Ivory Colored 202 Base Plate Cover

[Lewes2]

Does anyone have a source for having the base plate of a 202 recovered in ivory colored suede.  Looking to make an Imperial.

Already checked with Dennis Hallworth - he does not carry the ivory suede. 

Thanks much.

Chuck

[TelePlay]

Does anyone have a source for having the base plate of a 202 recovered in ivory colored suede.

Isn't an ivory cover really a finished, dyed thin leather or vinyl Naugahyde, not a suede (fuzzy) finish? The one I have was full of dirt and glue but cleaned up nicely using Goo-Gone with a lot of Que-tips.

[poplar1]

I believe the ivory baseplate covers for Imperials are Naugahyde, not leather.

[Doug Rose]

David .... the Naugahs became extinct from the making of these bases of Naugahyde....very sad....   ...Doug

[poplar1]

David .... the Naugahs became extinct from the making of these bases of Naugahyde....very sad....   ...Doug

I believe that's an urban myth. Naugahyde is an artificial leather. The rumor about Naugas was started by the company as a marketing campaign. Naugahyde was developed by the United States Rubber Corp, in Burough of Naugatuck, Connecticut.

A marketing campaign of the 1960s and 1970s asserted humorously that Naugahyde was obtained from the skin of an animal called a "Nauga". The claim became an urban myth.[3] The campaign emphasized that, unlike other animals, which must typically be slaughtered to obtain their hides, Naugas can shed their skin without harm to themselves.[4] The Nauga doll, a squat, horned monster with a wide toothy grin, became popular in the 1960s and is still sold today.[5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naugahyde

[tallguy58]

Ah yes, the Nauga.

It looked like this:

[Doug Rose]

Not a urban myth...Tallguy has the proof......alas poor Nauga...I knew him well. The Bard of Telephone

[TelePlay]

While looking through a very thick file containing records of a deep woods venture in search of Bigfoot, a renowned nature photographer discovered this photo taken of what he thought was Bigfoot in the far distance, but it wasn't until recently, decades later from the initial field work, that he happened, upon review of the old photos before posting them for sale on eBay, to realize he had captured the image of a near chameleon like young Naugah, in the corner of the photo, enjoying the last fleeting moments of the warm fall sunshine before joining his parents and a few of their very close friends for a night of marauding throughout the countryside.

[tallguy58]

Sadly, shortly after that picture was taken, the family was captured and ended up as the front and half of the back seat of a 1978 Dodge Aspen.

[JimH]

Sadly, shortly after that picture was taken, the family was captured and ended up as the front and half of the back seat of a 1978 Dodge Aspen.

OMG, Where is the "like" button on this website? I think I'm on Facebook too much.

[TelePlay]

Wow, that was a hilarious detour enjoyed by many . . .

But, time to get back to the question at hand.

Have you tried to restore (clean) the base plate cover or are you still looking for a replacement cover.

Pictures of what you have would help.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

When I first got my Imperial, I thought the base was originally suede, but was worn smooth. It's really dirty and gooey, I still have to clean it...

That Nauga discussion was hilarious.
The loss was greatest of all in 1955, when the even rarer "Snow Naugas" were sacrificed to make Imperial bases.

[Lewes2]

Well, as it turns out, I purchased an Imperial from, unbeknownst to me at the time, another forum member.  It is in great condition and we could not be more pleased. 

The only real complaint I have is the white suede base has been worn down so far, it looks and feels like Naugahyde.  But I guess we can live with it.

Chuck

[poplar1]

Well, as it turns out, I purchased an Imperial from, unbeknownst to me at the time, another forum member.  It is in great condition and we could not be more pleased. 

The only real complaint I have is the white suede base has been worn down so far, it looks and feels like Naugahyde.  But I guess we can live with it.

Chuck

No animals were harmed in the manufacture of your 1950s Imperial baseplate cover. It is in fact Naugahyde.

Brown bases were wool (early) or "brown leather suede", but all other colors, according to a 1941 BSP, were "felt." However, by the time of this BSP issue, color hand telephone sets were available only on special order. This 1941 table doesn't apply to Continentals, which always had brown bases, or to Imperials, which always had Naugahyde bases. Most Imperials and Continentals were issued in 1955.


                                     TABLE 2
________________________________________ _______________

Hand Set Mounting                                  Base Plate Assembly
________________                                 __________________


Type           Color                                  Piece Part No.          Color

B        All                                                P-290087            **Brown
B        Ivory                                           *P-290088               Ivory
B        Oxidized Silver                             *P-290090               Black

D        Black                                            P-290092            **Brown
D        Ivory                                           P-290350                 Ivory
D        Old Brass                                     P-290092             **Brown
D        Statuary Bronze                            P-290092             **Brown
D       Oxidized Silver                              P-290351                 Black
D       Dark Gold                                     P-290092             **Brown
D       Old Rose                                      P-290352                Old Rose
D       Gray-Green                                   P-290354                Gray Green
D       Pekin Red                                     P-290351                Black

E        All                                              P-290077             **Brown
E        Ivory                                         *P-290078                Ivory
E        Oxidized Silver                            *P-290080               Black
________________________________________ _____________________________

  *Piece parts marked (*) are available on special order.
**Brown bases are covered with brown suede leather; all
    others are covered with felt of color indicated.

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Bell System Practices
Station Installation and Maintenance
Section C30.011: Colored Station Sets
Issue 4, 1-2-41