500 c/d sticky dial return

[oldgold]

Picked up a 1953 black w/e 500. I want to try to refurbish it. Dial returns slowly if a 1, 2 or 3 are dialed. Higher dialed numbers return better(perhaps even correct speed) but dial sounds scratchy during return. This is a 7D-3 dial dated 3-55. Does this dial need lubricating? If so what would I use and where?
Thanks

[Gilas]

Before you lubricate anything try just cleaning it with some electrical contact cleaner. I grabbed mine at Radio Shack after someone here suggested it. Make sure that you get the non lubricated kind.  I have had several dials that I thought were going to need to be disassembled that once sprayed worked great.  If you do need to go further then there are several great threads on here on working on dials.

[oldgold]

Sounds like a good idea.  I'll try the electrical contact cleaner idea, not familiar with it, but there is a radio shack nearby.   No chance I will try to disassemble those small pieces, I'd never get it back together!

thanks for the advice

[twocvbloke]

I would suggest referring to this thread before doing anything:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=285.0

Doing it right the first time round means that you won't have to pull out the dial again later on...

[oldgold]

Wow, what a detailed thread that was. The explaination and pictures were super informative. If I had found it I wouldnt have asked a repetitive question.

The electric contact cleaner seems to have fixed the sticking, there is still just a tiny creak sound, so I think i will try the oil drops since there is a diagram where they go.

There is so much knowledge in here. I will now search for how to remove the metal finger wheel and clean the sticky residue off the dial without removing the numbers and letters in the process.

thanks all, I appreciate it!

[twocvbloke]

Removing the metal fingerwheel is relatively easy, just pull off the dial card holder (on mine, I press the top of the ring down and then pull forward), and behind that there's a nut that you undo, after that it's pretty self-explanatory...

Just try not to go too far and end up releasing the spring, it's a right pain in the bottom to get wound up properly!!!

[oldgold]

I'm glad you told me this and yes, it was pretty easy to do.     I was actually looking to stick a pin near the number 9!  Now I know that is for some plastic finger wheel! lol...embarrassed but wiser now.

thanks

[HowardPgh]

Be careful when you take the metal dial off.  On some dials the thing that holds the spring will come off.  If you are going to further take apart the dial, I would recommend putting the center nut back on to hold the spring in place.
It's no fun trying to figure out how many turns to rewind it!!
Howard