Novelty Franklin Mint Phone

[Spikepaga]

Hello all, I just signed up for this forum because I am having a problem with what I think is a novelty phone. My grandmother recently passed away and I have 3 of her telephones. 2 of them work perfectly fine, but there is one that is labeled "Franklin mint" and it has buttons, I am assuming it's from the 1980's.....It has an awful crackling and static on the line whenever I pick it up. I have replaced cords, plugged in different locations and even in a different home. Same result. It also would not ring for a long time, but suddenly it started ringing.....

Could anybody guide me on how to go about repairing it??

Thanks!!

[HarrySmith]

Hi and welcome to the forum. We will need some pictures to help diagnose your issue. Pictures of the outside. front & back to identify exactly what it is and pictures of the insides showing all wiring connections, back of dial etc. Clear close ups will help. Since you are new you may need help with adding pictures, we have a topic here with all the details:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=84.0

[Spikepaga]

Thanks for your reply. I found the telephone on a stock photo , so I attached those since I am not at home. I have not tried to open it, but I am gathering  I should? The receiver or the phone itself?

Thanks

[HarrySmith]

Probably just open the base and get some pictures of the wiring.

[LarryInMichigan]

A likely culprit is a dirty hook switch, though it could be a bad wire in one of the cords, a bad solder connection on a PC board, or something else.  This is a modern Chinese product, much different than the vintage phones we like to fix here.

[TelePlay]

Does the crackling stop when you set the receiver down on a flat surface?

When the receiver is sitting on a flat surface, does the crackling appear when moving the coiled handset cord?

That's one way
to see if the cord or the handset is the issue.

[Spikepaga]

A likely culprit is a dirty hook switch, though it could be a bad wire in one of the cords, a bad solder connection on a PC board, or something else.  This is a modern Chinese product, much different than the vintage phones we like to fix here.

Thanks for your response! Yes, I do know this is not a substantial phone , but it has sentimental value to me, so I would like to make it work properly, if I can .

I will try cleaning the hook switch and opening up the telephone this weekend. Thank you

[Spikepaga]

Thank you all for your replies. I have been reading several topics that indicate resolutions that involve hitting something, so today I hit the receiver against my chest, and surely, the noise stopped completely.

What does this point to? What should I do to resolve this permanently? Still open the entire thing?

Thanks for all your help

[LarryInMichigan]

Something in the handset is probably not making a proper electrical connection.  I would try to dismantle the handset to see where the problem may be.  I have no idea how the inside of the handset looks.

Larry

[MMikeJBenN27]

And probably modernly chintzy as well.

Mike