Are Contempra and BT 8746 'Yeoman' the same shade of brown?

[andy1702]

The question is in the title... Are dark brown Contempras the same shade of brown as the GPO 8746 released in the 1980's as the Yeoman?

I'm asking because I have a contempra on the way with a hole smashed in the handset and (assuming the casing is ABS) I'm planning to make up some ABS putty using acetone to repair the hole. The problem is I don;t have any broken contempra cases to use for the donor material, so I was wondering if I could melt a bit of a brown 8746 case, which I do have, and get a good colour match.

[FABphones]

How large is the hole, and whereabouts on the handset?

I haven't seen a Contempra or Yeoman for a long while, and not at the same time. If it were me, after testing the Contempra is ABS, I'd use the acetone/meths mixture to clean up both the phone and Yeoman ABS, then see how well the colour matches in various lighting.

If the hole is small, maybe a little doner material can be taken from the inside of the Contempra.

Or, if the Yeoman colour is close, but not close enough, and you need to extend the amount of doner ABS from inside the Contempra, you could try experimenting by mixing doner samples from both and see what you end up with. Colour matching can be tricky.

Do you have a photo of the damaged handset, and the Yeoman doner piece.

It will be interesting to see how you get on, please update with your progress and photos when you can.

[Owain]

I have a Yeoman in my lounge, and I think it's closer to milk chocolate than the Contempra which is dark chocolate but I can't do a side-by-side match.

I feel a little sorry for the poor Yeoman ...

[tubaman]

The Contempra was made by Northern Telecom and sold to BT by GEC (http://www.britishtelephones.com/tsr1002.htm) so there's a good chance the colours are not the same.
Looking at the picture of the brown Contempra from the link above I tend to agree with @Owains statement about the colours.
Let us know if we're right (hopefully not) when it arrives.

[FABphones]

For anyone wondering what we are talking about, images from above link and telephonesuk.co.uk

[andy1702]

The hole in the Contempra looks quite big. It hasn't arrived yet, so I'll let you know more when it gets here.

Don't worry about the Yeoman, it's not a complete phone, just a spare plastic part. I do already have a brown contempra and a yeoman. They look identical in colour to me, whichg is what prompted me to ask the question.

I like the idea of the acetone scrub to see what the original colour was before I commit.

[andy1702]

The £2 Contempra has now arrived. It's a bit worse than I thought because not only is there a big hole in the back of the handset, there are some chunks missing from the bottom edge of the main case too.

despite the damage, the phone actually works very well. The cords are good and there are no problems with the dial. So all I have to do is find some donor ABS. There don't appear to be any parts inside the phone where I can get the donor plastic from. Certainly not in the quantity needed to fix that hole. I was hoping the missing lump from the handset might have gone inside it, but unfortunately that's not the case.

[royalbox]

Andy, I don't know if you found out whether the colour was the same as the 8746 in the end but if it is, I have some ABS that came from this phone if you need it.

[FABphones]

...I have some ABS that came from this phone if you need it.

Ouch. That's in a lot of pieces.  How did that happen?

[royalbox]

Ouch. That's in a lot of pieces.  How did that happen?

It was sent in a thin, oversized cardboard box with no packaging whatsoever.

[Owain]

If the recall switch blank is intact may I have it please? Will pay postage if necessary. My Yeoman has a little hole.

[royalbox]

If the recall switch blank is intact may I have it please? Will pay postage if necessary. My Yeoman has a little hole.

I want to see if a brown case comes up at a good price first, otherwise you could have it. I've salvaged and cleaned the good parts, re-coiled the cord and serviced the dial in readiness.

[Owain]

I want to see if a brown case comes up at a good price first, otherwise you could have it.

Fairy nuff, thanks. At some point I can get round to putting a recall switch in mine to fill t'hole.

[andy1702]

Andy, I don't know if you found out whether the colour was the same as the 8746 in the end but if it is, I have some ABS that came from this phone if you need it.

Sorry, I've been away for a few days and only just saw this. I think the plastic is close enough I'm willing to give it a try. I may also be able to help you with a new case. However, did you ever see the grey wall phone I had that arrived in similar condition and I rebuilt? I don't think i ever put it on here, but here's an artical i wrote about it for my local 'Repair Cafe' http://sheffieldrepaircafe.callpress.net/2018/03/12/fixing-the-unfixable-restoring-broken-plastic/

PMing you now.

[FABphones]

If the recall switch blank is intact may I have it please? Will pay postage if necessary. My Yeoman has a little hole.

Owain, I don't have brown, but I have white (and blue), if you would like one to fill the gap until you can find the right colour (or use it to make a mold and form one from a broken piece of Yeoman).