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WE 332 from Ebay

Started by WEBellSystemChristian, May 18, 2017, 08:49:53 AM

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WEBellSystemChristian

I found this 332 on eBay as an auction a month or so ago. I knew 332s were valuable, but I didn't know if it was worth the $89 starting bid. Last week, I saw it again, and decided to take a closer look. The plungers were stuck down, which was pretty much the only thing stopping me from buying it. I noticed the right plunger was lighter brown than the left. That's it, that was the deal maker! It was a pretty big gamble... ;D

It finally arrived yesterday. I tried pulling the plunger up from the outside, but to no avail. I opened it up, assuming it was stuck because the housing was shrunken around it, but was happy to find that the housing was actually loose around the base! I opened it up, and everything looks like it's there! It looks like the switch inside is siezed up a bit, but it's nothing some WD40 won't fix.
I pushed the plunger up, and it looks original to me!

Everything except the handset cord and transmitter capsule is dates matching 1950. I pried off the smashed-in (originally nickel or chrome) dial card retainer this morning, to find that the original dial card was still under the celluloid window. I didn't get a picture, but I will tonight.
This should be a fun restoration!

I paid $89 plus shipping.

www.ebay.com/itm/401327130707
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

LarryInMichigan

That looks very interesting.  I don't recall ever seeing or hearing about  a 332 before, but I do have a 532.  Does it work well?

Larry

WEBellSystemChristian

#2
Apparently it needs a 4.5 volt wall wart in order for the amplifie to work. The 5 conductor cord is also starting to disintegrate, so I'll need to get a replacement before I try getting it to work.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

rdelius

You will need a battery 4.5v i think to bias the amplifier .The amp is a rec and trans back to back.Set can be wired to boost the rec or transmitter level. I hhd one and it worked

HarrySmith

It looks like there is some lettering on one of the plungers, what does it read?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

paul-f

Quote from: HarrySmith on May 18, 2017, 08:26:09 PM
It looks like there is some lettering on one of the plungers, what does it read?

H, M and L.  Look here for more details and some BSP numbers for reference.
  http://www.paul-f.com/we300typ.htm#332

Great find, Christian. Congratulations.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

HarrySmith

So that controls the volume, high medium or low. Very cool!
Christain can you post a picture of the inside of that plunger, I would like to see how it's connected. Thanks.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Vern P

YES this 332 is a very good phone, I have seen a few, but never have found one for my self.

GOOD find, great price.  Vern

Dennis Markham

Nice phone, Christian.  I thought the model number looked familiar and searched the forum for a  discussion we had when I found one.  You might take a moment to read through the thread as there was some good discussion relative to my 332.  The consensus was that a wall-wart was not a good choice for the power source, but instead a 4.5 volt battery.  Here is the thread about the 332:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2521.30

~Dennis

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: Dennis Markham on May 21, 2017, 02:49:40 PM
Nice phone, Christian.  I thought the model number looked familiar and searched the forum for a  discussion we had when I found one.  You might take a moment to read through the thread as there was some good discussion relative to my 332.  The consensus was that a wall-wart was not a good choice for the power source, but instead a 4.5 volt battery.  Here is the thread about the 332:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2521.30

~Dennis
Yeah, that's one that I looked at when I decided whether I should get mine or not. My eyes sort of glazed over when it got into the technical details, but somehow the number 4.5 got through my mind's filter! ;D
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Alex G. Bell

Quote from: Dennis Markham on May 21, 2017, 02:49:40 PM
Nice phone, Christian.  I thought the model number looked familiar and searched the forum for a  discussion we had when I found one.  You might take a moment to read through the thread as there was some good discussion relative to my 332.  The consensus was that a wall-wart was not a good choice for the power source, but instead a 4.5 volt battery.  Here is the thread about the 332:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2521.30

~Dennis
There are wall warts and then there are wall warts.  There are wall warts with AC outputs (totally unsuitable), there are wall warts with poorly filtered DC outputs (also unsuitable).  Either of these usually have 6, 9, 12 or even 18V outputs which would cause damage.  But there are many cell phone charger wall warts which use switched-mode power conversion and as a result have very quiet DC outputs, often 3.7 or 5VDC.  One of these would work quite well.

While the 332 set is a highly desirable collectable set and very innovative in its time, one needs to have realistic expectations about its performance.  Carbon transmitters have a relatively high level of distortion of the voice signal and the amplifier in a 332 consists of a receiver mechanically coupled to a transmitter powered by the local 4.5VDC source.  Accordingly, while the received speech will be louder, it will not be as clear as the amplified speech from a transistor amplified 532 set or G6 handset.

RotarDad

Nice phone Christian!  Those 332s are cool, and much more stealthy on Ebay than the 532s.

Hey Dennis - I read thru your 332 thread, but didn't find any post-restoration pics.  If you have a pic handy, I'd like to see one! 
Paul

Dennis Markham

Paul, you know why you didn't see any post restoration pictures?  Because it's still in the same condition it was in seven years ago when I bought it.  It's still on my list of things to do..... :)

Dennis

WEBellSystemChristian

#13
It took me 5 months (about 4 months of procrastination, 1 month of actual work), but it's pretty much finished! :D

I polished the housing with Denatured Alcohol and Ultimate Compound, followed by wax. The lift is metal, so I stripped and powdercoated it, along with the fingerwheel. The fingerwheel had a huge gouge around the #3 hole, so I had to use Lab Metal (essentially heat-resistant, magnetic Bondo) to fill it in, and sanded everything smooth. The handset just needed to be buffed and waxed.

The handset cord had stiff conductors that were falling apart, and since it was the only non-original component on the entire phone, I had no problem replacing it! The line cord has horrible looking conductors outside, but it seems like they're only dried out past the wall strain relief--inside the phone, they look new. I'm going to try moving the strain relief down a few inches and cut the dried-out section off--the conductors should look pretty nice under the cloth jacket!

The amplifier mechanism was far more difficult and complex than it looks! There are three separate switch piles connected to the lift, all of which had to line up in specific order with the amplifier plunger. It took me probably 5 hours to get the switches alone re-assembled correctly, but it was worth it!
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WEBellSystemChristian

Here's the fingerwheel...
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford