I've joined the candlestick club!

[Greg G.]

Went to get an AE50 (which I did) and the guy had this stick phone too.  We wanted $125 for the stick, I offered $100 which he took.  Not knowing much about stick phones, I hope I didn't pay too much.  

Known problems:  Missing a screw that holds the insides to the base.  (That got to be real annoying as I was handling it, so for now I moved one of the screws to the middle).  Transmitter is stuck tight in the cup.  I tried heating the cup with a hairdryer, still wouldn't budge.

[Greg G.]

More pics.

[Greg G.]

Just noticed what appears to be a date on the cord.

[Doug Rose]

Sure looks like a bower barff underneath the black paint. I think you did very well. 40 AL on back? Tag inside states it is know as 10 40 AL. Nice hit!....Doug

[Dan]

Hey Doug, do you mean that's what the silver finish represents? Would he be advised to remove the black paint to increase value?

Nice buy!

[Greg G.]

I had to look up up the bowser-barf what ever thing:

Bower–Barff process
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bower–Barff process in metallurgy is a method of coating iron or steel with magnetic Iron oxide, such as Fe2O4, in order to minimize atmospheric corrosion.
The articles to be treated are put into a closed retort and a current of superheated steam passed through for twenty minutes followed by a current of producer gas (carbon monoxide), to reduce any higher oxides that may have been formed.

[Greg G.]

I googled "40 AL candlestick", one example I found on ebay has "40 AL" stamped on the back.  Mine says "20 T".  The paint rubbed off just using my thumb.

[Kenny C]

Does this have the "hershey kiss" transmitter perch?

[ESalter]

it looked like it did.  The perch lookos like it's nickel plated brass, like I'd expect.  The base and shaft are steel instead of brass like the 20ALs.  The BB finish is at a high enough temp to melt the brass, so they had to make those parts out of steel on the 40ALs.  ---Eric 

[Doug Rose]

Looks like the perch might have been changed out, still a great find. I think Sargeguy had a 40AL perch for sale. Take of the black paint on the stem and the base, this will look fantastic. I just found one last month.....Doug

[Dan]

What would be the best way to get the paint off? I have a subset with some wall paint on it too and am affraid to sand and possibly ruin the finish of the paint underneath.

[LarryInMichigan]

I have mentioned here before that I use 3M Safest Stripper which is very gentle to most things and does not appear to do any harm to japan or enamel finishes (though I wouldn't let it sit for an extended period).  Other such gentle stripping products should also be good at removing latex paint or spray paint from factory finishes.  Do NOT use it on soft plastic.

Larry

[Greg G.]

Does this have the "hershey kiss" transmitter perch?

Hope this helps:

[GG]

Brinybay-  Re. "bowser barf," was that a deliberate clever pun?  In UK English, a "bowser" is a tank truck.  For example a "petrol bowser" is a tank truck that carries gasoline to fill the underground tanks at a gasoline station.  So presumably "bowser barf" would be unintentional spillage from such a vehicle?  Somehow I don't think GPO used that for cleaning or otherwise treating phones:-) 

If I understand what's going on here, the water in the superheated steam combines with the surface layer of the steel, the high temperature makes the reaction occur quickly enough to be economically viable in a production process, and the carbon monoxide doesn't provide free O2 molecules that would lead to the formation of a layer of red rust instead.   Since the reaction to oxidize the surface occurs at high temperatures, this material seals the steel in a manner that doesn't allow for the later formation of rust.   Is that about right? 

This does not sound like something that can be done at home: one, due to the difficulty of producing steam at the required temperatures and pressures, and two, due to the difficulty of producing carbon monoxide (modern vehicle engines with catalytic converters produce relatively little carbon monoxide). 

[Sargeguy]

Interesting find!  This is a definite :"Frankenphone".  The base is 40AL or similar.  the perch is from a 20T Interphone and the 706A and Bulldog transmitter are later still.  This was most likely constructed during the Depression or WWII from spare parts.  That brown wire looks suspiciously out of place.  There are no Bell system markings so this could also have come from one of the Independents.  I don't know much about that style of cup except that it is late vintage and is often found on RR apparatus.  Is it brass of zinc alloy?

As far as price is concerned, at least you didn't have to pay shipping.  I think on eBay this phone would be in the $60-70 range.  

I have a 40AL perch that someone painted gray but I do not have the correct bracket.  Your solid perch uses a slightly different bracket that may not work correctly with a drawn perch.  Or maybe its the other way around.  I need the bottom half of a solid perch, so if you would like to trade LMK.  I'll also trade that cup for a blank one that would be correct for a 40AL if you are interested.