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WE 211 G1/41A/F1/5H - I think I got a bargain

Started by KeithB, September 21, 2010, 01:43:26 AM

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KeithB

<Link to auction listing>

:o I cannot seriously believe what some people are asking for these compact phones, especially when the one I got from the bay last week sold for only $24 + shipping.  It has the G1 enclosure, a 5H dial, and an F1 handset, but no subset.  The dial was sticking and difficult, but once disassembled it was obvious the fingerwheel was badly warped from years of abuse.  Sandwiched between two scraps of soft 1x4 wood and a few firm whacks of the hammer later, and the fingerwheel was much closer to flat again.  ;D  When I re-installed it, the dial was still dragging a bit, and viewing it from the side revealed the main axle of the dial was also bent a degree or two off vertical.  It only required a few very gentle tugs/presses on the dial center to get it straightened, and now it dials perfectly.  The porcelain was badly worn/faded on several numbers, so it was cleaned and a reproduction decal from Oldphoneworks was placed over it.

The phone had been touched up with extra black paint at some point, and there was some rust on the plate behind the dial.  I lightly sanded the entire case and dial housing and fingerwheel to remove the excess paint and rust, and shot it with primer tonight.  There were a few sags in the original black paint on one side of the G1 case, so those were sanded back to level before priming.  

The F1 handset had clearly seen better days.  The Bakelite caps were both showing many flecks and lots of brown material, and the handset itself was obviously well-used in its long lifetime.  A vintage F1 handset from Steve Hilsz is replacing it.  The handset cord had been terribly strained, pulling apart the wires within the G1 body.  The red wire was completely missing it's spade lug. I un-crimped the strain relief, cut off two inches of the damaged wires, then stripped back the rubber jacket for an extra inch and crimped on new spade lugs.  

This little beauty is made mostly of aluminum, and is a fun quick renewal while I'm still waiting on a vault door for the WE233G payphone...



bingster

I think you definitely got a bargain.  They don't go for huge amounts, but they certainly seem to go higher than $24!  Hanging handsets are great fun to tinker with, and are very useful.
= DARRIN =



KeithB

If I didn't love the cute little bugger so darned much, I'd consider "cleaning it up and putting it back on the bay" as a few here are so fond of saying.  :D

KeithB

So, I was reviewing an older (Feb 2010) thread on the WE211 here, and trying to wire it together tonight.  As I received the phone, there were three fabric-covered wires bundled from the dial to the switch hook connections.  One is solid brown, one is brown with white, and the other is brown with red.  I reviewed the wiring diagram (supplied by Bingster, shown below) which shows these three wires bundled from the dial, and shows two other individual wires connected to Y and W.

My question is, should I just route the White handset wire directly up to the W connection on the 5H dial?  If so, I'll need to strip another inch (or more) of insulation back from the handset cord.


Wallphone

Keith, I just looked at two of mine and on both of them the white wire from the handset goes directly to W on the dial.
Dougpav


KeithB

As I was installing four new brass #8-32 slotted screws into the bottom of the mounting bracket Tuesday evening, I noticed dimpling of the paint in one area on the outside of the switch hook.  Darn it. :(

Greg G.

Quote from: KeithB on September 21, 2010, 01:43:26 AM

 The dial was sticking and difficult, but once disassembled it was obvious the fingerwheel was badly warped from years of abuse.  Sandwiched between two scraps of soft 1x4 wood and a few firm whacks of the hammer later, and the fingerwheel was much closer to flat again.  ;D  When I re-installed it, the dial was still dragging a bit, and viewing it from the side revealed the main axle of the dial was also bent a degree or two off vertical.  It only required a few very gentle tugs/presses on the dial center to get it straightened, and now it dials perfectly.  

You're my kind of guy, Keith.  I love those high-tech solutions, be they whacks with a hammer or gentle tugs or anything in between.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

KeithB

Quote from: Brinybay on October 03, 2010, 05:00:10 PMYou're my kind of guy, Keith.  I love those high-tech solutions, be they whacks with a hammer or gentle tugs or anything in between.
I learned a long time ago, some things can definitely handle this kind of "abuse" . . . uhhh, I mean "technique" when repairing them.  Also, soft wood absorbs enough of the hammer blow to prevent any serious damage, while distributing it evenly enough to straighten things out.  Once or twice from one side, then again from the other.  It was actually disappointing to see that a flattened fingerwheel still didn't turn freely.  That's when I noticed the axle was bent, as well.  Somebody really used the heck outa this old gal, if they caused that much bending/warping.  :D

Kenny C

In memory of
  Marie B.
1926-2010

Dennis Markham

Keith, did you use the side of the hammer when you wacked it?

KeithB

No, actually.  The warping was all on one side of the wheel, and required rather firm encouragement.  Of course I didn't take a full swing at it, either, just two short, firm whacks.  I was working inside the house, atop my large kitchen cutting board.  I figured, what the heck, if the owner could beat it up so badly for so long without breaking it, what was the worst I could do?  If I ruined it, at least I could purchase a decent vintage fingerwheel from Adele or someone else, if necessary.

As for bending the dial shaft back, that was a definite gamble.  I was seriously afraid it would snap and break, so I took it slow and easy.  It took three or four pulls got get it back to straight.