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Northern No. 1 Mahogany Brown

Started by wds, June 23, 2015, 06:37:20 PM

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wds

Got this from Ebay yesterday, and spent several hours cleaning and polishing.  I was surprised I got it so cheap, but it was pretty dirty and the pictures weren't very good which probably scared everyone off.  Coil, ringer, receiver element all dated 1-18-51, transmitter dated 1-19-51.  Dial 1947 and the number plate II 56.  Cord restraint has 1 H3AR 6 and I'm not sure what the codes mean.  Nice close dates except for the dial.  The dial has a brown card holder ring with a black fingerwheel.  Although it looks great, the body seems a little dark, but since this is my first brown phone I have nothing to compare it to.  Could the brown be lightened up any, or is it correct the way it is?  Then, I'm not sure if the handset cord is original, but I think I would prefer a brown cord.  Would a brown cloth cord be correct on this phone?   The cloth line cord has a lot of paint on it, so I'm trying to salvage it now.
Dave

Doug Rose

Real Nice Dave....I have been looking for one forever. Can't seem to find one under $350, which I won't pay. I have a nice Mahogany #2, the wait continues for a #1. Not sure how I missed it, if it was that cheap  :-\....Nice Find....Doug
Kidphone

wds

Well, cheap compared to what they normally sell for.  $117 including shipping.  Phone came from Canada,  but the Seller mailed it from Niagara Falls, dropping the postage by about $10.  Very nice of the Seller.

http://tinyurl.com/mahoganyNo1
Dave

Ktownphoneco

Very nice find indeed.     I have a number of the No. 1 Uniphones in black bakelite, but only about 3 of the brown walnut sets, plus a brown walnut No. 2 wall set.    I've done some research into the Uniphones, and by 1951 the handset cord would most likely have been rubber, similar to the 302 sets.     The Uniphone was sold by Northern to the independent telephone companies throughout North America, and it went into production in September of 1935, ahead of the 302.    The Uniphone was the first combined telephone set made by Northern.     Bell Canada, being a Bell System company, chose not to use the Uniphone, and waited until Western released the 302.     That set, then went into production at Northern as well, and was sold only to Bell System companies.
The first handset attached to the Uniphone was a Northern design, called an "NF" series.      It didn't last long before it was replaced with the "NU" handset, which was eventually replaced by the "F-1".
They polish up very nicely, and look quite impressive.      I have a Northern 5H dated 2-6-51, and a III-51 porcelain numbers only number plate, and a completely unmarked alpha-numeric porcelain number plate if your interested in making everything match.    Buy them or swap them, whatever you want.
I've attached a pdf picture file of one that I restores several years ago.    It'll give you an idea how yours would look all polished up.
If your interested in the dial and / or porcelain number plate, contact me directly by email at  4031jal@cogeco.ca.

Jeff Lamb

wds

I thought I had mine pretty well polished up, but yours is outstanding.  It looks like you put a clear coat finish on it. 
Dave

Ktownphoneco

Dave   ....    No clear coat was used.     It's all sanding up to 2500 grit wet / dry paper, and done with water in the laundry tub.     Then it's finished on a buffing machine with a cotton flannel buffing wheel.       Not all of the black bakelite sets will come out like that, but most of the brown walnut sets do.    Not exactly sure why that is, but I suspect it has to do with the fillers used in the making of bakelite.     Bakelite was made using at least one of two fillers.    One was saw dust flour, and the other was asbestos.    The last one being the reason I sand bakelite in water.
I use a product called DICO PBC (plastic buffing compound) on the flannel buffing wheel.
That's it in a nut shell.

Jeff Lamb

DavePEI

#6
The pride and joy of my Uniphone collection are two Burled Walnut #1's with the original type NF handsets; also a couple #1s in brown with the F1 handset - seems to me I have one somewhere with an NU handset as well, but not sure off-hand if it is brown or the more common black. I also have a brown #2, but it has the later F1 handset. You will find Uniphones with three styles of handset, least common, the NF, a little more common, NU, and the most common, the F1. In colours, of course, beige is extremely rare (only a few known to exist), Brown less common, and the black ones are the most common.

I also have a rare dial-less F1, which escaped upgrading with a dial because it was in use at CFB Summerside on a PBX line. It, however is the more comon black. When I cleaned up that one, I preserved the RCAF asset tag on it by laminating the tag in plastic.

Still looking for a beige one (extremely rare) Walter Auld, former vice president of Island Tel had one. The problem with the beige ones and the reason few were made is that the bakelite because of the pigments was very unstable, not only colour-wise, but also over the years, it flowed. Walter told me every couple of years, he had to ream out the holes the switch hook buttons were in, as the bakelite tended to flow and jam them. They were also unstable colour-wise. His had developed a sizeable brown streak above the dial. He was careful to keep it out of the heat and sunlight.

