possible damage to coil out of 302 about to be refurbished

[southernphoneman]

I wonder if anyone can tell me if there is any bad damage to this coil. I had to pry up on it when I removed it. the little dent caused is just outside it .I did not penetrate the outer layer. anyones input would be appreciated... thankyou... southernphoneman.  see photo below.

[HarrySmith]

I doubt if it is damaged. I have seen them beat up much worse than that one and they still work fine.

[southernphoneman]

I doubt if it is damaged. I have seen them beat up much worse than that one and they still work fine.

thankyou for your response, I appreciate it

[Doug Rose]

I think the condenser is leaking and could very well have issues.....Doug

[southernphoneman]

I think the condenser is leaking and could very well have issues.....Doug   

when I took this phone apart and when I took this part out I thought it was some kind of glue.the phone since I got it never really had any issues.is it  glue or is it actually something leaking... than you...

[Mr. Bones]

I think the condenser is leaking and could very well have issues.....Doug   

when I took this phone apart and when I took this part out I thought it was some kind of glue.the phone since I got it never really had any issues.is it  glue or is it actually something leaking... than you...

     I can't think of too many instances that glue would have been introduced to the inside of the phone, in all likelihood...at least, not in a 'normal' lifespan.

     It probably works just fine, typical of WE stuff, as is, but I think that Doug is right on the money, re: leakage. While you've got it apart, do yourself, and the 302 a favor, and get a new condenser. Then, it's nothing but Happy Trails!

     Steve Hilsz has plenty of 302 internals, for very reasonable prices.

http://www.navysalvage.com/

Best regards!

[southernphoneman]

I think the condenser is leaking and could very well have issues.....Doug   

when I took this phone apart and when I took this part out I thought it was some kind of glue.the phone since I got it never really had any issues.is it  glue or is it actually something leaking... than you...

     I can't think of too many instances that glue would have been introduced to the inside of the phone, in all likelihood...at least, not in a 'normal' lifespan.

     It probably works just fine, typical of WE stuff, as is, but I think that Doug is right on the money, re: leakage. While you've got it apart, do yourself, and the 302 a favor, and get a new condenser. Then, it's nothing but Happy Trails!

     Steve Hilsz has plenty of 302 internals, for very reasonable prices.

http://www.navysalvage.com/

Best regards!

thank you mr bones

[twocvbloke]

If that gak on the baseplate is capacitor juice, be careful with it as it could possibly be PCB, which is nasty stuff for us humans, or any flesh & blood creature of this planet...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl

It's why a lot of GPO 706s had their large capacitors removed when taken out of service...

Though that said, they are perfectly safe when in situ and not leaking, it's just when they start releasing stuff that they can be an issue...

[southernphoneman]

If that gak on the baseplate is capacitor juice, be careful with it as it could possibly be PCB, which is nasty stuff for us humans, or any flesh & blood creature of this planet...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl

It's why a lot of GPO 706s had their large capacitors removed when taken out of service...

Though that said, they are perfectly safe when in situ and not leaking, it's just when they start releasing stuff that they can be an issue...

I looked at the capacitor again and couldn t find any place where it was leaking out of just the area underneath it?

[southernphoneman]

does anyone think I should just get rid of this phone?

[southernphoneman]

I appreciate all of your imput :)from what I have heard I guess I will be scrapping this phone especially if there is that bad leakage I am reading about. thankyou all;

[twocvbloke]

does anyone think I should just get rid of this phone?

Nah, the PCB thing is just a worst-case scenario, if the gak on the base is rubbery, then it could just be glue that someone applied at somepoint...

If it's waxy, be careful when cleaning it up and quickly dispose of any cleaning materials involved, and possibly use nitrile gloves in the process, just in case...

PCBs are more harmful when in large quantities like in old pole pig transformers or substations and the like, if they go up in smoke, then it's time to run for the hills, cos that stuff is nasty...

[Phonesrfun]

What are you guys talking about?  There is nothing harmful in the capacitor.  The dark dried liquid in the base of the phone to me looks like someone had spilled a coke or some coffee on the phone and it leaked inside and dried.  At any rate, the dielectric material in those capacitors was wax paper, and nothing liquid, and especially not PCB's.

If the phone works, I would not replace the cap.

[unbeldi]

Your residue is most likely not a glue, but indeed leaked filling from the capacitor bundle. There is no reason for a glue under the capacitor can.
Whether this is paraffin wax or a phenol (PCB) would need to be tested. Perhaps, Western Electric specs or BSPs have some information. But I doubt Western Electric used phenols to fill caps.

The typical capacitor of the 30s and 40s was a rolled metal film capacitor with paraffin wax impregnated paper dielectric. Such paraffin paper capacitors were used until the 1940s when metalized paper capacitor were developed in Germany, which resulted in enormous size reduction.

Paraffin is a very long-chained alkane hyrdrocarbon distilled from petroleum and can have various colors depending on purity. Paraffin wax has traditionally been used to package electronic components to provide mechanical stability, because it has a very high electrical resistivity, almost as good as Teflon.
For capacitors, it was used to impregnate paper as the dielectric medium between the plates.
It has a dielectric constant that is over 2 times as high as air, and therefor a capacitor filled with paraffin has higher capacitance, meaning the capacitor can be reduced in size for the same electric properties.
However, its melting point can easily be reached in hot climates, being as low as perhaps 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the specific composition of the wax.

Phenols (PCBs) were indeed used in capacitors too,  starting in the 1930s, and as late as the 1970s for the same purpose, to fill capacitors and transformers, because of the excellent dielectric properties. It was already known in the 1930 that phenols were toxic, so the question is whether Western Electric worried about this.

I had a 302 with a lot of wax leaked, and simply cleaned it up with cotton swaps and acetone. The phone should still function fine, the loss of capacitance might not be a major problem. But this could indicate some internal breakdown after so many years, if air has replaced the wax. However, the mechanical dents could cause harm, paper does break down over time, and shorts could be the result. The capacitor should probably be tested at least for DC resistivity.

[HarrySmith]

WOW! I did not expect all that. Do not get rid of the phone. I would follow the recommendation to simply replace the condensor and continue with your restoration.