Gold Imperial on Ebay Now

[George Knighton]

It seems to be a fairly special piece that you really like, and of which you are proud.  I'm very new to this game, but speaking as an old hand at other kinds of collecting, I'd say that unless it's very bad I would preserve it in its original condition as a way of showing off the character and age of the device.

But...that's just me, and what the hell do I know.

[DavePEI]

It seems to be a fairly special piece that you really like, and of which you are proud.  I'm very new to this game, but speaking as an old hand at other kinds of collecting, I'd say that unless it's very bad I would preserve it in its original condition as a way of showing off the character and age of the device.

But...that's just me, and what the hell do I know.

Well, you are right - as long as I can get the cord to coil properly again, and I can shorten it so the frayed portion will go inside the handset. This is one of the finest cloth cords I have seen on the phone, and the gold portion is in perfect shape - often a problem area on Imperials.

I still haven't decided whether to repaint the handset...

Dave

[LarryInMichigan]

Dave,

I am very glad to hear that the phone arrived safely and that it is in good condition (so I don't have to feel guilty about posting about it).  Finding an Imperial with the gold finish in great shape for an affordable price is not easy.  The best way to recoil the cord would probably be to coil it around a dowel, soak it for a short time in hot water, and then cool it.  I would soak the cord in Woolite or similar and rinse fist to clean it.

I like to leave original paint, but chips bother me more than most people, so I usually try to find matching touch-up paint and touch up the chipped areas so that the phone looks good from a short distance.  I think that this is probably just a symptom of my own personal neurosis .

Larry

[DavePEI]

Hi Folks:

Ok, I have the suede base of the phone cleaned off, cord shortened, wound on a 15 inch round wharf spike, and boiling away in a big pot on the stove. Hopefully after I cool it again, it will have re-gained its original coiling.

No surprises found - the phone is really in exceptional shape, and should look great when I get it on display!

Dave

[LarryInMichigan]

Boiling might be too hot.  We will all have to come out to PEI and see it.

Larry

[LarryInMichigan]

When you cool the cord, don't let it freeze.  I think that freezing the water in the cloth could damage it.

Larry

[DavePEI]

Boiling might be too hot.  We will all have to come out to PEI and see it.

Larry

I don't think the boiling should be too hot, but I do wonder if the process will help with a cloth cord as compared to a vinyl cord.... It is cooling now, and hopefully, it will retain its new shape. If not, I will have to get a new cord for it - it looks terrible as it was - every coil was a different diameter and it coiled in every which direction...

But there is only one way to find out  

[LarryInMichigan]

What is responsible for most of the shape is the rubber insulated wires under the cloth, and those should respond well to the heat treatment.

Larry

[AE_Collector]

Let us know how the coiled handset cord restoration goes Dave. I have a Gold Imperial with the exact same problem!

Terry

[twocvbloke]

But there is only one way to find out  

FIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!

Erm, sorry, seems I've been conditioned by Harry Hill's TV Burp...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6gyUb0E7o

(spot the telephone by the way!!)

[DavePEI]

What is responsible for most of the shape is the rubber insulated wires under the cloth, and those should respond well to the heat treatment.

Larry

Ok, Pholks:

Here is the result. I am very pleased with it, and you will see why if you look at the auction photos at the top of the page....

The process was to wrap it tightly around a 15 inch wharf spike I had here, tie wrapped at each end, then drop it all in a large pot we had here with water boiling on the stove. I left it there for 1/2 hour, then flipped the spike over so the full length got "cooked", then took it out, and put it in the freezer for 1/2 hour until it had mostly cooled, then placed it on a hot air register overnight. Nothing magical about the spike, I just had it here, and it turned out to be just the right length and diameter for the job. The rubber insulation inside the cord is excellent.

This morning, I cut the tie wraps, and took it off the spike, with the results you can see!

I really didn't know what to expect, but it turned out well. How long it will hold its curl, I don't know, but it is nice and tightly curled for now! This was my first time doing this with a cloth cord, and I really didn't know what to expect. Obviously, it worked!

What amazes me about this phone, it the condition of its interior. Just like new!

Dave

[DavePEI]

Just for comparison, a photo of the mangled cords before the work....

Below that, a photo of the phone with repaired cord, only final cleaning and touch-up of handset paint to go.

Dave

[LarryInMichigan]

Dave,

It looks nice.  I should have added that reversing the direction of the coiling will give you a much tighter coil.

Larry

[George Knighton]

Wow.  That turned out very nicely!  Congratulations.

Viewing the exact kind of paint chipping you're talking about, I think you did well to leave it alone.  It's not so bad and just adds to the character.

An active thread about Imperials has got me looking around, but I'd better leave it alone until I'm done with my 302 phase.  :-)

[Dennis Markham]

The cord and phone look good Dave.  A little cleaning and polishing will make it a very nice phone to display.  I've not tried the cloth cord coil tightening.  I have a couple that need some work so I guess it's time to experiment.  You had nice results.