AE 40 Navy Phone

[Doug Rose]

I got an AE40 Navy phone at Brimfield with a damaged case for $25. Today I took the locking device off and stripped the paint off. I added it to a AE40 I had and it made a really nice phone. It was not easy to get the paint off, but the brass shined up very well.

This is a very cool looking telephone, especially with the brass showing though the finger wheel holes and the aluminum silver dial plate.....Doug

[SunriseEarth]

That is a beaut!

[countryman]

That is a beaut!

No doubt it is. Would you mind telling a newbie the story behind "navy phones" and why they are built with this type of armature? I guess a brief outline will bring me on the right track...

[Jack Ryan]

It is an AE 40 used on a shipboard automatic exchange. The serious looking cradleware is a clamp to hold the handset in place in rough seas or rough maneuvers.

They are not uncommon but they are commonly broken as, apparently, this one was.

Regards
Jack

[countryman]

Cool stuff. Thanks for the explanation!

[Doug Rose]

Usually paint will bubble and slide off with Citrix stripper. Not so with this beauty. This took a lot of scrubbing with steel wool  and sandpaper. The original phone looks like it took a trip to the floor. Seller didn't know what he had and asked my why it was there. I hated to pay $25 for a broken phone, but I was happy with the outcome.

The lock is all part of the plunger assembly and was easily removed, except for one stripped screw  . of course it was the last one. I took forever to get it out.

Even with thick  gloves, I have stripper hands this morning...Doug