Sorry (23 Posts in One Day)

[Steve]

  Summary - Steve     
Name:    Steve
Posts:    23 (23 per day)

I hope I had something worthwhile to say today. been gabbing away ...

[McHeath]

We're a yakky yak group, don't feel bad.

[Steve]

I don't ever shut up, do I?

feed me a 354 in ivory, and the beast will subside

[HobieSport]

Dan (Dan2?) Why do you want an ivory WE354 in particular?  I saw one on Ebay last month but it had a big honking crack.  Yet it sold pretty cheap.  Shiny black is a really a nice color.  I'm wondering if the white plastic wasn't as durable.

[bingster]

The colored thermoplastic isn't as stable as the black.  It tends to shrink much more, and since there's a metal plate sitting inside the bottom edge of the case, the plastic is prevented from shrinking and can cause the case to crack.  The black does this, too, but it's far more common with the colors.  The 354 specifically has another problem, and that is the case shrinking lengthwise, clamping the dial in place.  You'll often see stress cracks at the top and bottom of the dial on those.

BUT...  the ivory (and other colors) are really beautiful in person. They have an ever so slight translucent quality, giving a great depth to the finish.  Plus, people just like them because they've always been rather uncommon.

[HobieSport]

Come to think of it there were a couple of cracked ivory 302's recently on Ebay also.

Steve; would you be willing to have a cracked ivory 354?  They might sell for much less, because the collectors avoid them, but the crack could be explained as part of the history of colored plastics.  You could still polish up the ivory plastic and get that nice ivory translucent color. There is never any shame in a cracked and/or chipped telephone.  Think opportunity.

[Mark Stevens]

Come to think of it there were a couple of cracked ivory 302's recently on Ebay also.

Steve; would you be willing to have a cracked ivory 354?  They might sell for much less, because the collectors avoid them, but the crack could be explained as part of the history of colored plastics.  You could still polish up the ivory plastic and get that nice ivory translucent color. There is never any shame in a cracked and/or chipped telephone.  Think opportunity.

Hobie's right, and don't forget that our own Dennis Markham is a pioneer in the art of plastic repair! 

[Dennis Markham]

I wouldn't go that far Mark.... I know someone that knows how to fix cracks and breaks.  But for me Super Glue and sandpaper often does the trick! 

[Bill Cahill]

Send me all your cracked  colored 302's. I'll send you a nice, shiny modular phone.... 
Wish I could get a 302 I can afford. Too expensive on epay.
Bill Cahill

[HobieSport]

Dennis Markham is way too modest.  I don't know if it's part of his religion, but in all due respect he has a lot more experience than he lets on.

At the risk of sounding obnoxious try super glue.

[Dennis Markham]

I may have been accused of being modest once or twice in my lifetime.  I do have some experience with repairing a minor crack.  I have never done any gap filling or the like as my friend Mark Scola has done.  However I hope to begin the learning process soon as he has indicated he has accumulated a few projects and would like me to be his protege.

I have had relatively good success with Super Glue.  Just make sure the inside of the crack is clean.  Flood the crack inside and out and make sure pressure is applied to hold the crack together until it is good and dried.  I have used a strong rubber band, doubled over on a 302 to hold pressure on the joint.  I like to wait at least 24 hours and then chip away the remaining glue from the outside with my finger nail.  Then sanding and polishing works.  The crack doesn't always disappear, but I actually have had them fade away pretty well. 

I was also given a tip once on a small ding that was too deep to sand away.  A drop of Super Glue, or enough to fill the hole (I'm talking about maybe a pencil point hole) and then let it dry.  Then the surface can be sanded to have the Super Glue repair flush with the surrounding plastic.  The glue actually reflects the surrounding light and give the appearance that the hole is gone.  It's still there but filled in with the clear filler (glue) that reflects the color of the repair.  Obviously this works best with dark plastic, like black.  I did it once on the top of a 500, between the cradle ears.  It looked like someone had dropped something sharp and it made a little hole but too deep to sand.  It worked great, especially since most of the time the handset is in place and hides or shadows the spot anyway.

[Dan/Panther]

Dennis;
I've used that same method on cracks in Bakelite. It actually seems that the super glue is harder than the area around it. You are right the cracks seem to disappear. You need to clean the crack very well.
D/P