AECo "Monophone Tool"

[DavePEI]

Thanks for all that info.  That's very interesting.  I have what I think is an AE cradle wrench, but it is marked "H-43173-1".  I bought it at a phone show about 10 years ago.  It works on most of the AE cradle nuts that I have tried, but not all the nuts have the same outside diameter.  I've had at least one nut that the wrench would not fit as it was slightly larger, or perhaps the notches were not cut as deeply as they should have been.  I will add a photo of my wrench.

From the AE 150-540 Technical Bulletin:

[Doug Rose]

I have misplace my AE tool and I cannot budge the hook switch assembly on the AE35 and AE50 I got at Brimfield last week. Any one have any ideas what to use in its place? Any one have one for sale?....Doug

[Ktownphoneco]

Doug   ....   Drop by a hardware store in your area, and buy a cheap 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch drive socket.      Use something like a Dremel Tool with a grinding wheel on it, and grind away some of the steel on both sides of the socket's opening, leaving 2 pins of the appropriate width to fit the 2 slots on the hook switch retainer nut.
The cheap sockets are easy to grind off, and don't cost much.      Measure the diameter of the retainer nut so you can accurately select a socket of the proper diameter.     Even if you don't have a socket set, at least you can grip the socket with a pair of vise grips.     Picture attached.

Jeff

[Doug Rose]

thanks Jeff....I'll give it a try...Doug

[Doug Rose]

I got it open today. It is a true 35....PLUS IT WORKS!!!! Even rings on incoming. Handset cord probably should be replaced. ....Doug