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AECo Bakelite Era Phones - Manufacture Date Discussions

Started by HobieSport, October 27, 2008, 04:02:11 PM

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AE_Collector

Since the groups of patent #'s seem to be following a pattern on these, a couple that are hard t oread can easily be figured out by comparing to others. No "7" after Chicago on that one and it has the older group of 11 patents tha tmostly begin with ones.

Thanks for the input wds.

Terry

LarryInMichigan

QuoteDo you think it is actually Aluminum larry? I dont think that I have seen an aluminum AE40 base but silver colored steel is quite normal. Find a magnet!
It sure looks like aluminum (or is that aluminium?) to me.  It does not attract a magnet.

QuoteSomeone must have a smashed 40 housing with the metal dial brack to swipe that screw thing for the front base screw. I'll keep my eyes open around here.
I am sending wds the "screw thing" from my broken shell.

Larry

AE_Collector

Quote from: JohnInWI on December 31, 2012, 08:10:46 PM
I think it was manufactured prior to 1955.  In 1955 GTE accquired AE and moved manufacturing from Chicago to Northlake, IL.  The newer model 40s have the Northlake location on the patent decal.

John:

Do you have any with Northlake illinois on them? I am not sure if I have seen 40's or 50's with Northlake on the stickers or not. AE80's and 90's do but nmot certain about 40's and 50's. I don't see too many tha tare made in USA though since I am in Canada. If so, that would be an excellent way to determine the AE40's made from about 1955 an on.

Terry

AE_Collector

Quote from: LarryInMichigan on January 01, 2013, 06:03:45 PM
It sure looks like aluminum (or is that aluminium?) to me.  It does not attract a magnet.

Maybe it is Aluminum. (I think there are two ways of spelling and saying Aluminum / Aluminium). Could it be brass that has been tin plated or maybe chromed but not shiney chrome...Industrical Chrome (?)

Quote from: LarryInMichigan on January 01, 2013, 06:03:45 PM
I am sending wds the "screw thing" from my broken shell.
Larry

I hadn't put two and two together there...honest! I didn't realise that yours was smashed though you probably did say that. So wds is moving into the AE field...welcome wds!

Terry

LarryInMichigan

The proper name of the metal is Aluminium, but it was misspelled many years ago, and the misspelled name took hold in the USA.  The Canadians probably came for the ride on this one.

The base really looks and feels like aluminum to me.  Brass would be heavier.  I am pretty sure that this is the Canadian one.  I bought it for $5 or so from an ebay seller in Milwaukee, WI who was offering it for parts.  I salvaged the dial and SL ringer.  I don't remember how the handset was.  I have alot of type 41 handsets in poor condition.

Larry

AE_Collector

#80
And we make LOTS of aluminum here in BC so you can call it whatever you want, just don't stop buying it from us!

And speaking of going for a ride, I couldn't decide about merging this into the AECo base code survey so I've moved it to "Technical Stuff" and made it a companion topic to the AECo base & Patent # Survey. It would be like putting a man on the moon to get a few easy ways to roughly determine the manufacture date of these AE phones so I hope to keep working at it.

So far we have AE40's made from:

Prior to 1943 (approximately) should have "Automatic Electric Company Chicago" on the base label.
1943 (approximately) and on should have "Automatic Electric Company Chicago 7" on the base label.
August 15, 1957 and on should have Northlake Illinois rather than Chicago 7 on the base label.

