It has always taken me several attempts to line-up and lock the number card support ring on a WECo 500 set. This is a technique I now use. The three prongs around the support ring are equidistance. One of the prongs when the ring is unlocked is between the number 2 and 3 holes. Alternatively, a small marks-a-lot pen tick can be marked to remind where one of the prongs go. I purchased a small magnet for hanging things (available at hardware stores) I got mine from McMaster-Carr because they sold them with extra powerful magnets (35# pull). Hold the support ring with the magnet, line-up the reference prong, and twist counterclockwise to lock. Easy to install. I keep the magnet in a plastic box with my other telephone tools so it is always handy.
Chuck
WOW!
Simple things tend to work best! Never thought about a magnet!
Thanks!
Chuck's got a very magnetic personality.
Please keep that dial removal tool away from my audio tapes. Thank you.
:)
Chuck, the magnet thing is a great idea.
I line one of the retainer ears up with the "0" hole and drop it in. When you turn the fingerwheel so you're looking at the back, the "0" is the hole with blank space to the left, so it's easy to find. Then turn counterclockwise and it's locked in.
It's also good to examine those retainer ears so you know they're not bent. They should be straight up and down, at 90-degree angles, and then the ear part is horizontal. Sometimes they get bent from a novice prying the number card out from the front.
Hmm. My new-to-me 554 (9CA dial) doesn't have that metal support ring. Should it have it?
Cheers!
The three tabbed ring was used with open center finger wheels. Those are not normally found with the #9 series dials, only the earlier phones that had #7 dials.
Ah -- thanks for the info. I'm still just learning the variations. So what's meant by "open center finger wheel"?
Cheers!
The open center wheel was produced from 1953-1964 and only avalible on color sets (black 500P is an exception) In 1965 they switched over to #9 dials and closed center fingerwheels.
Here are a picture of both.
The white is open centered and green has a closed center.
Thanks Kenny, you beat me to the reply. Here are a couple more photos I just took to illustrate the differences. I've heard them called "soft center" or "open center" finger wheels.
Ok -- so the "open center" wheel is a three-piece assembly, whereas the "closed center" wheel is one piece. Got it, thanks!
I can't recall having seen an open center wheel -- I think all the ones we had when I was a kid were closed-centers. Of course I think our phones were black as well.... -)
Cheers!
How do you remove the closed-center fingerwheel? I've got one that is extremely grubby, front and back, and it will be a lot easier to celan if I remove it. While it is off, I would also like to remove (how?) the number ring, for the same reason.
Bill
Bill,
Check out the Bell Memorial Site....
http://tinyurl.com/45qx3z4
Scroll down to the plastic wheel removal.
Thanks, Dennis. I thought I remembered that there was a hole - somewhere - but the thing was so grubby that I couldnt find it! All good now.
Bill
Quote from: cihensley@aol.com on July 01, 2011, 02:27:46 PM
It has always taken me several attempts to line-up and lock the number card support ring on a WECo 500 set. This is a technique I now use. The three prongs around the support ring are equidistance. One of the prongs when the ring is unlocked is between the number 2 and 3 holes. Alternatively, a small marks-a-lot pen tick can be marked to remind where one of the prongs go. I purchased a small magnet for hanging things (available at hardware stores) I got mine from McMaster-Carr because they sold them with extra powerful magnets (35# pull). Hold the support ring with the magnet, line-up the reference prong, and twist counterclockwise to lock. Easy to install. I keep the magnet in a plastic box with my other telephone tools so it is always handy.
Chuck
Thanks Chuck! I've always struggled with those things trying to get them on by guess and by golly. It makes me wonder though, how did the telephone people get them on? Did they use a special tool?
Thanks Chuck! I've always struggled with those things trying to get them on by guess and by golly. It makes me wonder though, how did the telephone people get them on? Did they use a special tool?
[/quote]
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4645.0
Here is a link to another tread on this topic.
I also included a photo of the tool I was assigned and one I often used because it was easier.
Quote from: Brinybay on July 27, 2011, 10:35:46 PMThanks Chuck! I've always struggled with those things trying to get them on by guess and by golly. It makes me wonder though, how did the telephone people get them on? Did they use a special tool?
Quote from: Russ Kirk on July 28, 2011, 05:02:46 PMhttp://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4645.0
Here is a link to another tread on this topic.
I also included a photo of the tool I was assigned and one I often used because it was easier.
I meant the getting the tabbed support doo-dad properly installed on the open-center finger wheels. You use a magnet, what did phone personnel use? As for the finger wheel removal, safety pin works much better than paper clips.
They used the method described by jsowers (above).
Chuck