Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Auction Talk => Topic started by: jeremylivin on February 26, 2010, 08:28:57 PM

Title: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on February 26, 2010, 08:28:57 PM

http://tinyurl.com/ycq486k

I don't know why, but here I've gone and bought another phone before I even started on my first one.

I probably paid too much for it, but the auction got me all excited...  and really it's not going to break my budget so I don't care.


What do y'all think of it?  How should I fix it up?    ;D
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on February 26, 2010, 08:43:42 PM
Jeremy, your link was bad.   I fixed it.  It looks like a nice phone and a good buy for $26 and shipping.  You will be able to find the dial card retainer ring and associated parts on eBay.  Looks like a nice, heavy pre-WWII phone.
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on February 26, 2010, 08:54:59 PM
Thanks for fixing the link!


Yep, I look forward to working and learning on it.


Any pointers on which dial card retainer I need?
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on February 26, 2010, 09:08:42 PM
Here's what you need.  This is from Oldphoneworks.

http://www.oldphoneworks.com/western-electric-dial-card-kit.html

You see them on eBay.  There's one there now but the guy wants $12.99 but free shipping.  You might try e-mailing Adele Vaverchak and see if she has one.  She has a bunch of stuff listed but no W.E. rings at the moment. 

Her eBay name is adele0283.

Her e-mail address is:  acurbrider@yahoo.com
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on February 26, 2010, 09:13:50 PM
Thanks, will do!
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on February 26, 2010, 09:18:31 PM
Jeremy, one more thing.  You want one made of metal, not plastic.
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on February 26, 2010, 09:22:40 PM
THe phone you mean, or the card holder?
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Phonesrfun on February 26, 2010, 09:56:33 PM
I am sure he meant the card holder.  Plastic 302's are fine.  The cardholder was only originally made in metal, but now some are making reproductions in plastic and while they look original, they are not and they are not as robust as metal originals or metal repros.

-Bill Geurts
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on February 26, 2010, 10:06:26 PM
Yes, I did mean the dial card retainer ring.  I think they released some of the later phones with the plastic ones.  They discolor and just aren't as nice as the metal ones.  That phone should have a metal one.  Actually I think early ones were brass and painted black.
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Craig T on February 26, 2010, 10:33:07 PM
Nice buy Jeremy, looks to be in great shape too, even the cord. There is a good thread here about printing dial cards if you are not familiar and care to try.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=670.0 (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=670.0)
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: McHeath on February 27, 2010, 01:04:09 PM
Looks like a good buy.  Wait till you pick it up!!  Those metal bodied 302s are heavy beasts. 
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dan/Panther on February 27, 2010, 01:10:31 PM
Jeremy;
The 302 was the first phone I tore apart and cleaned up. That style has turned out to be my favorite.

There are several topics about repairs to the 302 in our forum.. Check them out before you start, get familiar with the set, then jump in.
You said you bought a second phone before you finished the first. It won't be long before the ones waiting for repairs outnumber the one finished by about 10 to 1 or higher.
D/P
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on February 27, 2010, 08:49:43 PM
Haha, yep I'll be reading a lot here before I doing anything!

I'm glad you guys are here to help.
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: LarryInMichigan on February 27, 2010, 09:45:27 PM
Jeremy,

It looks to me like you got a good deal.  It is unusual to find a dial face in such good condition.  Usually, the '1' is worn off.  I paid $25 for my 1948 302, and the handset was in bad shape, so I had to buy a replacement.

With a bit of effort, the phone can be made to shine like new.

Larry
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on March 04, 2010, 08:25:55 AM
Ok so I just got the phone last night.

It looks GREAT!

Dang I swear I could just plug it in and it'd work fine (if I had an adaptor for the phone cord).

The auction looks so bad because it's very dusty, but just hand wiping the dust off it already looks incredible.  There are no cracks or scratches anywhere.  The dial turns nice and smooth.  Even the foot pads seem to be in pretty good shape (no tears or excessive wearing).

This phone must've gotten shoved in a box for the last 30 years or something because it doesn't look like it could be that old.

I also checked the dates.  They all seem to match from 1944.

I'm so happy!   ;D
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Netdewt on March 04, 2010, 08:33:03 AM
Wow, looks nice. I'd take it for that. I've been loitering on eBay starting to check 302 prices. Most of them are more than that!
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on March 04, 2010, 09:10:54 AM
Sounds like a positive buying experience, Jeremy.  Careful, the hook is in your mouth.  One more and it will be set.  You're hooked!  :)
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on March 05, 2010, 10:06:02 AM
What kind of handset cord should I buy for this 302?

I just realized that there are multiple options on oldphoneworks.


Also,  looking at it last night, I can't get the base off.  Looks like the plastic is so tight on the metal base that even after I unscrwed it, it wouldn't budge.  Rather than letting me break it I figured one of you might have some helpful hints.   :-\


Thanks!
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on March 05, 2010, 10:43:52 AM
Jeremy, there was some recent discussions on the phone club list about removing a 302 housing that is on tightly.  There are a couple of schools of thought on this.  The discussion centered around a nearly mint Ivory housing as opposed to the more common black housing.

