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Finding "Roses" in this Dark Beige 500!

Started by Jester, August 30, 2009, 12:51:55 AM

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Jester

After nearly two weeks of work, I finally have SOME progress to report regarding the dark beige 500 I mentioned in this thread.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1325.0
There were apparently several who were confused by the color, and I could easily see why after I saw this phone in person.  It seems that years of UV exposure were less than kind to the plastics on this 500, and that rich but subtle dark pink glow was gone--hidden by an ashen hue caused by Sun exposure!  I had hoped to reverse this with the peroxide paste, but one 6 hour treatment yielded no results.  Not wanting to risk further damage, I moved on to Plan B-- Sand, Polish, repeat!  After 10 days of this routine, this is what the handset looks like.  The last two shots show it sitting on the cover for compare/contrast.  As you can see, I have a long way to go on the cover, then the lift cover, then the dial bezel!  Phew!!
Stephen

Greg G.

I had never heard of "dark beige" and wondered if it was really that or some other color.  So I googled it, and you're correct, dark beige:

http://tinyurl.com/nzj735
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

McHeath

A lot of work eh, sanding and polishing.  My aqua 1500 was just so badly damaged that I gave up and bought a new cover and handset, but your dark beige looks like it's coming along well.  This is a really pleasant color, a hint of rose, some brown, very warm.  Should be a phone to be proud of.

Dan/Panther

#3
I commented in another thread that I have several different shades of white, Beige, Tan etc. Now You've added one I don't have. I also commented that when I get a different shade of a particular color, I hate to part with it because it is different, even though marked as the same color.
What would everyone else do, keep one, or keep all shades of the same color designation ? It really looks impressive to have all phones lined up from white through Brown, in order of color variation.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Dennis Markham

I'm sure that there are many variations of color due to different degrees of UV exposure.  Beige is one of those colors that tends to be effected by sunlight more than some others.  I kept searching for a soft plastic Light Beige until I finally found one that is near perfect.  Then my hunt for Light Beige stops.  I have a nice Dark Beige too so unless I run into a good deal on one I won't go for another.  You can tell the Dark Beige sets because the letters/numbers are white where they are black on Light Beige sets.

Dan/Panther

Dennis;
Is this vintage dependent, as far as color designation on the dial ?
Look at the photo and tell me what is what. When it comes to beige, I get very confused. The phone on the left is newer vintage 74, the other is 58, the 58 says 60 on the dial plate, the 74 has no color designation.
To me they are both beige, one light and one dark. The handset on the right has been partially cleaned up, and matches the inside of the cap.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

The Operator

This one's being called "Rose Beige":

http://tinyurl.com/mzu9q2

I agree there's seems to be more variations out there than WE has on it's color list. ~The Operator
Ever get the urge to call the number on the dial card and say "Hey, I have your phone."

jsowers

Quote from: Dan/Panther on August 30, 2009, 02:21:02 PM
Is this vintage dependent, as far as color designation on the dial ?
Look at the photo and tell me what is what. When it comes to beige, I get very confused. The phone on the left is newer vintage 74, the other is 58, the 58 says 60 on the dial plate, the 74 has no color designation.
To me they are both beige, one light and one dark. The handset on the right has been partially cleaned up, and matches the inside of the cap.

D/P, I know you asked Dennis, but to my eyes the left 1974 one is ivory and the right 1958 one is light beige with a faded housing. The dial face is hard plastic since it dates to 1960 and the plastics have different rates of fading. I've seen phones that came out of the factory in 1959 with both kinds of plastic and they just fade differently. Normally the hard plastic fades a little more than the soft, but in your case, the hard plastic dial is exactly the right color.

Dark beige is a rosy color made only from 1953-1957 and it has white numbers on the dial face, as Dennis said. And as you've seen by Jester's pictures, it varies and sometimes turns ashen, which is lighter and more of a dead fleshtone color.

A lot of the variation you see is due to fading and inside the handset is usually the original color. Sometimes it's from cigarette smoke and sometimes from UV and sometimes from the oils in the skin of whoever held the handset. And the degree of exposure determines how dark it gets. Sometimes white can look ivory and in extreme cases, more like butterscotch pudding. Smoke can get in the cap holes and inside the housing, but usually the inside of the handset is protected. That's where I look to find the true color.

Also, I like your logo cards. That's what the phone company put in them oftentimes when they did a phone display, from what I've seen in magazines.
Jonathan

Dennis Markham

Dan, the phone on the right side of your photo you indicate is from 1958 and has a color code (suffix) of -60.  That is the suffix for "Light Beige".  The phone to the left of that with the round feet looks Ivory to me.  I don't know how late they put color suffix codes on the back of the dials.  I believe I've seen them on #9 dials.

With regard to Rose Beige, W.E. shows the following names for the same color:

-55 Beige, Dark Beige, Rose Beige, Rosewood Beige. (MD 1957)  (MD=Model Discontinued).

The Color Chart can be found here for those that haven't seen this link:

http://www.paul-f.com/we500typ.htm#Colors

jsowers

Quote from: Dennis Markham on August 30, 2009, 05:44:28 PM
Dan, the phone on the right side of your photo you indicate is from 1958 and has a color code (suffix) of -60.  That is the suffix for "Light Beige".  The phone to the left of that with the round feet looks Ivory to me.  I don't know how late they put color suffix codes on the back of the dials.  I believe I've seen them on #9 dials.

Ah, yes. Thanks, Dennis. That's the color code and not the year of manufacture. The year would be under it and if 1958, would mean soft and not hard plastic. The dial face just didn't fade. Sometimes I think the dial plastic is a different formulation from the rest of the phone, as evidenced by the ones you see that are full of hairline cracks or mold.

I think the color code on the back of the dial went on into the 1960s, but may have been phased out when the dials changed about 1965. I don't have a lot of phones from that era to prove that, though.
Jonathan

Dennis Markham

Jonathan, I was literally typing that post while you were posting yours.  I went ahead and pushed the Post button even though I had not yet read what you had just posted.  I wasn't correcting you on the date, as I had not read your post yet, even though the software told me someone had made a posting since I started to create mine.  Whew! :)

jsowers

Dennis, some day before we're old and arthritic, we need to have a typing contest. You'd probably whup my butt, as the Southerners say. I can never remember the color code numbers, so thanks for figuring that part out. I guess they never thought we'd be looking under the dial 50 years later, so they never thought to put "color-60" or something that would make more sense than just a number.
Jonathan

Jester

#12
It's been almost another month since I posted any progress on this project, so here are the pictures of my "completed" dark beige 500.  Notice the 283B plug with the dark beige cover installed on the line cord!  I've had this for years & never paid any attention to the color until this phone arrived.  The last picture is an auction photo-- in case anyone forgot how I received it.
Stephen

Jester

Dennis,
Since I know you'll ask, The dial card reads:

Williamsport
2-0798

I couldn't find this exchange on TEN Project's site but, when I looked up the newer area code & prefix(717) 332-xxxx I came up with Airville, PA.
Stephen

McHeath

Wow nice.  A really nice phone, and that color is very subtly elegant.  Funny that you had that plug for years.