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Still Another Candlestick

Started by LarryInMichigan, September 15, 2011, 06:01:10 PM

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GG



The yellowish color of that glue reminds me of the Elmer's glue for wood work. If that's what it is, it's water soluble.  In which case try putting a wet paper towel in contact with some of the visible glue and see if that causes it to soften up a bit overnight. 

If it does, then dunking the entire receiver in lukewarm water could cause the rest of the glue to soften up enough to get the cap off without damaging the receiver.  Plain water won't kill the receiver components, which can just be dried after that. (I would not use that treatment on transmitters, which I think could be damaged by soaking in plain water.)   

Though, there is a risk that there is also breakage to the receiver shell's screw threads, so removing the cap might only end up disclosing more damage.  OTOH, keep the receiver as it is and look for a proper replacement, since parts come up for sale occasionally.

As for the dial, I've never seen a dial blank like that, with the obvious domed shape.  And I've never seen a dial that will match those screw hole positions.  However you could take any reasonably common dial and see about drilling & tapping new holes in it to match the holes in the phone base.  Probably any AE 3" dial will work if you drill & tap new holes in the back. 

wds

It's odd that they wouldn't pre-drill the holes for a dial.  I took a picture of the bottom of my base - at least they pre-drilled the one hole at the bottom (top?).
Dave

LarryInMichigan

Dave,

Thank you for the picture.  Yours has the same holes as mine plus the extra two on the sides.  I would suspect that yours were drilled by someone after the phone was made.  The chipping of the paint around them would be consistent with that theory.  I found dial pictures in the 1923 Kellogg catalog which show holes in the positions that my stick has.  I am quite apprehensive about trying to drill new holes into the steel base.

I did manage to unscrew the receiver cap with a bit of gentle persuasion and without any solvents.  It's an awful shame that the cap is broken because the bakelite is in otherwise excellent condition.  I doubt that this phone saw much if any use.

GG



That's why I was suggesting drilling & tapping holes in an AE dial rather than in the phone base.  AE dials are common enough that modifying one like that wouldn't be a "sin" compared to drilling holes in the phone base. 

By removing the pawl silencer from an AE 51-A dial, you end up with something that sounds like an AE 24 dial, which is a little bit of "cheating" but permissible.  Or look for a Kellogg 15-G dial which is externally identical to an AE 51-A on casual inspection, but has its own slightly odd ratchet mechanism and distinct sound when the dial is wound. 

wds

I think I would hold out for a correct Kellogg Dial.  I went through the catalogs, and it appears they made that dial for almost 10 years.  So where are they hiding?  Since yours doesn't have the extra holes drilled into the base, that makes yours pretty authentic. 
Dave

LarryInMichigan

I am in no hurry to add a dial, and I do not have the tools to drill holes into dials or phones, nor do I have any suitable spare dials at the moment.  One never knows what might appear, so it's possible that a proper Kellogg dial might suddenly appear at a flea market or ebay.

In my ebay feedback for the phone, I mentioned that the packing instructions had not been followed.  The seller emailed me afterward asking why I did that and offered me a refund.  I explained that I had specified that the receiver be wrapped separately and how leaving a receiver or handset on a phone is likely to cause damage, but this time, fortunately nothing happened.  I told him that I was happy with the phone and had started polishing it, and he asked me to send him pictures when I have it restored.

Larry

GG



Oh!, the Ebay shipping issue again.

I wonder about this:

Ebay has forums, right?  Is there a place to post a set of standardized shipping instructions including pictures? 

Then you could send the URL for that, to anyone you buy a phone from: "Please pack and ship per instructions here:  (URL)." 

What I do is always include a note with payment, saying "extra good feedback for good shipping" and then describe how to do it.  This has actually helped in a number of instances.