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[Mr. Bones]

the fingerwheel reallly puzzles me.

maybe the stick was hit by electricity and blew a piece of the fingerwheel off?

It's a candlestick phone, after all.  Maybe it was caught in the cross-fire of a Chicago mob hit...

     I was thinking maybe Robert Stack eventually burnt through the fingerwheel with his cigs?

[Mr. Bones]

Well, after being left for dead for 50 years, and being kicked around by two ebay buyers who decided they didn't want the phone, it now has a new home.

    Well, a well-used home, at least! Ain't been nothin' new here in quite some time. The old stuff is just better!

Hopefully the poor old phone has found a good home, and will be treated with the respect it deserves.

It has, and it most certainly will!

 I'll let the buyer step forward and identify himself - I won't post his name just in case he doesn't want his wife to find out.......

    My wife already knows my name! Just kidding; I've been happily divorced since 1985, so no worries there!

    I do, however, appreciate the discretion you used. Could come in handy, in the future!

.......if anyone has a fingerwheel to help him with his new project, I'm sure he would appreciate it.

He ain't lyin'; I certainly would appreciate it! Let me know what you've got, please...

</beg> </plead>

Best regards to all!

[Mr. Bones]

Hello, all!

     Sorry for yet, another, newbie question, but here it is, nonetheless.

     What dial am I looking for, to fit a #2, converted to a #4? I understand that there are brass, steel, and aluminium varieties, from the above posts, but what years / models will interchange? Pre 6A? Any old 500 steel dial? Please, give me a place to start, so I can go a-searchin' for one. Thanks, in advance!

Best regards!

[poplar1]

The same fingerwheel will fit a 2, 4 or 5. The hole is vertical. Some are brass (older), some are steel and some are aluminum, but they are interchangeable. You sometimes find brass ones on refurbished 302s.

The fingerwheel with a horizontal, larger hole fits the 6A and 7D. These are always aluminum/aluminium.

[LarryInMichigan]

If you want to try to make the dial look more authentic, you might check oldphoneworks.com to see if they still have #2 dial finger stops.

Larry

[Mr. Bones]

The same fingerwheel will fit a 2, 4 or 5. The hole is vertical. Some are brass (older), some are steel and some are aluminum, but they are interchangeable. You sometimes find brass ones on refurbished 302s.

The fingerwheel with a horizontal, larger hole fits the 6A and 7D. These are always aluminum/aluminium.

David, thanks for the help! It tells me exactly where the cutoff is, and what I should be looking for. Very much appreciated!

Best regards!

Terrence

[Mr. Bones]

If you want to try to make the dial look more authentic, you might check oldphoneworks.com to see if they still have #2 dial finger stops.

Larry

Larry,

     After much poking around their site, It appears that they still offer the following:

Original 2AA for $74.95
Original #2 (mostly 2ABs, email to check other stock...)$54.95
Repro 2HB for $24.95
Repro 2AB for $24.95


     On the bright side of things, they have 'beautifully refinished' #5 fingerwheels, with dial card kit, for $15.00. It's a start, though, most likely, aluminium. Makes for a functional desk set, with time to bide to find a brass wheel.

     The dial likely needs a trip to Arizona; perhaps Steve Hilsz can advise/assist with a #2 fingerstop.

     I remember reading here that the 2's converted to 4's had the fingerstop holes plugged... how did they do this? What is entailed to remove the plugs, in order to mount a #2xx fingerstop again?

     As always, thanks to all of you for your assistance, and advice. It is always greatly appreciated!

Best regards!

Terrence

[poplar1]

Although original finger stops are hard to find, $75 seems a bit steep. Here's a sleeper that no one bid on at $90 for the entire dial; just the unnotched number plate sometimes sells for $100 or more:

[Sargeguy]

If you want to try to make the dial look more authentic, you might check oldphoneworks.com to see if they still have #2 dial finger stops.

Larry

If you convert the dial to a #2, you should get a 323 or 337 mouthpiece to match.  Is the perch a 50AL or has it been re-stamped?   

[wds]

It's a 50 al restamped to a 151al.

[Mr. Bones]

It's a 50 al restamped to a 151al.

Whew! Glad you jumped in with that!

    I got the phone in today's mail, and was trying to read the perch. I'm glad your eyes, or cheaters, are better than mine, Dave! Best I could come up with was 150AL, but 3rd character not clear enough to say, definitively. Thanks for the great phone, and lending your eyes, as well!

    Since you had it previously, and gave it a good looking over, what model receiver, and receiver element would be appropriate to the phone, either as a 50 al, or later a 151 al? It needs both.

     Looking through the archives, I'm guessing that what I have is a 143 or 144? It doesn't look like the 706's.

    Thanks again!

Terrence

[Sargeguy]

Any receiver or transmitter that would be found on a 50-AL is fair game.  You may want to upgrade to a 706A receiver, which were made for 151-ALs, the phone would then have the same sound quality as your average 302. I would keep the dial as is, since 151-ALs used 4-H dials.  I would use a steel fingerwheel, brass are too pricey and you're going to paint it anyway.

[Mr. Bones]

Any receiver or transmitter that would be found on a 50-AL is fair game.  You may want to upgrade to a 706A receiver, which were made for 151-ALs, the phone would then have the same sound quality as your average 302.

Thanks, Sargeguy!

     I truly appreciate your proliferate, informative tutorial posts on the desk sets, and your acquired knowledge-base, in this previously to me, unexplored minefield. (Fellow E-5 lol!)

     It looks to me, as if my hollow, much-broken, hot-glue repaired receiver housing is likely a 144, from what I have been able to ascertain on the forum, and the web. I like the looks of it, though it needs replaced. I guess there is no good way to put the rx capsule from the F1 in there, or WE wouldn't have changed to the 706x.

     The "Bulldog" is not exactly my favourite, vs. the older, more 'funnel' shaped tx mouthpieces. To me, the older ones look more like a 'proper' C/S, but would not be authentic to my 151AL.

     Many thanks for your contributions to this section of the forum, as well as to many of my posts!

I would keep the dial as is, since 151-ALs used 4-H dials.  I would use a steel fingerwheel, brass are too pricey and you're going to paint it anyway.

     If I can find a nice steel fingerwheel, here on the forum, then I will proceed accordingly. I have to settle for an aluminium one, during the interim. Then upgrade to steel, mayhaps, later, to arrive, finally at brass!

     I think my best bet is to restore this phone to 151AL condition, and try, through various means, to buy / build an older one, with the aforementioned features... I have a plan for that contingency, developed before I happened upon this nice 151AL.

     I had a plan for building one, a piece at a time, then saw your same post from a few years ago, so I know it can be done!

Best regards!

Terrence

[poplar1]

The broken receiver shell may be a Leich---it is definitely not WE. The cap may not even go with that receiver.

[Mr. Bones]

The broken receiver shell may be a Leich---it is definitely not WE. The cap may not even go with that receiver.

David,

     Thanks for the info! I greatly appreciate it. I am guessing the best thing I can do with this phone, receiver-wise, is get a 706x, with the rx module that matches the (presumed) tx module found in the tx on the phone. (F1 components)

     For the interim, I loaded the rx with enough pennies to depress the switch hook,  ran the old cloth cord through the appropriate openings, and set it on "display".

     It will take patience, and diligence, along with a fair bit of luck, to get it operational, but it will, indeed, happen...

Best regards!

Terrence