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Look what I bought...

Started by jeremylivin, February 26, 2010, 08:28:57 PM

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Netdewt

#15
Wow, looks nice. I'd take it for that. I've been loitering on eBay starting to check 302 prices. Most of them are more than that!

Dennis Markham

Sounds like a positive buying experience, Jeremy.  Careful, the hook is in your mouth.  One more and it will be set.  You're hooked!  :)

jeremylivin

What kind of handset cord should I buy for this 302?

I just realized that there are multiple options on oldphoneworks.


Also,  looking at it last night, I can't get the base off.  Looks like the plastic is so tight on the metal base that even after I unscrwed it, it wouldn't budge.  Rather than letting me break it I figured one of you might have some helpful hints.   :-\


Thanks!
Jeremy Livingston

Dennis Markham

#18
Jeremy, there was some recent discussions on the phone club list about removing a 302 housing that is on tightly.  There are a couple of schools of thought on this.  The discussion centered around a nearly mint Ivory housing as opposed to the more common black housing.

The plastic housings shrink.  They shrink over the metal base and keep shrinking until finally the corners pop.  That's why we see so many cracked corners.

I have had success removing the housing by carefully lifting the housing where the plastic rests on the foot pad...on the edge.  The postings recently suggested a razor blade or a credit card.  Carefully try and put which ever between the foot pad and the edge of the housing and slowly pry them apart, being careful not to damage the housing.  Do each foot a little at a time until you can finally get it off.  I've never tried a razor blade.  That metal is so thin that if you insert it and try and pry I'm sure it will break.  I have actually set the phone on the edge of my vise (a helper is nice) so that the edge of the housing rests on the flat part of the vise.  Then carefully I use a light hammer and a wide screw driver to tap on the top of the foot pad.  Just enough to loosen things.  The housing is held flat on the edge of the vise.....between the foot pads.  But often once you get clearance, you can use a screw driver to carefully pry them apart.  Just be careful not to gouge the plastic.

I have heard of people spraying WD 40 along the edge of the housing where it meets the metal base too.

The recent discussion suggested grinding the corners of the base so that the housing will fit over the base.  I have used my Dremmel tool (grinder attachment) to grind out the corners of the housing until it fits back over the metal base.  This will avoid cracking in the future.  But with a rare housing like the Ivory it may be better to work on the base (chassis).  Some suggested cutting vertical slits on the corners and either bending them inward or cutting them off.  Someone else suggested the grinder on the corners.

Replacement chassis are more plentiful than a rare colored housing.  But one thing is most certain.  If left long enough the housing will shrink and it will crack.


jeremylivin

Thanks Dennis!   I'll carefully get it off and then be sure to grind down the inside a bit so that it won't crack in the future.


Jeremy Livingston

Doug Rose

I have always been able to remove the black thermoplastic bases from the metal bottom buy inserting a screwdriver in the mousehole where the line cord comes out and gently push the screwdiver up using the rounded shaft of the screwdriver against the top of the mousehole. I have not lost one yet. I have never had to try this with a color 302, but I would if I had no choice and needed to open the phone......Doug
Kidphone

LarryInMichigan

I would expect that the hair dryer method might work here like it does on plastic handset caps.  Try to heat the plastic without heating the metal base.

Larry

Dennis Markham

Both great ideas Doug and Larry.  I guess I never thought of either.  See, there is more than one way to skin a cat!

Netdewt

#23
You guys are way luckier than I am. I just lost my second KILLER DEAL auction this week by $0.50.

302 with no cracks went for $20.51.  >:(

bingster

You shouldn't feel bad about losses like that.  The person who won the auction could have placed his maximum bid fifty dollars higher than yours.  So even though it looks like you were just a tiny bit short, it would mean you really lost out by $50 instead of 50ยข.  It's just one of those things you'll never know, but one thing you do know is that there are tons of 302s on ebay, and you'll snag one of them soon.
= DARRIN =



Netdewt

#25
Good news is I won a nice looking 500 last night, so now I have a matching 554 and 500. Nothing super cool to the die hard collector (5-61):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300402830780

Still got an itch for a 302 though...

jeremylivin

Not a bad looking phone!  I have one just like it.  Also a 61.

I now have the set.  A 302, a 500, and a 554.

8)
Jeremy Livingston

AET

Now you need a 354
Quote from: jeremylivin on March 10, 2010, 10:52:25 AM
Not a bad looking phone!  I have one just like it.  Also a 61.

I now have the set.  A 302, a 500, and a 554.

8)
- Tom

Dan

Quote from: jeremylivin on March 10, 2010, 10:52:25 AM
Not a bad looking phone!  I have one just like it.  Also a 61.

I now have the set.  A 302, a 500, and a 554.

8)
You have the bug sir. Try to get them in all the fabulous fifteen early colors.
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

McHeath

Nice black 500, looks to be pretty clean as well.  I've been trying to load up on color 500s the last year, but it's hard pickings at times as some colors are pretty rare and pricey.