I just got my new old phone!

[ntophones]

It's an AE40, and pretty dirty. I lost the thread that told how to clean the base. How do you guys clean the inside of these old phones? (the base plate, etc.) Do you redo all the wires, or just clean them?
I've been cleaning and buffing on a WE 500 for a few days, but the inside was pretty clean and I know the phone works. Thanks.
ntophones

[Phonesrfun]

It actually looks real clean to me on the inside.  I would leave it as-is.  I have found that I am sometimes my own worst enemy when it comes to cleaning.  I have been known to break things and really mess them up, where if I had left it alone, it would be just fine.  Besides, a little dust makes it authentic as an antique.

-Bill

[ntophones]

Wow, is that ever good newsI

[bingster]

I'm in the same camp.  I usually dust the insides with an small paint brush, and leave it at that.  It's the outside of mine that get the cosmetic attention.

That being said, however, Dennis, Jorge and others have made some amazing looking phones by cleaning and polishing the internal components.

[ntophones]

Yeah, I thought everyone did that. I may just dust off, and that's it, after I polish the bells a bit...although, I know the ringer needs attention -- I don't know if it is bad, or what, so, I have to try a little troubleshooting.
I actually cleaned the base plate a bit, and learned I shouldn't have done that, as I wore some of the silver part off. I think I should have tried Simichrome only with cloths first, before trying to clean it too much.
But, luckily, I just ruined it mainly under the condensers.
I've got so much to learn.

[Dennis Markham]

I do go overboard, I'll admit.  But I now know when to stop.  Once you cross a line it's often impossible to return.  So if I start getting in over my head, I stop.  If wires are brittle I leave them alone (especially on the old phones like the AE's, Galions, etc).  As it's probably been said...sometimes the old saying holds true...If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[ntophones]

Sounds good to me. Although I will need to change the ringer and condenser, since I found out they are frequency. But, I do wonder if I should take the finger wheel off and clean the dial. How do you guys polish so close around the fingerwheel, otherwise?

[Phonesrfun]

It's perfectly acceptable to take the finger wheel off to clean.  In fact, they were made to be removed and replaced.

-Bill

[ntophones]

Oh--
I can just unscrew that big screw in the middle, right? It won't mess up the dial, will it?

[mienaichizu]

I'm in the same camp.  I usually dust the insides with an small paint brush, and leave it at that.  It's the outside of mine that get the cosmetic attention.

That being said, however, Dennis, Jorge and others have made some amazing looking phones by cleaning and polishing the internal components.

same as mine but I haven't tried polishing the innards of the phone