Author Topic: Making a Blue 302 (Read 4250 times)

WEBellSystemChristian · « **on:** May 31, 2014, 04:21:51 PM »

For the past few months, I've been wanting a blue 302, not because of it's value, but because it just looks so cool in dark blue! I've decided to paint a black plastic 302, because it could take years (if ever) to find an authentic one for a reasonable price (below the triple and quadruple digit price range

).

I've been looking around for a cheap 302, with holes and cracks, so I could fill them in with body putty and paint over it. I don't want to feel guilty by mixing and matching parts on an all-dates-matching perfect 302, so I found one on eBay for $25, with a switch drilled in on the side (possibly for two-line use) that could be filled in and smoothed out without much trouble. I've already repainted one of my #6 dials white, and added an open-center fingerwheel. I'll be making changes to this post as I move along with this project.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141202646006?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

unbeldi · « **Reply #1 on:** May 31, 2014, 05:15:18 PM »

If you're diligent in searching and patient, you will be able to find a complete ivory 302 for around $50. Those always have cracks in the housings, but repairing the ivory ones is not too hard if you are planning on painting them anyways. This gets you a complete, often date-matched base, the 6D or 5J dial, and, which is important for looks, a handset without the grooves along the handle and the clear plastic plungers. Then paint away....

The three cheapest complete 302/304s in that price class that I have obtained cost me $25, $41, and $51, before shipping. So I know they are out there. You need to let them come to you.

I determined that the WECo dark blue (-18), at least on my set, is very close to Sherwin-Williams Regatta blue, SW-6517, and Georgian Bay blue, SW-6509.
I averaged them and obtained a compromise color in RGB 38,82,110, or in HTML hex format #26526E. This is in HSL = 144,124,74.
An NOS set probably has purer blue, but you don't have to match color since you're painting the entire set.

The image below on the left shows a surface area of a blue housing, and some S-W swatches on the right. You can judge what fits best.

WesternElectricBen · « **Reply #2 on:** May 31, 2014, 05:28:45 PM »

Sounds like a good idea, maybe you can talk to Presido on having him powder coat it for you. I'm sure he can powder coat it in a pretty close color. I'm guessing you are going to have this a 2 tone 302 as it would be pretty hard to find the cords.

I still need to repaint my SC 1243 after stripping off my terrible paint job. It was going to be my weekend project until it started to rain.

Ben

jsowers · « **Reply #3 on:** May 31, 2014, 08:14:30 PM »

I don't know if they match or not or if OPW has them cheaper, but here's an auction I happened to see today for blue cords for a 302.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121352684716

How are you going to do the plungers? Clear ones would be preferable to painting the black ones.

WEBellSystemChristian · « **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2014, 08:52:26 PM »

Quote from: jsowers on May 31, 2014, 08:14:30 PM

I don't know if they match or not or if OPW has them cheaper, but here's an auction I happened to see today for blue cords for a 302.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121352684716

How are you going to do the plungers? Clear ones would be preferable to painting the black ones.

I already have everything planned out. I found out that Old Phone Shop (located right around where I live) sells a pair of clear 302 plungers for $9.99, compared to OPW, who sells them for 19.99. I'm probably going to just get handset/line cording directly from OPW, since they're only $13 apiece ($16 for the line cord)

I'm going with my dad tomorrow to Menards (a little like Home Depot, for those of you who aren't Yankees

) to see if they have a close-matching spray paint I can use for this.

WEBellSystemChristian · « **Reply #5 on:** June 01, 2014, 03:14:26 PM »

I found Rust-Oleum "Royal Blue" spray paint today at the store, and it's a very close match to Med blue (I brought one of my med blue 500 transmitter caps along to compare).

WEBellSystemChristian · « **Reply #6 on:** July 09, 2014, 10:11:35 PM »

Now bear in mind I still need to get some OPW cloth cords and clear plungers, but I think everything else turned out great! To make it look exactly like a color 302, I used body putty to fill the seams in the handset and handset caps, like those of plastic F1 handsets. I added a repainted white #6 dial with an open-center fingerwheel, like some of the later color sets. The blue that you see on the dial card wasn't actually printed on the dial card itself, but is an actual plastic "mask" that I printed on plastic printer sheets. Even the dial card itself was printed on the back of an old letter dated 1948!

After I had begun to create my blue 302, I decided that it would be fun to make one in Pekin Red too! For this phone, all of the same rules were applied, and I made a Pekin Red dial card mask too! The Pekin Red has original chassis dates of 1952, while my blue has chassis dates of 1953.

WesternElectricBen · « **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2014, 10:28:58 PM »

Looks great, but now you see some real ones, so do I.

The only thing the blue 302 is missing is corner cracks, but I think you'll be able to do without.

Ben

persido · « **Reply #8 on:** July 10, 2014, 12:31:44 AM »

You did a fantastic job looks great. Have you ever painted a 500 set? That blue would look great on a 500 set.

Scot

WEBellSystemChristian · « **Reply #9 on:** July 10, 2014, 07:44:48 AM »

Quote from: persido on July 10, 2014, 12:31:44 AM

You did a fantastic job looks great. Have you ever painted a 500 set? That blue would look great on a 500 set.

Scot

Quote from: persido on July 10, 2014, 12:31:44 AM

You did a fantastic job looks great. Have you ever painted a 500 set? That blue would look great on a 500 set.

Scot

Thanks! No, I haven't. The blue color, along with the red, is a little bolder than Med blue, a few shades off.

TelePlay · « **Reply #10 on:** July 10, 2014, 08:59:16 AM »

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on July 09, 2014, 10:11:35 PM

After I had begun to create my blue 302, I decided that it would be fun to make one in Pekin Red too!

I hope you realize that if you keep this up, we may have to start referring to you as "NewPhoneWorks" or NPW for short.

WEBellSystemChristian · « **Reply #11 on:** July 10, 2014, 11:17:30 AM »

Quote from: TelePlay on July 10, 2014, 08:59:16 AM

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on July 09, 2014, 10:11:35 PM
After I had begun to create my blue 302, I decided that it would be fun to make one in Pekin Red too!

I hope you realize that if you keep this up, we may have to start referring to you as "NewPhoneWorks" or NPW for short.

...and my cordage supply website would be "Bedroom of Telephones" (instead of House of Telephones)!

WEBellSystemChristian · « **Reply #12 on:** July 10, 2014, 11:32:03 AM »

For the record, both phones were in pretty bad shape when I started. The blue one was a non-Bell System phone that was converted to an intercom-type system inside. It had a toggle switch drilled in the left side, and when I removed it, it left a half-inch hole behind. It had mixed dates, and a cheap network for the toggle switch attached the the base.

The red one wasn't as bad of shape, but there was a huge two-and-a-half inch long crack in the front left corner. The ringer was removed, and the handset was very rough.

Neither phone would have been able to be fully restored to original condition without having to paint the housings. I would never use a phone in decent shape for this project, let alone one with all dates matching.

AE40FAN · « **Reply #13 on:** July 10, 2014, 11:50:07 AM »

Nice job Christian!

Doug Rose · « **Reply #14 on:** July 10, 2014, 07:35:04 PM »

Christian...absolutely stunning!! I had a red and blue painted for many years, they never looked that good. Outstanding!!...Doug

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