51AL Questions.

[Kenny C]

Well I am getting a 51AL from a member next month for my birthday! And I know the 51 is NOT anti-sidetone. and I have a few questions.

1. I read there is a wire you could swith to cut down on the sidetone. Wich wire is this?

2. I had a good cloth cord from 1956 that had the end broken off where it enters the handset. I took a razor blade and cut the cloth back at 36". I would like to know what gauge of wire is this so i can buy the appropriate Spade tips.

3. Does anyone have a good wiring diagram for the phone?

4. What would the proper subset be for it?

5. What are the going prices for them?

6. Will a F1 reciver cap fit onto its reciver?

7. I read somewhere that someone put (cotton?) into the reciver to stop the tinnier sound that sidetone has. Is it cotton that you put? And how much?

Thanks,
Kenny C.

[Phonesrfun]

Kenny:

You should get to be familiar with the TCI library.  The section that has the WE candlestick diagrams is here:

http://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=337&Itemid=11

Choose the 51AL schematic, and there is also one for cord placement.

For reduced sidetone, switch the connection of the red and yellow wires in the subset

A 334 or 534 subset was probably the two that were most used with this phone, but 334, 534, 584, 634, 684 and even a 295 will work.  Note that the 634 and 684 antisidetone subsets will work with the sidetone deskstand, but there is no antisidetone wire to connect.

The F1 receiver cap will only work on the receiver shells that are made for the HA1 element which came out in the late 30's.  I don't remember that receiver model for sure, but I think it's something like 795.  If your candlestick has the original 144 receiver, then the F1 receiver cap will not fit.  Adele Vaverchuck sells a reproduction 144 receiver cap on e-bay.

I personally have never heard of reducing the tinny sound of the receiver with cotton.  Maybe someone else has.  The problem is that the receiver diaphragm is such that it will be tinny no matter what, so I doubt that all the damping in the world with cotton will give anything but marginal results at best.

The wire in a fabric cord is not measured in wire guage size, since it is a tinsel wire.  You would need the larger size spade tips sold by Old Phone Works, and that would require the crimper they sell or the radio shack crimper to properly crimp.  There have been lengthy discussions in the last couple months on crimpers and spades.

I have no idea what the prices of the 51AL should be, so someone who has some feel for that should answer that one.

Good luck, and congratulations on getting a stick.

[Sargeguy]

I think any of the subsets would be appropriate- 295A, 334, 534, 584.  My choice would be the 334, but the 534 is cheaper.  The 285A is wood and looks really nice.  Maybe get one of each.  The price range is $25-$100 depending on condition, luck, etc.  

706A receivers use an F-1 cap.

Also my birthday is May 1st.  I have a 51AL but the 40AL in Bower-Barff finish I asked Santa for never arrived.

[Kenny C]

Thanks Bill I printed the diagram for the 51AL.
Thanks,
Kenny C.

[Kenny C]

Here is the post where i read about cotton.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=325.0

[Phonesrfun]

Thanks, Kenny, I had not seen that post before, since I joined the forum way after that was posted.  But, as I read it, it looks like Bingster was talking about taking away the hollow sound in the transmitter cup as a result of replacing the old solid back transmitter with a T1.  I would agree that stuffing cotton behind a T1 element that has been used to replace the old solid back transmitter would eliminate the hollow sound.  I don't see that he was talking about the receiver.

The original solid back transmitters and receivers of the time were horrible sounding compared to what we are used to today, because of how they were made, what they were made of, and the technology available at the time.  The sound is part of the experience.

[Kenny C]

woops got confused there for a minute 

[Kenny C]

Is 32" the standard length for a reciver cord?

[Phonesrfun]

Is 32" the standard length for a reciver cord?

To me, 32" sounds pretty long for a candlestick.  Remember, you can't drift very far away from the transmitter and be heard.

[Kenny C]

i just lookied on OPW and theirs is 37" 

BTW It will be here soon

[LarryInMichigan]

The original receiver cords on my candlesticks are about 2' long.

Larry

[Phonesrfun]

Mine too.

[bingster]

Mine's two feet, too.  If I bought the OPW cord, I'd have to seriously think about shortening it.  A yard long receiver cord just seems strange.  But then their coiled cloth cords are way too long, also.

[Kenny C]

is it 2 feet from tip to tip? Or is it just 2 feet of cord showing?

[LarryInMichigan]

The two feet is from tip-to-tip.  The amount of exposed cord is shorter than two feet.  I didn't disassemble my phones, so I cannot say the the tip-to-tip length is exactly two feet.

Larry