That WE302 Ringer Bracket - Restoration Blasphemy

[Lewes2]

OK, I have my WE302 totally stripped down and am in the process of cleaning.  Ringer is out of its bracket and the bracket is out of the phone - And . . . . . there are the three rivets in the base that everyone writes about. 

Picked out the rotted grommets and now see the rivets more clearly.  I now better understand the other postings about the rivets and workarounds.  Rather than slicing a grommet in half or using O-rings, I'm going for another solution.

I plan to drill out the rivets from the bottom (Blasphemy, you scream!), continue drilling hole in bottom of the rivet and then tap the hole for a #4 or #2 screw.  (recommendations welcome).  When I assemble the bracket to the base, I'll insert regular grommets through the bracket and attach the bracket to the base from the bottom with the small screws.

So the phone will no longer be pure but at least the ringer will sound as it was designed (I hope, all other things equal) with the bracket suspended off the base with the correct size grommet.   I do not plan to sell the phone - it will reside in our sitting room, reminding my wife of her childhood.  <g>

Two questions: 
1. With the correct size grommet, should the ringer bracket move or wiggle at all?
2. What size grommet should be used? 

Chuck

[Tim Mc]

Hmmm, that seems like more work than just poking some new grommets over the rivets.  I also had a 302 with rotten ringer bracket grommets and think I used 5/16" ID grommets to replace the old ones, but I can't be certain on the size - sorry, if I remember or find any notes I'll let you know.  After stretching the new grommets over the rivets I used a small screwdriver to seat the groove into the holes in the base.  With the new grommets the bracket was not loose and was not in contact with the base.  I destroyed one or two grommets before finding the right size.  Fortunately there's a farm supply store in my area that has grommets for less than HD or Lowe's.  I've cleaned them out of 1/8" grommets that I slice in half for use with new 302 dial gaskets.    Sears may also have Hillman parts in bulk. 

[Lewes2]

Thanks, Tim.

Maybe I should have a go with trying to stretching the grommets over the rivet head before going with the more, ah . . . labor intensive route.  I'll try 5/16 first - - what thickness, 1/4 or 3/8"? 

Tell us more about using the 1/8" grommets for the dial.  I sent my dial out for service with Steve Hilsz and in the meantime ordered a replacement gasket from OldphoneWorks.  My gasket was completed destroyed.

So, how do you use the 1/8 grommets when mounting the dial and gasket? 

Thanks much!

chuck

[Tim Mc]

I wish I could remember the exact size of those ringer grommets!  I think they were 1/4" thick, and maybe 9/16" OD?   

On 302s where the original dial gasket was hardened or destroyed, I've used a gasket from Richard Rose at http://ericofon.com/catalog/parts/dialgasket.htm , which is the same as OldPhoneWorks gasket #24343.  This is a flat gasket and doesn't have the original molded grommets that go into the three dial mount tabs in the body.  I slice the 1/8" grommets in half and reuse the original brass collars/spacers.  It's a minor detail, but makes it a little closer to the original WE design.

Here's a thread with pics of original dial gaskets with integrated grommets:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11915.0

Here's another post about using the small grommets on the dial:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=3537.msg47084#msg47084

By the way, Steve's an awesome resource.  I just got some more parts from him a few weeks ago.