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WE 354 refurbishing - A few questions

Started by winkydink, July 27, 2011, 11:21:26 AM

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winkydink

Hi all

I am back on the forum after a almost 2.5 year absence.  The project that I was in the middle of at that time was the refurbishing of a WE 354 wall phone.  I took out the box the other day that contained the half completed project and now have several questions for the knowledgeable members of this group.

I have DSL service and I need to filter the phone line for each phone.  Has anyone put the filter on the inside of one of these phones and if so how was it done.  Right now my current wall phone is attached to a flat filter add-on that attached to the plug on the wall so that my current phone sticks out 1/2" from the wall.  I am not sure that I want the restored phone to do that and I am looking for a solution so that the backing plate can sit flush to the wall.

Backing plate.  In Dennis's posting

http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=98

He shows a backing plate.  Where can I purchase a similar plate.

What would the proper cord be for this phone ?  Were they straight brown cloth cords, were they wound (loop) cloth cords and in either case, what length should they be.

Lastly, I may need to repaint the finger wheel on this phone.  I looked around the forum for some procedures but could not find anything.  Can someone give me some specific suggestions, such as paint type/brand and if I need to bake or not.  I don't have any specialized painting equipment but would like to get some decent results.

Looking forward to getting my feet wet again on some phones.

I am planning on fixing up several phones for Christmas gifts and will have some questions regarding those, but will put those in a separate post.

bingster

winkydink!  Holy cow!  Good to see you back again.

Regarding the cords, yes and yes.  Straight cloth AND coiled cloth but also straight rubber AND coiled vinyl.  They came with all those, so you can pretty much take your pick.  I would suggest, however, that cloth cords on any 354 used in a kitchen should at least have rubber/vinyl-covered conductors, rather than cloth-covered conductors, so that they're waterproof/grease proof.

Regarding painting, check here for helpful tips:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.0

I'd use any decent gloss black spraypaint on the fingerwheel, and definitely bake it for durability.  With baking, not only will it make the paint more durable, but it will also address your concern for decent results--the baking smooths and levels the paint, making it look MUCH better than it did before it went in the oven.
= DARRIN =



jsowers

#2
Quote from: winkydink on July 27, 2011, 11:21:26 AM
Backing plate.  In Dennis's posting

http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=98

He shows a backing plate.  Where can I purchase a similar plate.

Below are two pictures of what that backing plate looks like. I don't know where you can purchase one, other than eBay. What Dennis did was put a metal modular backplate from a 554 on the back of the 354 (it fits perfectly) and put the black plastic backplate around the modular wall jack. Those backplates came with the later wall phones (1554s, 2554s and wall Trimlines) to cover the unpainted spot where a 554 sat on the wall. They do a nice job of taking up the space behind a modular phone, but you can get along without them if you eliminate the DSL filter that makes the phone stick out a lot.

To insert a modular DSL filter inside the phone, after you attach one of those modular mounts, you'd have to have a small modular wall jack and connect the red and green wires from the modular backplate to that small jack. Plug the DSL filter into the jack and use a modular-to-spade-lug mounting cord plugged into the DSL filter's jack and connect its red and green wires to L1 and L2. Those modular to spade cords were often used to modularize hard-wired phones. I could probably scare one up if you needed one. Just send me a PM. I usually take them off phones and I will likely be the last person in the state of NC with POTS and dialup internet, so I'll never need it.

I think if you find a small-enough modular jack, it and the DSL filter should fit behind the dial of the 554. Good luck!
Jonathan

Dan

"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

winkydink

Quote from: jsowers on August 09, 2011, 08:01:17 AM
Quote from: winkydink on July 27, 2011, 11:21:26 AM
Backing plate.  In Dennis's posting

http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=98

He shows a backing plate.  Where can I purchase a similar plate.

Below are two pictures of what that backing plate looks like. I don't know where you can purchase one, other than eBay. What Dennis did was put a metal modular backplate from a 554 on the back of the 354 (it fits perfectly) and put the black plastic backplate around the modular wall jack. Those backplates came with the later wall phones (1554s, 2554s and wall Trimlines) to cover the unpainted spot where a 554 sat on the wall. They do a nice job of taking up the space behind a modular phone, but you can get along without them if you eliminate the DSL filter that makes the phone stick out a lot.

