Got me a 1950 model 500

[Kenny C]

Where did you manage to find one of those bezels? That's the last thing I need for mine.

[Willytx]

You did a great job of getting so many early parts in such a short time.

Could you post a shot of the dial plate? I have an early one but can't see any clear layer. Probably not early enough.

Keep hunting, you'll get it all.

[rp2813]

I thought the clear overlay was only used on the early bezels that had characters painted on and not injected. 

I have an early injection bezel that does have a finer "print" characters but it has no clear overlay and the "OPERATOR" lettering is still more bold than on my painted 1950 bezel.  Did they combine overlays with injected bezels for a while early on, or is that '51 you got actually painted and not injected?

[McHeath]

Some pics!

The dial bezel after a good cleaning.  Polished with rubbing compound and waxed.  I took it outside so you can see the greenish tint that the clear layer has developed over time.  In one pic you can see my finger through the center flange, which is the clear layer.  The back does not have the white/black plastic layers from the later injected bezels.  I assume that the yellowish color of the lettering is due to sun damage over time, as they are under the clear layer there is no way I know of to remove the yellowing.

The handset shows the nice long straight cord and the characteristic inner prongs behind the transmitter cup that secure the cord. 

I'm thinking that my hookswitch was replaced along with the network in 59'.  In looking at early 500s I see that they have aluminum hookswitch towers with yellow cad coated steel levers and a long black plastic contact cover.  Mine has an all yellow cad steel tower and levers and a short clear plastic switch cover.  I guess that's something else to put on the wish list to replace. 

On a fun note, my 82 year old mom saw the handset and cord and remembered how excited she was when they got their first phone with a curly cord.  As their first phone was in 1955, I'd assume that was some years later, she could not recall the exact date. 

[Willytx]

Thanks for the pictures.Nice that it is an obvious difference, just a quick glance and you know one way or the other.

Without even taking my 1950 phone apart, I can see it isn't that bezel.

Great find!

[McHeath]

More parts have arrived.  A 7A dial from 3-51, totally gummed up and icky.  Cleaned up well.  Also I found that one of my old 500 chassis laying about has a C2A ringer in it from 12/51.  I don't know if it works yet, but it would be closer to original than the C4A that the phone came with.  (Ok, I went and checked, no ring.  I don't know if it's the ringer or the network that is bad, one is supposed to be coming in the mail still)

How do I get kinks and bends out of a straight handset cord?  I've done the oven trick for curly cords with great success, but I'm somewhat at a loss on a straight one as it's so long.  

[LarryInMichigan]

How do I get kinks and bends out of a straight handset cord?  I've done the oven trick for curly cords with great success, but I'm somewhat at a loss on a straight one as it's so long.

You could strap the bent parts tightly to a straight dowel or something, heat it, and then cool it.  If you have alot of patience, you could hold a hair dryer over each bend.

Larry

[rp2813]

Now that I've seen the pictures, that bezel and overlay are indeed correct for the original manufacture date of your phone.  The back side of the bezel on my 10/50 7A dial looks the same.  You have a pre-injection bezel with painted characters.  That's a remarkable find.

Considering how quickly you were able to find old parts, presuming you didn't already have them on hand, I may have to start looking for an early G1 for my phone, as the handset on it currently is an early one, but it was painted somewhere along the line and the paint has begun to wear off.  The phone is currently situated where using a straight handset cord on it wouldn't be a bother, so I may have to get one of those for it too.

It looks like you're well on your way to returning that phone to at least a plausible 1959 status, and should you ever come across a 1950 base with its original network and equalizer, you'll have all the necessary components to assemble a set with nothing newer than 1951 on it.

[McHeath]

A C2A ringer arrived, dated 2/52.  That's newer than I wanted, but at least it's a C2A and is what the phone would have had originally.  Cleaned up well, has the olive drab wrap on the coil, and works good.

[McHeath]

Okay it's "finished".  Or as finished as it can be for the time.

Here is a breakdown of the parts and their dates, both when it arrived and as it sits now.

Base plate, 12/50
Ringer, arrived with a 6/55 now has a 2/52
Dial, arrived with a 6/55 now has a 3/51
Network, 9/59
Handset, arrived with a G3 dated 66' and now has a G1 dated 3/51
Receiver, arrived with a 6/62 and now has a 5-8-51
Transmitter, arrived with a 8/66 and now has a 3/51
Handset cord, arrived with a 69' and now has a II 51
Shell, arrived with a 69 ABS and now has a Tenite 5-6-51
Line cord, arrived with a 1975 and now has a II 51

I also found an early long black plastic hookswitch contact cover to install.  It had a plastic dial card retainer ring on the dial face when it arrived and now has a metal one.

So the only remaining parts that are not as it came from the factory are the 9/59 425B network and the hookswitch tower itself.

I scrounged most of the parts from a broken 500 dated 5/51 that someone had slammed the handset down so hard they bent and destroyed the hookswitch tower and shell.  Others were bought off E-Bay or from private parties.  

I've got way too much money in this phone!  It became a bit of an obsession I think, I've always wanted a very early 500.  

Here are some pics, including the first one of how it looked when it arrived.

[Doug Rose]

Outstanding job....it looks beautiful. I would use the original dial card, but that's me....Great job.....Doug

[McHeath]

Thanks!  I left the dial card underneath the replica for future owners to find and enjoy.  Hopefully this phone will now have a nice long life in it's cleaned up condition.