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Green 302

Started by LarryInMichigan, August 04, 2020, 11:42:58 AM

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LarryInMichigan

I found this green 302 this week at the local flea market.  The seller wanted $20 for it, so I couldn't resist, even with the crack in the front corner and the peeling paint on the handset.  The handset is black bakelite which has been painted with two different shades of green paint.  The outer coat, which is a better color match to the plastic phone shell, is peeling badly in various places.  Is it possible that either coat was painted by WE or a telco?  There are repro black cloth covered cords on the phone, so I thought that perhaps the handset painting was done by a phone refurbisher.  Does anyone here have a spare green plastic F1 handset?

The crack in the shell looks fairly clean and tight, so I think that I should be able to glue it closed so that it will not be very obvious.

Larry


Doug Rose

Larry....my guess is your 302 is soft plastic as they came with matching painted handsets.....Doug
Kidphone

LarryInMichigan

It does appear (and smell) to be soft plastic.  There is a date inside the shell which I think is "11 23 54".  I removed the shell and an soaking it in oxygen cleaner and water now to try to clean it.

Larry

.....

Awesome find for $20.00!

poplar1

Are the plungers solid?
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

LarryInMichigan

Quote from: poplar1 on August 04, 2020, 02:31:10 PM
Are the plungers solid?

The plungers are solid clear plastic.  The dates on the inside parts are all 1948 and 1949.  The dial is a 5H.  The sides of the dial were painted green over the black paint.

Would this phone have originally come with green cloth cords?


Larry

Jim Stettler

You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

AT2796

For $20??
I'd have grabbed it in a heartbeat!

Nice score!
Andy

MMikeJBenN27

If this was newly manufactured as a green phone, it would have had a green plastic handset.  This is probably a Ma Bell refurb.

poplar1

Quote from: MMikeJBenN27 on August 05, 2020, 11:57:54 PM
If this was newly manufactured as a green phone, it would have had a green plastic handset.  This is probably a Ma Bell refurb.

This appears to be a 302G-51, not a 302G-19, where -51 is the color code for 500-series.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11742.msg125084#msg125084

The housings for these circa 1954 sets were available in the following 500-series colors:
Ivory (-50), Green (-51), Red (-53), and [Dark] Beige (-55). BSPs found mention only black handsets; however, the found sets always have painted handsets.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

LarryInMichigan

I reassembled the phone after some very light sanding and polishing of the shell and stripping the outer peeling layer of paint off the handset.  There are numerous spots where paint is missing, so I would really like to find some matching touch-up paint.  If you know where I can get matching paint, please let me know.  The phone works well.  There are no markings of any kind on the bottom.  I am attaching some pictures of it.  I would like to take some pictures of it next to my older green thermoplastic 302.

Larry

Doug Rose

Looks great Larry....real nice job. The Soft Plastic ones are a tough find. Handset looks great in the cradle....Doug
Kidphone

HarrySmith

#12
I think Richard Rose is doing a paint run on Green right now. I will see if I can find his post on the list and add it here.

Got it. I do not know if "Moss Green" is the correct color. You can contact him at rar9757@gmail.com.
Here is his post:


Richard Rose via groups.io
Wed, Aug 5, 8:59 PM (17 hours ago)
to ATCA, singingwires

Hi Folks,

I have everything back from the painter now. I have a living room and
dining room full of boxes of parts and in laws are arriving to stay with
us. My wife is none too happy about it, but it is what it is. I'll get
these sorted and on the road as soon as I can.
Next will be moss green, then aqua blue.
Any odd color requests out there? I knew there was a demand for gray,
but had no idea there was so much. Funny thing is, none of it is mine.
I'm also thinking of firing up the blasting cabinet and doing black. I
never was fond of the low gloss the other painter did. I'm going to see
if this new guy can get me a look more like the original finish of the 202.
Other colors coming over the horizon: Teal, gloss black, turquoise.
I have "Teal" cords I bought from a defunct phone refurbing company.
They were packaged as "Teal" and they also happen to match the AT&T
"Teal" of the 1980's, therefore I am calling that color just "Teal" from
now on. The color, coincidentally, is a near exact match for the 1950's
Mediterranean Blue (or whatever that color was called).

As always, painting information can be found here:
https://www.ericofon.com/catalog/paint.htm

Thanks,
Richard Rose
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

HowardPgh

I would leave the paint on the handset alone. From the pictures it looks pretty good. It seems that the worst part was the earpiece.
Howard

LarryInMichigan

I am always bothered by missing paint, but I like to keep things as original as reasonably possible, so I sent a message to Richard Rose asking if I could purchase an once or two of green paint from him so that i can touch up the spots whare the paint is missing, especially along the edges where it is most noticeable.  The receiver cap is not visible when the handset is in the cradle, so that bothers me less.

Larry