The plastic housings shrink.  They shrink over the metal base and keep shrinking until finally the corners pop.  That's why we see so many cracked corners.

I have had success removing the housing by carefully lifting the housing where the plastic rests on the foot pad...on the edge.  The postings recently suggested a razor blade or a credit card.  Carefully try and put which ever between the foot pad and the edge of the housing and slowly pry them apart, being careful not to damage the housing.  Do each foot a little at a time until you can finally get it off.  I've never tried a razor blade.  That metal is so thin that if you insert it and try and pry I'm sure it will break.  I have actually set the phone on the edge of my vise (a helper is nice) so that the edge of the housing rests on the flat part of the vise.  Then carefully I use a light hammer and a wide screw driver to tap on the top of the foot pad.  Just enough to loosen things.  The housing is held flat on the edge of the vise.....between the foot pads.  But often once you get clearance, you can use a screw driver to carefully pry them apart.  Just be careful not to gouge the plastic.

I have heard of people spraying WD 40 along the edge of the housing where it meets the metal base too.

The recent discussion suggested grinding the corners of the base so that the housing will fit over the base.  I have used my Dremmel tool (grinder attachment) to grind out the corners of the housing until it fits back over the metal base.  This will avoid cracking in the future.  But with a rare housing like the Ivory it may be better to work on the base (chassis).  Some suggested cutting vertical slits on the corners and either bending them inward or cutting them off.  Someone else suggested the grinder on the corners.

Replacement chassis are more plentiful than a rare colored housing.  But one thing is most certain.  If left long enough the housing will shrink and it will crack.

Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on March 05, 2010, 10:46:32 AM
Thanks Dennis!   I'll carefully get it off and then be sure to grind down the inside a bit so that it won't crack in the future.


Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Doug Rose on March 05, 2010, 10:53:07 AM
I have always been able to remove the black thermoplastic bases from the metal bottom buy inserting a screwdriver in the mousehole where the line cord comes out and gently push the screwdiver up using the rounded shaft of the screwdriver against the top of the mousehole. I have not lost one yet. I have never had to try this with a color 302, but I would if I had no choice and needed to open the phone......Doug
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: LarryInMichigan on March 05, 2010, 11:07:13 AM
I would expect that the hair dryer method might work here like it does on plastic handset caps.  Try to heat the plastic without heating the metal base.

Larry
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dennis Markham on March 05, 2010, 11:11:55 AM
Both great ideas Doug and Larry.  I guess I never thought of either.  See, there is more than one way to skin a cat!
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Netdewt on March 09, 2010, 08:09:44 PM
You guys are way luckier than I am. I just lost my second KILLER DEAL auction this week by $0.50.

302 with no cracks went for $20.51.  >:(
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: bingster on March 10, 2010, 01:17:14 AM
You shouldn't feel bad about losses like that.  The person who won the auction could have placed his maximum bid fifty dollars higher than yours.  So even though it looks like you were just a tiny bit short, it would mean you really lost out by $50 instead of 50ยข.  It's just one of those things you'll never know, but one thing you do know is that there are tons of 302s on ebay, and you'll snag one of them soon.
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Netdewt on March 10, 2010, 09:43:41 AM
Good news is I won a nice looking 500 last night, so now I have a matching 554 and 500. Nothing super cool to the die hard collector (5-61):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300402830780

Still got an itch for a 302 though...
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on March 10, 2010, 10:52:25 AM
Not a bad looking phone!  I have one just like it.  Also a 61.

I now have the set.  A 302, a 500, and a 554.

8)
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: AET on March 10, 2010, 02:22:10 PM
Now you need a 354
Quote from: jeremylivin on March 10, 2010, 10:52:25 AM
Not a bad looking phone!  I have one just like it.  Also a 61.

I now have the set.  A 302, a 500, and a 554.

8)
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: Dan on March 10, 2010, 06:03:39 PM
Quote from: jeremylivin on March 10, 2010, 10:52:25 AM
Not a bad looking phone!  I have one just like it.  Also a 61.

I now have the set.  A 302, a 500, and a 554.

8)
You have the bug sir. Try to get them in all the fabulous fifteen early colors.
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: McHeath on March 10, 2010, 10:01:43 PM
Nice black 500, looks to be pretty clean as well.  I've been trying to load up on color 500s the last year, but it's hard pickings at times as some colors are pretty rare and pricey. 
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: jeremylivin on March 16, 2010, 01:04:55 PM
Quote from: McHeath on March 10, 2010, 10:01:43 PM
Nice black 500, looks to be pretty clean as well.  I've been trying to load up on color 500s the last year, but it's hard pickings at times as some colors are pretty rare and pricey. 


yeah I just found out that my mother-in-law sold a yellow 500 at a garage sale a few years ago for $3.

I almost cried.   :'(
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: JorgeAmely on March 16, 2010, 01:24:19 PM
I feel your pain.

(Regarding the mother-in-law, did you drive her to the edge of town?)  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Look what I bought...
Post by: LarryInMichigan on March 16, 2010, 01:38:05 PM
Jeremy,

Please let me know when your mother in law is planning her next garage sale  ;)

Larry