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Thermoplastic shell removal

Started by Signguy, January 06, 2012, 02:35:01 PM

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Signguy

Looking for advice from the experts...

Is there a safe way to remove the thermoplastic shell, that has shrunk against  the base? The phone is in great condition and I don't want to futz it up by doing something stupid. It is real tight on the base and doesn't budge once the screws are removed. I want to replace the handset cord.

Should I just leave it alone?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers...... Ell

Doug Rose

Ell....I loosen the base screws completely and stick a long flat head screwdriver through the mousehole in the back where the line cord comes out and gently push the screw driver up against the shell until the base pops out of the shell. Haven't broken one yet....Doug
Kidphone

TelePlay

A good question is how does one get it back on when it's really shrunk tight.

Anyway, what I've found to work well is to use a piece of wood about 4 inches long, an inch wide and just a bit smaller in thickness than the mouse hole. I loosen booth screws, hold the back of the shell up using the hand hold, insert the wood into the mouse hole so it is at a 45 degree angle against the base and sticking out and away from the phone. Then, by gently tapping the other end of the wood with a small mallet, I can control a slow removal of the tight shell from the base.

It's a bit of a trick to hold the shell and stick with one hand and hit it with another but it works well and nothing is impacted except the metal base under the mouse hole by the wooden stick. I do let the front two feet rest on the work bench for stability while striking the stick.

Hope that made sense. It works for me.

Signguy

Bingo!...... Thanks Doug. That worked real easy.

It was so tight I was afraid of cracking or chipping the shell.

Cheers...... Ell

Signguy

A good question is how does one get it back on when it's really shrunk tight.


Teleplay...... I had that same thought but gave it a try anyway. Luckely it went right back on.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers....... Ell

TelePlay

Others would probably know better but just guessing, there might be two types of stuck on the base.

Some shells might just be stuck around the edges to the metal from years of not being removed (sort of glued on by age) and the other type would be shrinkage, like colored shells, that is so severe that the corners crack. I've had some tight black shells but same as you, once removed, or broken loose, they went back on and came off again real easy. Just saying . . .

Glad it worked out well for you.

LarryInMichigan

I would not want to put a shrunken shell back onto a base with a tight fit.  I would look to see if there are any spots on the base which stick out too far and could be bent inward a bit and also consider shaving off some plastic from the inner edges of the shell.

Larry

Doug Rose

I know collectors who use a dremmel tool to thin out the themoplastic so it will slide on. I am not that brave....Doug
Kidphone

cihensley@aol.com

If the shell is tight going on, grind or file some metal off of the corners of the base, don't remove plastic from the shell. Removing some plastic weakens the shell in the spot it is most prone to crack - the corners.

Chuck

GG



Alternately, get a phone with an ABS housing of the same color, install the newer ABS housing on the older base, and keep the older (shrunken) housing in a Ziploc bag for historic purposes and to sell with the phone if you ever sell it.

That or someone needs to invent a shrunk plastic expander.

BTW, a similar problem occurs with 1970s-era Japanese touchtone phones: the housings shrink so they will no longer fit properly on the bases.  When I first ran into this I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong, since Japanese tech is usually so impeccable.