My phone smells

[persido]

A few days ago I got my first Northern Electric 500 (I posted about it a few days ago).
I took it apart clean it, placed the shell into soapy warm water. It looks almost new.
I placed it on the night stand, then noticed a bad musky old smell comming from the phone.
I cleaned it again with Pledge, it smelt good for a few, then back to the bad smell. Has this happened to anyone else, is this common?

[gpo706]

It's that "soft plastic" smell from earlier WE phones, many threads here about it.

[paul-f]

It smelt good for a few, then back to the bad smell.

Time for an attitude adjustment!   

It's the "good" smell that lets you know you have an authentic early soft plastic phone!

Imagine how much better it will smell when you have the whole array of colors of soft plastic sets on the shelf!

Ahhhh -- the pleasures of phone collecting.

[HowardPgh]

Sometimes the old wiring inside can hold a smell. It can get mildew or the dust can be smelly.
Phone Collecting Can Be a Stinky Business
Howard

[George Knighton]

Well, how perfectly delightful.

I've just bought what I thought would be my one and only early 500, just so I had one, and I can't wait to find out how awful it smells.

:-)

[WesternElectricBen]

Drench the phone in Goo Gone. It will be an obnoxious citris smell, but better than a smoke or barn smell.

[LM Ericsson]

I think the citrus would still bother me. Possibly if you just let the housing air out or something. Honestly the odor will start to die out over a period of time.

[AE_Collector]

I opened up a couple of phones the other day that had the soft plastic type mold on all of the wiring inside. Pretty sure it is the same as the mold on soft plastic housings.

Terry

[gpo706]

Is is "Tenite"? I'm lucky my 500s and 554 seem to be hard plastic!

[david@london]

...............funny thing about the tenite smell thing,........... i have a black '52 500 which used to have a fairly strong musty, cheesy smell. now the smell is still there but is quite subtle.

i have 3 other tenite 500s, + they don't really smell of anything.

the 2 302's i have both have bakelite F1 handsets, which have a pleasant liquorice aroma.

[AE_Collector]

I think it builds up when the phone is packed away or in a closed display cabinet where as out on display the smell dissipates. They may have improved on the formula reducing the off gassing over the years as well.

Terry

[Western Electric]

Be Happy Your Phone Smells

[twocvbloke]

My WE500 has been really honking lately, keep catching whiffs of it even across the room from it, had to make sure it wasn't my feet or something cos it was that noticeable...