There are only a few (beige ones) known to still be in existence.

Not the best photo in the world, but here is one of the brown #1s with the NF handset as received (before polishing and cleaning) last year in a box of phones. It was missing its handset cord, which I didn't get around to replacing until a couple of weeks ago. I don't have a photo of the other one on this computer, but it is in a little better condition.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

DavePEI

#7
JUst so you can see the black dial-less number one I mentioned below, here is a photo I took of it before I cleaned it up and laminated the asset tag. This is a Dial-less No. 1 Uniphone from CFB Summerside, still carrying its RCAF assets tag. While the Uniphone No. 1 was available in a dial-less version, it was a complete phone, with network, bells, etc. This version of No. 1 is rarely seen today, as most were upgraded or came with dials.
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Ktownphoneco

Dave ....    Is this the set you were talking about ?   This set graced the pages of eBay in 2010.   I call it the "Butterscotch Uniphone".     The loss of rigidity in the case is visible in the picture showing the set's interior.    The color corruption in the more or less ivory color is also very visible, of course I'm assuming the intended color was ivory.    I'm assuming it was made from something other than true bakelite.      One of the inherent characteristics of bakelite is the fact that once injected into a mold, sets and cools, it holds the shape of that mold.    The handset in the pictures, is also somewhat transparent, enough so, that the 2 receiver conductors are visible through the handle of the "N" series handset.      For whatever significance it might have, the date on the ringer is 1943.  I'm thinking the material may be Catalin, since it's a  phenol formaldehyde resin as well, but unlike bakelite, it doesn't contain any of fillers used in bakelite.     But that's only a guess on my part.      The presence of a Siemen's dial is a little odd on this set.    Dave may be aware of any independents on the east coast that used Siemens dials, but the only one I'm aware of, is the Manitoba Telephone System, or "MTS" for short.   

Enjoy the rest of the day.

Jeff Lamb

DavePEI

#9
Quote from: Ktownphoneco on June 24, 2015, 02:49:35 PM
Dave ....    Is this the set you were talking about ?   This set graced the pages of eBay in 2010.   I call it the "Butterscotch Uniphone".     The loss of rigidity in the case is visible in the picture showing the set's interior.    The color corruption in the more or less ivory color is also very visible, of course I'm assuming the intended color was ivory.    I'm assuming it was made from something other than true bakelite.      One of the inherent characteristics of bakelite is the fact that once injected into a mold, sets and cools, it holds the shape of that mold.    The handset in the pictures, is also somewhat transparent, enough so, that the 2 receiver conductors are visible through the handle of the "N" series handset.      For whatever significance it might have, the date on the ringer is 1943.  I'm thinking the material may be Catalin, since it's a  phenol formaldehyde resin as well, but unlike bakelite, it doesn't contain any of fillers used in bakelite.     But that's only a guess on my part.      The presence of a Siemen's dial is a little odd on this set.    Dave may be aware of any independents on the east coast that used Siemens dials, but the only one I'm aware of, is the Manitoba Telephone System, or "MTS" for short.   

Enjoy the rest of the day.

Jeff Lamb
It is possible that it is. Walter passed away a few years ago, and someone in his family might have sold his. The handset discoloration is pretty typical. But there are a couple others I have seen, but they are exceptionally rare! Honestly, when Walter showed me his, I didn't notice the type of dial on it.

Re: Siemens - yes, some show up on Maritime sets. Most here are Northern (wvwn a fair number of AE dials), but anywhere you have a UK built exchange as we had in Summerside (see my UK Strowger Demo using ex-Summerside switches), some UK Siemens dials show up...

Yes, I suspect it is Catalin, too.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

wds

Here's my other No. 1.  I think I have a thread here about this phone.
Dave

Ktownphoneco

Nice set Dave.   You had a posting in January 2013 regarding a black Uniphone you acquired, which had a GPO dial on it with a broken spring.    Is this the same set ?

Jeff Lamb

wds

Roger Conklin Phone

Here's the link to this phone.    I don't recall the post about the phone with the broken spring.  I'll keep looking
Dave

wds

Ok, I found the thread about the broken spring.  I had completely forgotten about that phone.  It's a totally different phone from these other two.

broken spring
Dave

CanadianGuy

I saw this at a customers house today. They said they bought it from the phone company when they were selling their leased phones or something. Not sure if this is the same phone you are talking about here? If not, sorry, please delete :)