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Black WE 500 - info please

Started by FABphones, March 03, 2018, 08:34:17 AM

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FABphones

I've come across one of these in the UK, but never having actually seen one I don't know if it is put together correctly,
could I ask if these are correct:

Dial is black metal?
Case is plastic, handset is Bakelite - but with plastic mouth and ear pieces?

The mouthpiece is seized and is badly marked on the outer rim where someone has forcefully tried to unscrew it, but it's the plastic mouth and earpieces that are particularly bugging me, did they put those onto a Bakelite handset originally?

It's a 1961 phone, but I can't get parts for it over here so would be buying as is.

I'm sitting on the fence and keep changing my mind whcih way to fall....   :)
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
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Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
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david@london

fabphones -

what's the general condition like? if it's good, you might be wise to pick it up as you're saving on postage costs and import fees.
what's the price?

black plastic caps were often put on bakelite G1 handsets. is the handset marked G1 (bakelite)? G3 = plastic. you could certainly find a replacement cap.

can you take the shell off to see the date stamped on the inside edge? if it's 1961 it will be soft plastic (tenite). black phones were not made in hard plastic until the mid-60s, however the shell could be a replacement. are there any red date stamps on the base? they would indicate that the phone was refurbished and parts may have been replaced.

black metal fingerwheel is the earlier type, correct for '61.


Babybearjs

whats the markings on the bottom of the phone? if it is a WE 500 series, there should be a "500 C/D" next to the volume control on the bottom.  the phone should work fine there in the UK.... you may need to move the ringer wire to the "G" terminal, British Telecom has a different setup there from the US. for some reason, they like to have the ringer capacitor tied to a "Master Jack" while here in the States, We included it in the phone itself... (unless they changed their wiring scheme...) Good luck with the phone.... it will last forever!
John

twocvbloke

One thing you'll find with these and other north american phones is they often tend to be "itsa bitsa" phones, as some during their lifetime will have bits changed or replaced for repair or upgrade purposes, even to the point where they're a Trigger's Broom and not the original phone the customer had been supplied with originally... :)

My first WE500 (pictured to the side there as my Avatar) was a mixed bag, 1957 base, 1960s dial, 1970s plastics & modular connections, having been sent another 500 from a friend across the pond with a 70s base and 50s plastics (tenite shell, bakelite G1 handset, etc.), I played swapsies to make a 50s phone and a 70s phone, which works for me... :)

rdelius

One example Heins telephone in Sanford NC   now Windstreem.Had SC rebuild it's 500 sets.Some WE, some NE Some Kellogg-ITT amd lastly SC.After rebuilding by SC the markings on the baseplate had a new date and SC.Dismantle the telephones parts into pilesclean test and assemble from scrambled parts.

Dan/Panther

What is the cost to ship a Priority box to Britain, and all duties applied.
Basically a WE-500 phone.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

twocvbloke

Quote from: Dan/Panther on March 03, 2018, 08:18:11 PM
What is the cost to ship a Priority box to Britain, and all duties applied.

Expensive...

Lost out on a modular green 554 because the cost of the shipping is just too ridiculous form the US these days..

Babybearjs

do you have any problems hooking up a WE phone to BT lines?
John

twocvbloke

Nope, the phones I have work happily as 2-wire phones on UK lines, no real need for any conversions... :)

Babybearjs

Great! has BT dropped the master jack idea?
John

twocvbloke

Quote from: Babybearjs on March 04, 2018, 05:16:02 AM
Great! has BT dropped the master jack idea?

Not really, it's just that you can use 2-wire and 3-wire phones on the same line, as modern telephones tended to ignore BT's master socket idea and just used the A&B wires, ignoring the Bell wire... :)

Though with xDSL, they did have to cut out the ringer circuit with the use of filters, so extensions had to be wired as 2-wire with a filter used for each socket that re-instated what I'd describe as a "PBX Master" (a ringer capacitor but no out-of-service resistor or surge arrestor) coupled with the filtering circuit, which are handy as they make for useful little tools with Panasonic 308 and 616 systems as filters are dirt cheap and easy to snap an RJ11 onto... :)

andy1702

#11
Quote from: FabPhones on March 03, 2018, 08:34:17 AM
I've come across one of these in the UK, but never having actually seen one I don't know if it is put together correctly,
could I ask if these are correct:

Dial is black metal?
Case is plastic, handset is Bakelite - but with plastic mouth and ear pieces?

The mouthpiece is seized and is badly marked on the outer rim where someone has forcefully tried to unscrew it, but it's the plastic mouth and earpieces that are particularly bugging me, did they put those onto a Bakelite handset originally?

It's a 1961 phone, but I can't get parts for it over here so would be buying as is.

I'm sitting on the fence and keep changing my mind whcih way to fall....   :)

I've come across about half a dozen 500s in the UK now. I always buy them as they're very good phones and I like the American ring, which reminds me of all those TV shows from the 70s & 80s. Still not managed to find myself a Charlie's Angels speaker phone though!  :(

I'd say buy it. The black metal finger wheel and bakelite handset points to the 1961 date being about right. here's a link to my two. http://andysshed.callpress.net/2017/07/14/transatlantic-telephones-a-trio-of-500s/
Click the photos for a bigger image.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.