To insert a modular DSL filter inside the phone, after you attach one of those modular mounts, you'd have to have a small modular wall jack and connect the red and green wires from the modular backplate to that small jack. Plug the DSL filter into the jack and use a modular-to-spade-lug mounting cord plugged into the DSL filter's jack and connect its red and green wires to L1 and L2. Those modular to spade cords were often used to modularize hard-wired phones. I could probably scare one up if you needed one. Just send me a PM. I usually take them off phones and I will likely be the last person in the state of NC with POTS and dialup internet, so I'll never need it.

I think if you find a small-enough modular jack, it and the DSL filter should fit behind the dial of the 554. Good luck!




I have purchased the silver backing plate from Old Phone Works so that I can have a modular connection on the back of the phone.  Just waiting for it to arrive.

With regard to what I will refer to as the wall plate (colored plastic plate surrounding the phone outlet cover) does anyone know where I might be able to find one in black ??

The dsl filter.  I think I have enough room inside the "electrical box" (phone outlet box) in the wall to fit an inline connector in there. 


wires
Inside --->Modular ---> DSL    --> Wire -->Wall  ----> Phone
Wall       Connector    Filter                        Modular
                                                                  Connector
                                                       


I have to work out the details but I think it would look something like the above,.  If anyone has a better suggestion let me know.


If I put the filter in the box in the wall then I don''t have to monkey around with trying to fit it in the phone.


winkydink

Bingster,

Do you have a picture of the type of handset cord that you are talking about.  I am not exactly sure what you mean.  Thanks.

-Jim


Quote from: bingster on August 09, 2011, 02:15:09 AM
winkydink!  Holy cow!  Good to see you back again.

Regarding the cords, yes and yes.  Straight cloth AND coiled cloth but also straight rubber AND coiled vinyl.  They came with all those, so you can pretty much take your pick.  I would suggest, however, that cloth cords on any 354 used in a kitchen should at least have rubber/vinyl-covered conductors, rather than cloth-covered conductors, so that they're waterproof/grease proof.

Regarding painting, check here for helpful tips:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.0

I'd use any decent gloss black spraypaint on the fingerwheel, and definitely bake it for durability.  With baking, not only will it make the paint more durable, but it will also address your concern for decent results--the baking smooths and levels the paint, making it look MUCH better than it did before it went in the oven.

bingster

Quote from: winkydink on August 15, 2011, 08:53:57 AM
Bingster,

Do you have a picture of the type of handset cord that you are talking about.  I am not exactly sure what you mean.  Thanks.
They looks just like any brown cloth cord from the outside.  OPW sells them with your choice of either cloth-covered internal conductors or vinyl-covered internal conductors.  The outer casing of each is the same brown cloth braid. 

They get a little pricey, but I find a 9-foot handset cord invaluable in the kitchen.
= DARRIN =



winkydink

Quote from: bingster on August 16, 2011, 04:12:07 PM
They get a little pricey, but I find a 9-foot handset cord invaluable in the kitchen.



Darren,

Are you using a straight line cord or a coiled cord.  I just slapped in a cloth straight line from a standard 302 phone (53") but that is way too short.  Old Phone Works also sells a 106" straight line cord, and they have a 5 ft (stretched lenght) cloth covered loop cord.  I haven't seen a longer cloth loop cord.

I like the look of cloth for these type of phones but I am concerned that 8 feet of cord (4 going down and 4 going up) might look funny hanging from the wall.  Any suggestions by collective group.

Thanks.

bingster

The phone originally had a standard-length straight rubber handset cord on it, which I replaced with an ebay-bought NOS nine foot straight rubber cord. I dislike extra long coiled cords on wall phones because the weight of the cord tends to stretch out the upper parts of the cord that are attached to the handset and phone.  The 9 foot straight cord on mine does look a bit strange, I'll admit.  But the convenience of it more than outweighs the odd look.  Plus, it causes the handset to feel lighter, since there's no constant tug like you get with a coiled cord.  

One thing you might take into consideration, though, is pets or small children.  I'd imagine you'd have to loop a straight cord up over the top of the phone to keep it out of harm's way (and to prevent strangling), so a coiled cord would be best in such circumstances.

Darrin
= DARRIN =



GG



Bingster's not the only one.

Years ago, in a different house, I had a GPO 741 on the kitchen wall.  I used a long line cord as a handset cord for the same reasons.  Worked well.  No small kids or other critters around to yank on it, so no worries about that.