Dial bezel gaskets on 500-type phones.

[Greg G.]

Those round gaskets around the dial bezel that some 500s have, and some don't.  Are the ones that don't have them simply missing the gasket, or did they stop using them at some point in time?  I looked through my pictorial inventory, there doesn't seem to be any pattern.  This is the only picture I have that clearly shows what I'm referring to.  It's from a 12-64 500.

[ESalter]

I've noticed the same thing before.  I've seen several types of gaskets also.  The early ones are usually black and are "stapled" together.  Later ones are either gray or clear and usually have one end shoved inside the other.  I don't know for sure, but I think the ones that don't have the gasket are simply missing them.  I know I've taken the shells off of 500s and 554s and didn't notice right away the gasket ended up on the floor.

---Eric

[HarrySmith]

Good question! I have wondered the same thing myself! I figured they got lost or broken. Usually when I sell a phone I leave it out and put it in the ones I am keeping

[Greg G.]

If they're all supposed to have them, then I'm missing quite a few.  I wonder if these are available in bulk, or if there's a convenient and cheap way to make your own.

I don't have many AEs, but all my AE 80s and 90s are missing them.  Did AE have those gaskets, or no?

[AE_Collector]

No to ae.

Terry

[Dan/Panther]

I purchased some 5/32" plastic tubing, Cut it to the shape below. Put a drop of Superglue on one end, Slid the two ends together.

D/P

[twocvbloke]

Random thought, are these not the causes of cracked tenite housings? My red WE500 hasn't got one, nor my black 500DM, but my ITT-cased NE500 has (well, had, the dial fell apart trough someone damaging it before I got it), and the crack is pushed open when the case is placed over the dial, and presumably in the past my red WE500 had one and resulted in the crack too...

Maybe they're not a great idea, even if they do keep some dust & dirt out of the phone....

[jsowers]

One helpful hint... always be sure you have the dial on a 500 or 554 installed properly. That may be the cause of cracks in the housing more so than the dial gasket. I've been on the receiving end of more than one damaged 554 because the seller put the dial on the phone incorrectly, with the dial raised up a lot higher than normal. Then the housing gets into a bind when they force it closed and it cracks at the weakest spot.

What happens is they put it in the edge of the slot and tighten the screws, rather than all the way down. The two small "dimples" on each side don't seat into their respective holes next to the slot. I've had people who you'd think would know better, longtime phone collectors, do this. Some things are obvious to some people and not to others, I guess.

And yes, a phone that's been stepped on or damaged around the dial could have cracks open up with a little extra push from a dial gasket. If the fit is snug, you can do without the gasket.

I don't recall seeing those gaskets on phones from the late-1960s or 1970s. Evidently the newer dials didn't require them.

[Bill Cahill]

INteresting... I have one 1965 white phone with a grey basket.
The rest of my phones, including my black ones, have no gasket at all.
Should I be replacing the missing ones.??
Next question.. Somebody installed a very heavy hard wired phone cord on my 1957 Black 500. It has now cracked the back of the case by the hole so badly it's ready to fall off. It will be a large chunk. What should I do? Wahat's an easy repair, or, should I just replace.

While we are at it, I have one 500 that did something weird.
The little piece in the dial mechanism that rapidly hits dial switches has come loose on the shaft, so, at best, it dials the wrong numbers. How to fix, or, do I need to replace??
Bill Cahill