1938 Black WE 302

[Doug Rose]

Thanks guys! Larry, this is my 4th 302 now, I had better establish a firm quota while there is still time 

Word Up...I have 35 302s......Doug

[Kenny C]

How many phones do you have doug?

[Craig T]

This is what it turned out like...lots of chips but I wanted to keep the original paint on it.

[bingster]

Looks great, Craig.  I'd have kept the paint on this one, too

[Doug Rose]

How many phones do you have doug?

Kenny....A roomful...Doug

[AE_Collector]

How many phones do you have doug?

Kenny....A roomful...Doug

That was ALL in one room!?

Terry

[baldopeacock]

Looks great, Craig.  I'd have kept the paint on this one, too

Just curious:  with an original paint phone like this, how do some of you feel about carefully touching up scratches and chips, but not doing an overall refinish?

Certainly an argument to be made for "all original", character marks included.   In your opinion, do you hurt the originality by carefully filling the chips/scratches with matching paint?

[Wallphone]

If you know how to touch up a paint job on a phone and have it look nice, then do it. And when you are finished please share your technique with the rest of us. 

[Doug Rose]

How many phones do you have doug?

Kenny....A roomful...Doug

That was ALL in one room!?

Terry

Terry ....that is all my phone room....Doug

[Doug Rose]

If you know how to touch up a paint job on a phone and have it look nice, then do it. And when you are finished please share your technique with the rest of us. 

A touch will always look like a touch up. Even black would be almost impossible to match when the original is over 70 years old. It's your phone and your choice, me; I'd leave it as it is. Just my humble opinion....Doug

[LarryInMichigan]

I vote for a touch-up, except for rare and valuable phones.  Even though the paint will not match perfectly, from a few feet away, a carefully touched up phone looks much better than one with alot of chips.  I have used black automotive touch-up paint in a little tube with the brush attached to the inside of the cap, but it is a bit too thick to apply properly.  If it can be thinned a bit, it would work well.

Larry

[Doug Rose]

If you are leaning towards touch up, try a black sharpie first. It will wipe off with a little wax. Most sharpies are black with a purple hue, but you can find them that look black when dry. They will look really nice from a short distance...Doug

[baldopeacock]

I vote for a touch-up, except for rare and valuable phones.  Even though the paint will not match perfectly, from a few feet away, a carefully touched up phone looks much better than one with alot of chips.  I have used black automotive touch-up paint in a little tube with the brush attached to the inside of the cap, but it is a bit too thick to apply properly.  If it can be thinned a bit, it would work well.

Larry

Automotive touch-up tubes are lacquer, which is easily thinned.  It also dries quickly and could be carefully wet-sanded to blend it. 

Some of the automotive touch-up tubes now have ballpoint-pen type tips at the top of the cap/brush and those tips work really well for small chips on the car.   

Patience and a light touch would be essential, but with some practice I'm thinking most touch-ups could be blended to the point of near invisibility.

[Vern P]

My take on this, as I uderstand it.   About the #5 dial, they were the new dial and were never a #4 refub. as was done in the #2 to #4.

In Larry Wolff's book, it tell the history of the back side of the dial, as to when it was painted, spoted sealed, and so on.  Some time I need to look at this info.  Yes there is also the new dial book out by Stan S. but I don't have this one.

About the base it self, The early one are more flat, as they don't have a bump under the captors, as the later ones do.  Didn't see a bottom photo of the base.

Touch up or not ?  I would not try and use paint.  A few mark add charter to these. If any thing I would use a sharpie, this will cover the marks from a far.

I picked up a early 302,('37 or '38) some time ago. It has a #4, I think the date matched, but not sure.  I will need to get it out and look. I will make a post about it later.

Vern P

PS There is a site, I belive it is Hal B. but not sure, that listed the date by quartes as to when thing were change on the early 302's.  This is info is not from BPS, but from what he as seen over the years working on them.  I have a print out, but I don't remember were the site was. I think this was posted on the ATCA list.

[Wallphone]

Here is the 302 time line chart that Vern mentioned. > http://vintagephone.com/HB302.htm <