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pre-1895 Blue Bell Long Distance flanged sign

Started by Sargeguy, April 10, 2014, 08:01:03 PM

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Sargeguy

Not much left in the phone budget with all these sign purchases.  The latest is pre-1895 Bell flanged sign.  This is an early sign from before they added "LOCAL" to the logo in 1895.  A no-brainer at $150 BIN on eBay.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

#1
The more I look at it the more I think the paint touch-up included painting over "LOCAL".    Maybe this was a "no-brains-er"  :o
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Mr. Bones

It is a very interesting, and historical telephony sign, not to mention mondo-cool! Hope you came out good on this, Greg!

Thanks for sharing, and Best Regards!
Sláinte!
   Mr. Bones
      Rubricollis Ferus

Sargeguy

#3
Here is a comparison with an 1888 Bell from the Sign of the Times feature in the ATCA newsletter a few years back.  At the bottom is a 1908 bell.  Accounting for the distortion created by the angle in the first photo, the logos are a good match:

Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

PROS:
The pattern is a perfect match for the 1888 Bell.  Most signs have some variation, from each other in the size of the clapper, the detail in the bands and the thickness of the letters.  So they were either made using the same stencil, of if it is fake an authentic sign was used by the forger.

The proportions of the sign and detail such as where the holes are drilled on the flange are correct.  The rust and patina patterns look convincing, not faked.

CONS:
The shade of blue appears to be wrong, and does not match the shade used in the border.  Could be the result of a repaint.

There is no manufacturers name on the bottom edge, may have worn off.

It is a one-sided flange.  Most flanges are two-sided.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

I was looking more closely at the back of the sign and noticed a "EP" in the blue mark.  Using Photoshop I superimposed the image from the front, and it lines up exactly.  This is a two-sided flange that was repainted.  If I am lucky the back has been white-washed but it looks like it has degraded.  The big question is what is under the blue paint?
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

#6
I received the sign today and it looks pretty much like the auction pictures.  It would have looked a lot better if they had used the right color paint, as the person who repainted it had a very steady hand.  Unfortunately they used a metallic sapphire model paint like the type you would paint a model muscle car with.  Citristrip worked like magic (sort of) and wiped away the offending coloring revealing what was beneath.  It appears that the white enamel is pretty much intact and it is only the blue parts that are damaged, so at least I have a good outline of a 1889 bell logo.  Unfortunately the sign is also covered in lots of house paint, which the restorer painted over.  You can see where the roller was rested on the sign in a diagonal.  This does not come off as easily
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

#7
An interesting feature of this sign is that the outline of the logo is stamped into the sign. Later signs were made by a silk screen process in which the blue bell was placed over a white background and white letters placed on top of the blue (hence the raised lettering).  This was made more like an enameled box or pin, with lines to guide placement of the glass sand. This can be seen clearly on the back of the sign:
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

#8
NOTE to homeowners:  Do not use your 1889 pattern Bell Telephone sign to mix window glazing on.  Thanks

Citristrip
Aircraft Remover
Sprayable Stripper
Heating
Picking at it with sharp putty knife
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

#9
24 Hours of paper towels drenched in CLR resulted in...blue stains that had to be scrubbed off with more CLR!!!  Do not use those blue "shop" paper towels from Home Depot for this type of work!  The CLR removed a lot of the surface rust stains and some of the crud.  This thing is a mess:  there are areas where white enamel is showing through where the blue has fallen off, and then areas where some blue remains but is covered in putty.  Anyway here is a before and after of how the sign looks after the CLR:
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Nick in Manitou

Your sign and your dedication are admired.

(...and the information I am gaining from this thread is appreciated.)

Nick

Sargeguy

Thanks.  I knew it was going to be an interesting project when I bought it.  These signs are rare enough that I was not inclined to pass on it and wait for the next one to come along.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409