I won my first Mushroom!!!

[WEBellSystemChristian]

It may not have been too cheap, but a real Mushroom has been at the very top of my wish list from the minute I learned about them at the start of my hobby (besides the Mediterranean Blue 500 that I snatched up early on)! It has very recently been the subject of Auction Contest #153, and I thought for sure that it was going to be bid up really high. My parents decided to put a snipe in for it. Surprisingly, I was the winning bid!

Since it was a really expensive purchase, and it's something that I've wanted for a very long time, this is going to be my Christmas gift from my parents!

I couldn't be happier right now!


http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13119.0


http://www.ebay.com/itm/221613446884

[wds]

Santa came early!  Congratulations on the win.

[WesternElectricBen]

Nice Christian, I was the other bidder on it. It looks like a very solid phone and all it will need is a light hood and some sanding.

Ben

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Thanks guys!

Ben; at least the housing seems to be fade-free. The dial bezel is a piece of cake to sand, but the handset might be a little trickier. At least the badge color seems pretty much untouched...

I plan on buying a repro cap from Old Phone Shop. There was a type of spray paint from a modeling company that matched Western Electric's pink, and I think I might use that on the cap.

[WesternElectricBen]

How do you sand a faceplate with out messing up the numbers?

Ben

[WEBellSystemChristian]

How do you sand a faceplate with out messing up the numbers?

Ben

The numbers aren't decals, they're double-injection molded, meaning that they go all the way through the plastic. No matter how far you sand into the plastic (unless you end up sanding straight through the dial bezel itself) the numbers will never come off. That's why the back of the dial bezel is the same color as the numbers.

[fastmacuk]

I've sanded them in the past without a problem - the black of the numbers goes all the way through...

[Bartonpipes]

I've only had two phones were I have had to sand the dial bezels in the past, and to be honest I am still not fully happy with the results. In my experience, the characters do go all the way through the dial, but it would seem that they get smaller the further you sand them. 

Anyone else noticed this?

[JimH]

I've only had two phones were I have had to sand the dial bezels in the past, and to be honest I am still not fully happy with the results. In my experience, the characters do go all the way through the dial, but it would seem that they get smaller the further you sand them. 

Anyone else noticed this?

I had a soft plastic 554 I tried sanding....the plastic had shrunk, and the black numbers crumbled away as I sanded the plate.  I've noticed a lot of people buff them to a high shine...I leave mine dull, as that was the way they were when new, to reduce glare.  I've found that if I buff with novus to remove scratches, and then take a "magic eraser" to it to remove the gloss, it looks like it did when it was factory new.

Jim

[Kenton K]

That is exactly what I do! I don't prefer the super glossy bezel. I use a magic eraser to make it not as glossy. Magic earaser are also great for getting rid of dirt and grime on a telephone.

Ken

[Bartonpipes]

This is what I mean. This is the dial bezel from what was a badly discolored ITT 500 from '74.The fading was so bad that I must have sanded too far.

It's not the end of the world, it's only an ITT, and it's really just a placeholder for until I get a nice soft plastic version.

Apologies for the bad photo, it was taken with an Ipod.

[Kenton K]

Thats interesting, Ive never had that happen to me. Maybe its an ITT thing.

KK

[JimH]

I've had that happen.  I think when the bezel is that badly damaged and discolored, the plastic has  broken down and can crumble away.  Sanding only works on scratched or moderately yellowed bezels, where the plastic is basically sound.

[Bartonpipes]

I don't think it was an ITT thing, because the same thing happened to me on a WECO White 500 from 62'.

Anyone have a broken dial bezel that they are willing to power sand for "science"?