Terry



wds

Thanks to Larry now I can finish this phone up.  And Terry, I actually have several AE 40 phones, including a nice model 47, but it seems like every one of them has something wrong with it.  Here's a picture of my first 40 - beautiful case, nicest ringer sound, and I use it on my desk in the basement.  It did not have the carry handle, nor does it have the holes for the butler handle.  Instead, someone installed a rod for a carry handle.  I've seen several of these phones with the same rod - must have been an aftermarket add-on.  With that screw that Larry is sending I can finally have one completely original 40.
Dave

wds

And by the way, the base with the red printing on the bottom is not magnetic either, and does not seem to be brass.
Dave

AE_Collector

I either recall a discussion here about "the Rod" or maybe saw one on ebaY? If you have seen several of them, I bet it was a refurbisher or a certain Telco that did that. The earliest AE 40's had no carry bar or buttler handle. The blocks at the pliungers had no holes for the butler handle. Then the holes for Butler Handle and then finally the solid carry bar.

How did they get the rod in there? Drilled right through one side and then only partially through the other side? Did they fill the hole that went all the way through?

Terry

wds

I've always threatened to remove the rod, but it would still have the holes.  It looks like the rod only has threads on one end, so they drilled all the way through the first hole, then threaded into the other side.
Dave

JohnInWI

Quote from: AE_Collector on January 01, 2013, 06:09:18 PM
Quote from: JohnInWI on December 31, 2012, 08:10:46 PM
I think it was manufactured prior to 1955.  In 1955 GTE accquired AE and moved manufacturing from Chicago to Northlake, IL.  The newer model 40s have the Northlake location on the patent decal.

John:

Do you have any with Northlake illinois on them? I am not sure if I have seen 40's or 50's with Northlake on the stickers or not. AE80's and 90's do but nmot certain about 40's and 50's. I don't see too many tha tare made in USA though since I am in Canada. If so, that would be an excellent way to determine the AE40's made from about 1955 an on.

Terry

Terry:

I do have 2 Navy "Type A" AE 40s with the Northlake decal on them.  As someone had mentioned, AE made these for the Navy into the 1970s.

-John

AE_Collector

#86
Quote from: JohnInWI on January 01, 2013, 08:17:46 PM
Terry:

I do have 2 Navy "Type A" AE 40s with the Northlake decal on them.  As someone had mentioned, AE made these for the Navy into the 1970s.

-John

Oh Okay, that could stand to reason then if that type of phone was made much longer than the others. We will see if anyone else finds one with Northlake on the sticker. I would think that by the time the new plant at Northlake was built, it was probably set up to go crazy building the new AE 80's and 40's would have really been few and far between by then.

Quote from: wds on January 01, 2013, 07:10:10 PM
And by the way, the base with the red printing on the bottom is not magnetic either, and does not seem to be brass.

I went and found a magnet and was shocked to find that in many cases what I thought was a steel bottom also isn't interested in my magnet! If the bottom is silver and looks like steel, it isn't. Any of my base plates that have even a hint of the Gold Anodizing" on them are made of steel.

That is interesting how they did "the rod". I would have thought that the carry bar would have been out and available quite early on in production and it would be a lot easier to swap out the blocks for the bar rather than doing "the rod".

Terry

Babybearjs

Terry, interesting discussion. reminds me of when I got my first AE87. I wanted to register it with Pac Bell back in the day when you had to register extention phones with there FCC Reg. No. which AE never included on any of there phones... W.E. didnt either until the breakup. My AE 40, and 50 both don't have any date codes, but AE finally got them on the 87A phones... in the 60's. all I know is my AE 40, and 50 are from the 1940's... thats enough for me.
John

Contempra

Quote from: wds on January 01, 2013, 07:07:00 PM
Thanks to Larry now I can finish this phone up.  And Terry, I actually have several AE 40 phones, including a nice model 47, but it seems like every one of them has something wrong with it.  Here's a picture of my first 40 - beautiful case, nicest ringer sound, and I use it on my desk in the basement.  It did not have the carry handle, nor does it have the holes for the butler handle.  Instead, someone installed a rod for a carry handle.  I've seen several of these phones with the same rod - must have been an aftermarket add-on.  With that screw that Larry is sending I can finally have one completely original 40.

Beautyful Telephone  anyway. :)

HowardPgh

Did Automatic Electric do their own Bakelite molding process?
Howard