Kellogg Redbar repair/restoration

[Perry]

I am in the progress of rebuilding a Kellogg Masterphone 1000 ("Redbar") phone. This one was bought as a cheap "parts" phone to help get my other Redbar working properly. (The other phone has two problems: an intractable "tapping" issue and somewhat low volume with the receiver and (I think) transmitter.) Anyway, the first photo is of the phone as I got it. It looks a bit dull and shabby overall, and the cords were frayed and broken, and it obviously doesn't have a dial, but I really just wanted the insides.

[Perry]

Part 2: The phone seemed  much lighter than it should have, though. When I opened it up, I saw why. There was no condenser or ringer. It doesn't look like they were scavenged, though, because the base shows no evidence of them ever having been installed. There was unbroken original paint in the threads where the ringer would mount. I wonder if it was used as an intercom or something? Anyway, it had very limited potential as a parts phone.

[Perry]

After doing nothing with it for a while, I thought I might try to rebuild it as a useful phone. I haven't tried this before, and my other phones were bought after someone else restored them (or having had very little use over time). The first thing I did was to wash and polish the bakelite parts. It doesn't exactly look like new now, but I was pleased with the results after some work with the Novus #2 polish and shining with black shoe polish (a tip I found online).

[Perry]

OK, here is where the problems start, and where I need some help. I had a spare handset cord, but I can't install it yet. There should be 4 screws in the handset: 3 for the terminals, and one for the retainer. Three of these are missing, and nothing else I have fits. I tried the screws from an F1 handset, but they seem slightly too big. Does anyone have any ideas where I can get some appropriate screws?

[mienaichizu]

so even a shoe polish can be used on phones, hehehe

[Perry]

I found the shoe polish hint here:
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/freshwater/bakelit1.htm

[mienaichizu]

interesting article, thanks perry

[Perry]

Reading it again, though, I noticed that it is mentioned that asbestos was sometimes used as a filler, making me wonder if that is why the Redbars' bakelite has that odd surface sheen. Maybe I shouldn't think about that.

[McHeath]

I too have read about asbestos being used as a filler for some bakelite.  It supposedly causes the odd "flaking" of the finish on some bakelite phone parts.  No idea who used it or when exactly that happened, I did some research but came up empty.  Maybe someone here knows.  This is a nice looking phone and you are doing a good job with it. 

[Perry]

I suppose I could buy another phone to use as a parts phone, but I might be tempted to restore that one, too, leading to a sequence of events where I would end up with a dozen Redbar phones. Maybe I can find one with a really bad case and combine it with this one.

[bingster]

It's very important to not use anything harsh for cleaning bakelite.  Only the mildest of soaps should be used.  Any kind of chemical cleaner will damage the surface finish of the bakelite, often leaving this kind of "rippled" finish.  Any kind of polish which works by removing material should be avoided, too, as it causes the same damage. 

Polishing should be reserved for soft and hard plastics found on later phones, because the plastic on the surface is identical to the plastic under the surface--it's composition is the same all the way through.  This is not the case with bakelite, which has an incredibly thin surface "crust" of solid plastic over an interior filled with wood flour.  Anything that damages that outer layer will reveal the dull, open pores of the material that lies just below the surface. 

You might think it would take a lot to get through that outer layer, but washing it with something harsh is often all it takes. 

[Perry]

In this case, that rippled-looking finish was already there (visible in the first photo, I think), so I don't think I made it significantly worse with the polishing. The only parts that I found with the uniform black finish were the inside of the phone and the part of the dial blank that was under the dial card (really that was the only glossy part).

[bingster]

When the finish is already gone, then there's not harm in polishing.  In that sort of case, it could only make it better.

[Dan/Panther]

When the finish is already gone, then there's not harm in polishing.  In that sort of case, it could only make it better.

Bingster is right once that happens, I use Brasso and have had great success bringing back a very acceptable sheen. In addition without adding any polishes or waxes.
D/P