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Rusted feet on 500.

Started by Greg G., August 19, 2009, 04:30:06 PM

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Greg G.

My newest addition (1961 WE 500) has rusty feet.  These feet appear to be riveted on, not screwed.  I'm not sure if there's a way to remove and replace them.  For now all I can think of is to treat them with some sort of rust removal, like Rustoleum or something similar.  Anybody got better ideas I'm all ears.

The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

bingster

I've seen a few restored 500s that had this problem corrected on ebay, and the sellers appear to have scraped off the lose rust and painted the rivets with silver paint. 

Incidentally 500 feet are always riveted, unlike 302 feet.
= DARRIN =



Dan/Panther

I use a small Dremel wire brush, and that's pretty much it. On 302's I recover the feet.
D/P

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

Dennis Markham

There is a collector named Dennis Hallworth. (I have posted his name and e-mail address in the past so you can search on his name and it will come up).  Dennis can put new rivets in the footpads.  He does leather recovering as well but in the case of these neoprene footpads I don't know if he has new ones or it is worth it to rivet on the old feet.   So you could drill them out, clean the feet and surrounding area and send the base with the feet to Dennis and he can rivet them back on to the base. 

Perhaps if we ask nicely Jorge can show you some feet he re-installed using a nut and bolt.  It's not original but it can get rid of the rust.

Greg G.

Quote from: Dennis Markham on August 19, 2009, 11:25:22 PM
There is a collector named Dennis Hallworth. (I have posted his name and e-mail address in the past so you can search on his name and it will come up).  Dennis can put new rivets in the footpads.  He does leather recovering as well but in the case of these neoprene footpads I don't know if he has new ones or it is worth it to rivet on the old feet.   So you could drill them out, clean the feet and surrounding area and send the base with the feet to Dennis and he can rivet them back on to the base. 

Perhaps if we ask nicely Jorge can show you some feet he re-installed using a nut and bolt.  It's not original but it can get rid of the rust.

Personally I don't think altering them with the method in the last paragraph would detract that much from it's originality, it's much preferable than corroded feet.  Of course, new foot pads attached with a riveting device would be better, but lacking a rivet gizmo, I'm limited to drilling them out and re-attaching them with nut/bolt.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

benhutcherson

I have a 500 in my collection which started out as a 7/53 model with leather feet, and was refurbished in the '60s with a new network block and rubber feet that were screwed on.



Interestingly enough, every 500 set I've seen and handled with the hard rubber feet has serious rust on the rivets.

foots

Quote from: benhutcherson on August 20, 2009, 02:42:16 AM
Interestingly enough, every 500 set I've seen and handled with the hard rubber feet has serious rust on the rivets.

I need a camera. My mostly 1960 Signal Corps 500's feet and rivets look new. There is no rust, corrosion, cracks, or anything on the base of this phone. I wish I could say the same for both my '59 phones.
I had asked if 302 feet would work on a 500 - does anybody know the answer to this? May not be original but it would sure beat rusty feet.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

Dan/Panther

Foots;
Yes they will fit, and unless you take them apart or turn them over they look original.
D/P

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

bingster

If you take them off either for re-riveting or replacing with 302 feet, be mindful of their positioning.  You'll notice the feet have a rounded side and a pointed side, and they're different from front  to back.  The feet on back point inward, the feet on front point outward.
= DARRIN =



jsowers

I guess I'm the oddball in the group, but rusty feet haven't bothered me in the least. I don't display my phones with the bottom up, so all the feet look fine to me.  :)  Any amount of dampness will make the Neoprene foot area rust. If you replace the feet, you run the risk of destroying the originality of the phone to suit your whims, and it's a lot of trouble. Do it if you like, but if it's a rare phone, I'd think twice. If it's a standard black 500, knock yourself out. Just my .02 worth.
Jonathan

Greg G.

Quote from: foots on August 20, 2009, 03:41:25 AM
Quote from: benhutcherson on August 20, 2009, 02:42:16 AM
Interestingly enough, every 500 set I've seen and handled with the hard rubber feet has serious rust on the rivets.

I need a camera. My mostly 1960 Signal Corps 500's feet and rivets look new. There is no rust, corrosion, cracks, or anything on the base of this phone. I wish I could say the same for both my '59 phones.
I had asked if 302 feet would work on a 500 - does anybody know the answer to this? May not be original but it would sure beat rusty feet.

Like a lot of things, I think it depends on what type of environment and for how long it was kept.  Anything sitting in a damp shed for years is going to deteriorate and get corrosion.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

Quote from: Brinybay on August 20, 2009, 02:04:04 AM
Personally I don't think altering them with the method in the last paragraph would detract that much from it's originality, it's much preferable than corroded feet.  Of course, new foot pads attached with a riveting device would be better, but lacking a rivet gizmo, I'm limited to drilling them out and re-attaching them with nut/bolt.

Forgive me for quoting myself, but it occurred to me that if I can go to the trouble of drilling out the rivets and re-attaching them (or new ones) with nut/bolt, why not try riveting them?  I looked up rivet tools on-line, they're not expensive, $15-$25, and you can get a whole kit for $59, even found some how-to videos, although they are general and not specific to the task we had in mind.  Anybody here do any riveting?
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Dan

Get some brasso and a box of qtips and rub them out. You can also use an SOS pad, but the brasso works best for me.
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

The Operator

I've done riveting and the flat head rivets used by Western Electric on the feet are different than the rivets typically used in home and industry applications. The tool used to install that type of rivet may be different as well. If my micrometer didn't need a battery I'd check sizes and search places like this:

http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet02.htm

Being able to replace the flat head feet rivets, and the round head rivets that hold the sub-assemblies to the base certainly would allow for some serious restoration work.
Ever get the urge to call the number on the dial card and say "Hey, I have your phone."

Greg G.

Quote from: bingster on August 20, 2009, 01:26:27 PM
If you take them off either for re-riveting or replacing with 302 feet, be mindful of their positioning.  You'll notice the feet have a rounded side and a pointed side, and they're different from front  to back.  The feet on back point inward, the feet on front point outward.

I never noticed that until you pointed it out.  But I think I'll go Dan's route and leave them attached and just scrape and wire brush them as best I can.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e