Blue Princess Beach Bath

[Doug Rose]

I had a badly faded Blue Princess that I put in a beach bath. I have always had great luck with Ivory and White. I took awhile, almost a week and looked really nice, handset cord as well.

Today I was moving phones around and found the phone had cracked badly, I mean badly with a piece on the shelf. This was on a bottom shelf, in the back to balance the display.

Nothing could have hit it, it was in back of a Pink 500 that you can barely see in this picture.

Not a bid deal, but the only thing I can attribute it to was a beach bath it got in June.

I can only tell you, I did not put in the collection that way  ...Doug

[Key2871]

Thats a shame. Wonder was the crack preexisting and bleach just made for more damage?
Wonder if anyone had has this happen..

[Doug Rose]

Shell was solid, just really faded as was the handset and cord....Doug

[TelePlay]

That's impact damage downward onto the housing in the area around the red circle.

The long crack (black circle) from the broken off piece toward the plunger shows the flat toward the front of the housing is below the flat toward the back of the housing (blue arrow) indicating the direction the the force impacting the housing that broke off the corner.

The force would have to have been applied to the broken off piece in the area of the red circle. This didn't just happen by itself and beach only affects a very thin layer of the surface during exposure and had nothing to do with this major damage. That corner just didn't fall off by itself.

This magnitude of this damage is well beyond reasonable repair leaving the housing as not much more than junk since any repair, which would be difficult and time consuming, would always be visible to some extent.

[.....]

That's impact damage downward onto the housing in the area around the red circle.

The long crack (black circle) from the broken off piece toward the plunger shows the flat toward the front of the housing is below the flat toward the back of the housing (blue arrow) indicating the direction the the force impacting the housing that broke off the corner.

The force would have to have been applied to the broken off piece in the area of the red circle. This didn't just happen by itself and beach only affects a very thin layer of the surface during exposure and had nothing to do with this major damage. That corner just didn't fall off by itself.

This magnitude of this damage is well beyond reasonable repair leaving the housing as not much more than junk since any repair, which would be difficult and time consuming, would always be visible to some extent.

Good call John, a closer look and I can see exactly what you are talking about.
Still sad to see another one bite the dust.

[Doug Rose]

I agree BUT this would not have been bleached if there was any damage. I am hopeful    I would have noticed damage when wiping it down after the bleach bath and installing the shell on the base

You can see where this was placed, bottom shelf to the far right, nothing could fall on it as is was up to the above shelf, with a phone in front of it that has no damage at all.

Kind of strange!.....Doug

[FABphones]

Is the room kept under lock and key, or open. I'm wondering if you have had any curious visitors in there without you knowing. That sort of break is almost like it has been leant on or handset put down with some pressure - just that bit more than the shell could take. Or maybe someone lost their balance and reached out, catching the phone.

Hope you get to the bottom of it.

[.....]

The only answer has to be "poltergeist" 

[FABphones]

The only answer has to be "poltergeist" 

Ah haa, very good, even got the pink phone which is in front of the Princess too...

...which got me thinking, spot the difference; close up from above photo and another close up of same view from a photo Doug posted a couple of weeks or so ago. Might be the angle, but not sure all those adjacent cords are in exactly the same place, but others are identically positioned. Maybe little visitors sneaked a peek, then, oops. 

Could you add a photo as the phones are now Doug. Photo closeup below.

[Doug Rose]

This pic is from a few months ago. I was removing a 500 and adding another today when I noticed the crack. When I removed the Princess, I really saw the real damage.

The pic is not the best, but there is no crack in the picture. I am the only one who goes in the room. Locked when any of the 7 grandkids are here. #8 is on the way 

Only my eight year old grandson knows what is behind the door. No one else has ever asked.

I am glad if the ghosts were attacking, they choose this phone. I just checked the pink 500 and there is no damage and there is nothing in back of it, except a line cord.

For a huge break like this, there would be force. A lot of force. Hard to get any force in this tight little area...Doug

[princessphone]

Hello Doug. Sorry for your loss. I've a number of princesses and the side ends seem to be their Achilles' heels. These areas often get banged and also the hold down screws are located there and place more stress there. Hard to believe that it broke like that on its own. Maybe a dingo got at it. I'm amazed that the colour restored so well. You did this by letting it soak in household bleach for a week or so? Please let me (us ) know.  John

[tubaman]

Sad loss. Not easy to tell from the photo, but it looks like the Princesses are quite tight against the shelf above. Perhaps low but constant downward pressure has done this?

[Doug Rose]

Sad loss. Not easy to tell from the photo, but it looks like the Princesses are quite tight against the shelf above. Perhaps low but constant downward pressure has done this?

The Princess' look like they are touching the above shelf but there is a space between them, just the angle of the pic. This was just a dummy phone as in the inside has been wet, dial was shot. I was just waiting for a yard sale to find a donor.

Only thing I can think of is I tightened the screw to tight and it eventually snapped.
 
That's life.

Here is a current pic of the same display....Doug

[FABphones]

...Only thing I can think of is I tightened the screw to tight and it eventually snapped...

Guess you could check to confirm, either way, done now.
Another will come along and the spares will come in useful, they always do.

[Key2871]

When I collected princess phones I had to be aware of how tight I tightened the screw, so to avoid cracks or breaks. So that is more plausible than a ghost.