recipe for a two tone green GPO 706, Lazarus phone...

[gpo706]

It starts with a simple purchase of some spare dial surrounds, red/dark green/ light green and blue.

Then sees some bloke selling 27 706 green NOS bodies on the bay.

Tempting, but what to do with it?

I have about 5 706 scrappers in the box so fishes the best chassis out and does a standard rewire, with a decent dial, (imagine the 2nd pics as I have one, but stripped of a dial) - dials out but no ring - in.

Recalled my 710 clone was rewired slightly differently before it worked, so opened up the bonnet on that and looked and compared, one of the wires goes to a different terminal.

Hmmm, so now I have resurrected a hitherto dead 706 from the spares box what to do now?

Get the green body, a dark green handset off the bay, and for a finishing touch, an alphanumeric dialplate and a blanking button.

Now thats what you call a "Frankenphone' and I am Dr. Frankenstein.

[Tribune]

Nice! Or you can randomly pick up a Kiwi-configured two-tone green 706 in your local antique mall. Couldn't believe my luck finding that here in Canada.

[gpo706]

Mark, has the Kiwi phone a reversed dial?

I'd just love a numberplate from one of those to confuse folks!

[LarryInMichigan]

I'd just love a numberplate from one of those to confuse folks!

I do that with my Oslo phones.

Larry

[Tribune]

Yup, reversed dial. Plus an extra DC extension ringer in the back.
See http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4225.0 for pics

[gpo706]

I'm getting good at this, resurrected another 706 chassis last night same wiring as the soon to be green one, these last two came without the large silver cylinder on the boards - is this the ringing capacitor? It reads micro-farads (f sign)?

I'd send a pic but it would be too distressing - its dressed in a sunburnt dirty ivory body with a filthy dial taken from my busted body 706 grey bargain, a brown filthy dial surround and a monstrous handset with a brown (ex-grey) main handle, brown earcap and yellowed mouthpiece cap, and to top it all a grey button blank.

Looks quite a sight, till I can get a decent body and handset for it, topaz yellow would be good.

I'll call it "Bride of Frankenstein" for the moment.

That leaves 4 scrappers in the box, but one is being denuded gradually for bits for the others do will probably never ring in anger again.

[migette]

Hi GPO 706, that large cylinder sure is the ringing cap, how easy is it to pickup 706 in your neck of the wood. I can honestly say that here S London theres always (nearly always) 706 and the later 747 at various flee markets   Boot Sales, always handy for spares, sometimes the transmitters are the electronic type which makes for a good buy, don't pay more then a fiver, enjoyed your find.   Peter

[gpo706]

Hello Peter, I don't do much antique/junk shops as I should, I get all my stuff off ebay.

There is a junk shop nearby which had 2 x 706 Telephone Rentals sets with 420 plugs (before I had a clue what a 420 plug was for), in grey with red handsets, the bloke wanted 30 for the pair, I offered 15 for one, and he refused, so I let it pass, probably still sitting in the back of the shop.

5 quid is cheap for a 700 series, I would expect a busted case or no dial for that, most of mine are hovering around the 10 to 12 quid mark, but thats without postage.

Thanks for the info on the ringing capacitor, I assume these were removed on refurb by GPO/BT rather than the sellers, as the RC is now in the PST socket?

I found it quite daunting that bits had been ripped out but Telephone Lines who sold me the scrappers did send an explanation that they could be made to work without them.

[migette]

Hi, pity you cant get to the junk markets, Wimbledon Boot Sale is on Sat  Sun  and even  Wed held at the dog track it is without doubt the highlight of the week and if its off for bad weather I get withdrawal symptoms!!!!!! Never go for a particular item your after you will find something else that you needed in stead. I have known Malcolm from Telephone Lines for years, he was called Conversation Pieces at one time and you can still find the brass candlestick bearing this name. These were made up of a marriage of old and new. My first US phone came from him a conversion S-C to look like a W/E 500 which I recently found again in the loft. If theres any bits your looking for I can look out for them within reason no real candlesticks there,.   still to be found at Wimbledon hopefully......I can live in hope.   Peter

[gpo706]

I've ran out of dials, and bodies!

Just rewired the 3rd scrapper tonight...

What do you think - light green body, dark green dial surround and blanking button, and alphanumeric backplate?

What about the fingerwheel, I think maybe clear would look nice...

On second thoughts its gonna be light green body/fingerwheel, dark green surround/handset and alphanumeric dial plate.