Why do they put dust shields on the back of dials?

[paul-f]

I may be getting closer to answering this one.   

After photographing a SC 1250 cradle for another topic, I made the mistake of looking inside the phone.  It obviously never got opened and cleaned before going on the display shelf many years ago.  (My basement can't that dusty, can it?)

I wish I'd taken the photo before picking out the large dust balls and gently blowing out the worst of the dust.   

[KeithB]

Wow!  Dust collects in the strangest of places, usually where you'd NEVER expect it.

[HarrySmith]

WOW
How many years was it sitting? That's a lot of dust, you should fire your cleaning crew

[paul-f]

My guess is that shelf went in about 15 years ago.

However, I stand by my statement that the phone couldn't have been cleaned inside before it went on the shelf!

Some of that dust has to have accumulated before my watch!   

[HarrySmith]

Of course

[jsowers]

My guess is that shelf went in about 15 years ago.

However, I stand by my statement that the phone couldn't have been cleaned inside before it went on the shelf!

Some of that dust has to have accumulated before my watch!   

Paul, I think you're correct. All your phones would have that kind of accumulation if it happened to this one. That looks more like the sawmill extension.

Speaking of dials and accumulation, below is a picture of a nice little present I found underneath the fingerwheel of an 11-54 500 set. A hairball. We now pause for everyone to say "Ewwww!"   I assume some lady's hair got caught under the dial many times and it sort of made this perfect ball thing around the spider and under the fingerwheel. I've seen small ones under dials, but never one this large--and all the same color too. It may also have something to do with what I call the "triangular spider" that was used for a short time in the early 50s.

The original number card was on the phone, and a newer one was stuck onto it, so I doubt if the fingerwheel had ever been off since it was originally installed.

And to answer the inevitable question--yes I kept it, in a little ziploc bag inside the phone.

[paul-f]

<snip>
And to answer the inevitable question--yes I kept it, in a little ziploc bag inside the phone.

I believe this is another part where we pause for everyone to say "Ewwww!"   

[bingster]

I need a drink after seeing that.

[deedubya3800]

Yeah, I was equally surprised to find so much dust inside the 5302 I brought home. I could've thought it had been stored with the case open! Yay for dust shields on the backs of dials!

[Dan/Panther]

I've removed several dust balls from the inside of the upper part of dials, never from the inside of a dust cover though.
One dust bunny on the clutch, the phone won't work.
D/P

[McHeath]

Holy Rapunzel Batman!  That hairball is mighty weird.  What strange combination of forces led to the creation of so, uh, well weird an item is the best word I guess.  Seems it was a redhead, at least from the pic you posted.  It would be interesting to uncoil it and get some stats, hair length, run a DNA test, chemical composition, look for food intake markers and genetic origin of the owner.  That combined with the fact that it's a colored phone could tell us a lot about the hair's owner, afterall most phones were black in 1954.  So clearly we have an early color phone adopter, extra money there, someone was into style.  My folks did not even get a phone till 57' and then only because the company forced dad to, and it was a black wall phone. 

[Kenny C]

may have been Lucy was she cheating on the 302? when they left to go to hollywood they had a 302 when they came back poof a 500 was there

[jsowers]

McHeath, let me know if you want it for DNA testing and I'll send it to you. Rapunzel--that was good! And Kenny is right about Lucy's phone changing. I'll have to look up where that ivory phone came from. I don't remember getting one from Hollywood, but it could be.

Below are some more yucky wall phone parts from "before" pictures I've taken over the years. Wall phones often get kitchen duty and the grease and dirt is airborne and lands on the inside bottom of the housing.

The first shot is a blue 554 with a really dirty cord and a moderately dirty housing. It had a really bad chip in the bottom of the housing too.

The next shot is a light gray 554 with some spider webs and dirt.

Next is a composite of several dirty 554s. The top one is about the dirtiest I have ever seen. Just black inside. The white one on the bottom wins the award for the dustiest.

Lastly is one of my favorites. A yellow 554 with a moldy dial face and a Dracula number card. Pretty creepy.

[Dan/Panther]

I just pictured someone with hairy fingers.
D/P

[HarrySmith]

OK, after seeing those 554's I had to pull out the one I rescued from the junk pile at the Shipshewanna show. The only reason I saved it was for the wood backboard it is on and never opened it until now, pretty bad
I don't think the plastic cover helped a lot on this one