Rose 302 (cracked housing)

[FABphones]

Just sold in the U.K. for approximately $57 plus postage (not to me).

A split crack down the front, plus a few blemishes but a nice addition for the price.

I always get a craving for chewy fruity Skittles when I see this colour phone... 

[HarrySmith]

That was a great deal. Even more so being on that side of the pond!

[tubaman]

I was very tempted but the split did put me off. For the price it went for though someone got a good buy.

[RDPipes]

I bought a Ivory 302 with a split/ crack in the same place and as far as trying to repair it without it being noticeable was impossible and I finally ended up parting it out and using some of it on another phone. I will never buy another with such a crack unless I need the parts. Cracks on the corners are much easier to disguise and end up having a phone that at least displays well. 

[MMikeJBenN27]

That crack can be fixed.  Use white or clear epoxy, not JB Weld.  Apply it with the shell off the base plate.  If it won't stay level, use one of those clips that are for holding a thick stack of paper together to hold it level.  After drying for 24 hours, you can spray some spray paint of the right color on that area.  Most people won't notice, and you have a candy-colored phone!

Mike

[countryman]

Would super glue also work?
I saw the auction, but the candy colour...
I would have watched a red or green one though ;-) the seller had quite fair shipping conditions to the continent, but thanks to "circumstances" tax and fee would come on top.

[TelePlay]

Would super glue also work?
I saw the auction, but the candy colour...

Superglue would work but would leave a joint line.

Melting the crack shut with acetone, or similar solvent, would not leave a "crack" line but if the surface layer has any discoloration, the acetone fused joint may show a different color "line."

Fusing together by melting may also require scraping off some plastic from the inside to be melted and plastered into the fused joint to get a flat surface - that would most likely leave a color line since the interior plastic would be less discolored.

Painting not withstanding, I would think that would be a difficult crack to fix, unless one has experience doing that sort of fix on more than a handful of phones.

FABphones can add if a vacuum or pressure chamber would be best to remove solvent evaporation bubbles from the solvent melted plastics as it reset, the solvent evaporated.

[RDPipes]

Gentlemen from my stand point its more trouble then its worth, if it was so rare that I might not ever find another in my left time I might try to repair it but, there's just too many out there to waste ones money on a parts phone.

Oh, and I've repaired them with super glue, not the cheap stuff but, what you get from a high end hobby shop and
a lot of the time after a good sanding and buffing you can't see it or its at least not as noticeable but, considering the crack
size and such it doesn't work every time as planed.

[TelePlay]

I agree with the reply above. Now, two things:

First, the problem with an old crack is getting the dirt out of the crack, which is impossible to do. The dirt creates the joint line regardless of the fix (if not painting over it). Fresh cracks are easier to fix successfully than old cracks.

Second, it's a hobby and learning how to fix, or just trying to fix, any crack is a learning experience that broadens the restoration knowledge base of the hobbyist. Learning how to do it, learning what does and doesn't work and how better to approach the problem the next time the fix is needed is part of the hobby.

And, the "ooops, I just ruined it" experience is always a possibility. A part it out level unexpected mistake.

While I would not want to try to fix this specific crack, because I know better from experience, but would encourage any other member to attempt the fix if they want to broaden their restoration knowledge base, whether the fix worked or not.

If I were to attempt any crack fix, I would also back the repaired crack with material that would make the crack repair substantially stronger than adjacent uncracked plastic. It's simple and cheap to do and quite a good way to keep the crack from opening up at some time in the future.

And there is always "another member's favorite painter" Richard Rose to paint the whole housing if the crack fix ended up looking ugly but the surface was flat, free of pits and waves.

All of this gain of new knowledge requires, of course, lots of time and an unknown, up front, amount of money. But, if successful, the pride in its completion is worth it.

[TelePlay]

This detailed topic was posted on 2011 but still remains one of the better crack repair topics on the forum.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5059.msg63237#msg63237

The crack was cleaned out using a Dremel tool to get rid of the dirt in the crack and an internal rib was used to create a patching filler.

The issue of micro pits on the patch has been addressed recently using a vacuum or pressure tank, can't remember which, to get the solvent out of the past avoiding micro pits. FABphones figured that out and can post which works to avoid micro solvent pits.

These are the project images from that topic.

[Contempra]

This detailed topic was posted on 2011 but still remains one of the better crack repair topics on the forum....

The work was well done since nothing can be seen with the naked eye. Anyway, it's a good job.

[FABphones]

...FABphones can add if a vacuum or pressure chamber would be best to remove solvent evaporation bubbles from the solvent melted plastics as it reset, the solvent evaporated.

I use a Vacuum Chamber for this type of repair. The tricky part is the small amount of working material involved. Much easier to work with larger volumes. The smaller repairs I have made without using the chamber do show fine 'bubbles'. These in turn can attract grime the same as the initial crack itself does (as mentioned above by Teleplay), which is difficult to remove,

What material are these 302 phones made from, does it react to Acetone?

Edited to add image of a vacuum chamber similar to the one I have.
Price dependant on size.

[RDPipes]

You all must have much more disposable cash then I have to purchase vacuum chambers, pumps, etc. just to repair a crack? Here's an idea, "Don't buy phones with Cracks". As said before, I consider this waaaaay to much effort to repair a crack. But of course if you have that much time and extra money on yours hands you could make a Tax deductible donation to me. 

[tubaman]

... Here's an idea, "Don't buy phones with Cracks". ...

I get what you are saying but American phones are few and far between in the UK and EU, especially something like a rose 302. We can of course purchase from the USA but you then have to pay large shipping fees and import duty on top which add considerably to the price.
 

[RDPipes]

I get what you are saying but American phones are few and far between in the UK and EU, especially something like a rose 302. We can of course purchase from the USA but you then have to pay large shipping fees and import duty on top which add considerably to the price.
 

Oh I completely understand, I was referring to really us guys on this side of the pond.
I know how hard it is for you all to get our phones and us yours.