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My 1959 WE 500 (with rare ringer)

Started by Honda Enoch, April 04, 2011, 04:34:15 PM

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Honda Enoch

So I got this WE 500 at a flea market for $10. The dial was a little sticky (as in it would not rotate back around after a number was dialed), so I removed it and WD-40'd it working it back and forth. Works like new now.

I got the phone (knowing nothing about it, not even the make or model) just becasue I wanted an old rotatory phone.

The ringer won't work and after lots of research online on this forum and a few others I am told it is because the ringer is a "frequency" ringer and will not work with today's phone systems. I am also told this ringer is rare. I plan to replace the ringer with one that will work, but I will keep the frequency ringer since it is so rare.

I have been cleaning on the phone little by little. But I don't want it too new looking. I like the aged look.

I found and printed out the center number card with the Bell logo on it until I can order a proper blank card.

Now for the photos.








rdelius

I believe a 591 set had no ringer when shipped so the proper frequency one could be installed when placed into service.Not a common set in Bell territory.If you want to use the set you will need to replace the ringer.Please keep WD-40 far away from your dial.It is bad stuff.
Robby

Honda Enoch

#2
Why is everyone so against WD-40?  Been using it since I was old enough to pick up tools. great stuff to loosing something up. When I get some 3-in-1 I will lube the gears and all. but WD-40 works wonders.


Also, as I mentioned I plan to replace the ringer. Taking it to a guy I know that collects WE phones. He said he might have a ringer he could give me.


P.S. I did not see the "Flea Market/Yard Sale Finds" forum when I posted this. If the mods feel the need, feel free to move it.

rdelius

WD-40 is a poor lubricant. I would not use 3 in 1 either. It is too thick for dials. Find some clock or watch oil. Dials should be oiled sparingly to keep dust and other stuff from sticking to the mechanism.
Robby

Sargeguy

I would not replace the ringer.  A 59 500 set should be easy enough to find, that is an uncommon model and is more valuable with the original ringer.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Honda Enoch

I will keep the ringer so I can put it back if I need to, but i want the phone to ring.

jsowers

The 591 wasn't used in Bell territory. That's why there is no "Bell System" on the logo on the back of it. Just "Western Electric" and "Made in USA" and that's all. I think the 591 was used by independent telcos and purchased from Western Electric without the ringer. The telco installed the frequency ringer, which was used on a party line.

As far as rare, they aren't as plentiful as the garden variety 500 set, but a frequency ringer is about as useful as a burned out light bulb. Yes, keep it to make the phone historically accurate, and replace it if you want to use the phone. Later on, when you have a bunch of phones you can use, you can put it back. As you have probably read elsewhere in this Forum, phones have a way of multiplying.

I use contact cleaner on dials. Just a small squirt. It has a little silicone lube in it that remains behind and it seems to do the trick for me.
Jonathan

GG



The trouble with WD-40 is it comes in a spray can so it is typically very difficult to control the application to small parts.  If it gets in the dial governor or into the contacts it can cause trouble.   

The way I use WD-40 is to squirt it into the cap or other small container, and then use some other tool like a tiny screwdriver, to dip into that and get a very small drop at a time to place in a critical location, such as in the hole where a gear spindle revolves in the dial chassis, or on the main spring if it's sticking to itself.  The point being to free up stuck parts without damage. 

dsk

The frequency ringers may easily be used on VOIP lines, At least at my adapters, I may just put in the frequency in the parameters, and that's it.

WD40 is "universal" and may be like an adjustable wrench compaired to a fixed wrench.  It solves your problem at the moment, but may cause other problems later.


dsk

Honda Enoch

I just used the WD-40 to loosen it up. I will lube the inside later with something else.

Honda Enoch

IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!!!!

I took my phone with me to my mothers for Easter. her neighbor retired from Bellsouth back in the 80's and has more phone parts then you can shake a stick at, (though I am not sure why you would want to shake a stick at phone parts).

So he gave me and installed the proper ringer for me. Man I love hearing it ring. I call the house from the cell just to hear it. LOL

Bill

The frequency that a frequency ringer responds to is adjustable, I think, by sliding the little weight up and down the tapper shaft. Is it possible to adjust it to match the frequency of normal ringing, which I think is predominantly 20 Hz? The picture shows the weight way down toward the base end of the shaft, which would make it respond to a high frequency. If the weight is moved up against the tapper, it should lower the response frequency, though I don't know the limits.

Bill

Jim Stettler

S
Quote from: Honda Enoch on April 25, 2011, 08:45:23 PM
IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!!!!

I took my phone with me to my mothers for Easter. her neighbor retired from Bellsouth back in the 80's and has more phone parts then you can shake a stick at, (though I am not sure why you would want to shake a stick at phone parts).

So he gave me and installed the proper ringer for me. Man I love hearing it ring. I call the house from the cell just to hear it. LOL

Sounds like you need to hang out with Mom's neighbor. He has cool stuff.
JMO,
Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.