WE wall phone is a Stromberg Carlson. As I mentioned above I have 3 of those. Also have a 1976 ITT (non modular) wall phone that is off white or beige (inside the cover is white). I paid less than $2. I soaked the cover and handset overnight in Oxyclean. It lightened the handset, but not too much on the cover. The handset cord is white.

Debbie

[Dewdrop]

Dennis,

SUCCESS !!! I got the transmitter cap OFF. Tried the ziploc method with the hair dryer, but it didn't budge. So I really heated up more than my previous tries and it came loose.

BIG Thank You

Now I'll deal with the really STRETCHED out cord.

Debbie

[Dennis Markham]

Debbie, I'm glad you got that cap off.  Those plastic caps can be a bugger on Bakelite.  I have removed them to clean and polish, which includes the threads and had a difficult time putting the clean cap back on.   I have even heated them up in the past to put them back on the handset.  It's only with plastic on Bakelite that it gets difficult, even when cleaned.

[McHeath]

On my phone with the Bakelite handset and plastic caps I smeared some Vasoline on the threads, not much, but just enough to make removal easy. 

[Dewdrop]

The caps are off and handset cord removed. Used 409 on the cord, then rinsed off. It's drying now. There are a few breaks in the cord. Hope to get the cord wrapped on the dowel soon.

Thanks McHeath for the Vaseline on the threads tip.

Debbie

[HobieSport]

I'm late in chiming in here, but I've had some success in removing stuck caps by putting the handset in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. I'm more comfortable with that personally than using heat from a blow dryer. But whatever works without causing damage.

[Dennis Markham]

Hobie, with regard to the freezer, I have heard other collectors say they put stuck caps in the freezer and if it works, it works.  Since I live in a part of the Country that is frozen from December through March, I worry about this method of trying to remove a stuck cap.  When things are frozen they contract and get brittle.  Torquing a stuck cap on a handset that is room temperature presents risks of breakage.  The threads will break, especially on hard plastic and even Bakelite.  To then freeze the part makes it even more brittle and the material contracts, or seems to get tighter.   In my mind, the heat does the opposite.  Heat expands the object being heated.  So perhaps where the threads meet the area is expanded.  They actually get softer (plastic caps on Bakelite) and less chance for breakage.  I think about all the times I have worked on an automobile in the dead of winter.  Things break because they are "tight" and brittle...especially plastic.

I'm not a Physicist but just base this on my experiences.  Just food for thought.  If you get good results with the freezer method then that's great.  I'm afraid to freeze a stuck cap and then torque on it for fear I'll break it.

[Jim Stettler]

I have heard of freezing a handset overnight and then (gently) heating the cap w/ a hair dryer. I was told it worked.

I pass this along as theory only.

I have never tried it. I  have concerns of it cracking due to sudden heat on a frozen cap.



Jim S.