Western Electric Bakelite "E-1" Handsets

[Ktownphoneco]

Hi All  ....   Earlier today I was looking through YouTube video's for a program that's suppose to be coming up on "Public Television", called "All About Bakelite".     It's the story of Leo Bakeland who invented the product, and the early uses of Bakelite.     It's not on YouTube yet, and I couldn't find a time or date for the program to be aired in my area, but I did run across an old black and white video called Bakelite Manufacturing 1936".     In it, there is a short segment that shows the production of Western Electric's "E-1" handset.    Here's the YouTube link to the video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umM21vFIc7Y

The segment starts at around the 2:34 (minutes / seconds) point, and ends at around "3:20".      It would appear the at the factory tech drops a jig into the mould area which probably holds the 2 brass rings, brass terminals and the copper wire conductors connecting the receiver cavity to the transmitter cavity.     It then appears he drops in a large container with most likely, pre-measured quantities of the resin powder.   Then the heating press moves into position, and drops into the molds.    It then shows the heating press opening, and the technician removes the handsets and knocks loose any jigs that haven't released on their own.   He then shows the finished "E-1" handset handle to the camera.

Interesting.    Have a great evening. 

Jeff Lamb 

[Western Bell]

Jeff,

That is one of the most interesting and education videos I have ever seen. Nice that they showed the pressing of E1 handsets as one of the examples. The educational content of that video alone is priceless to this forum and I hope that link stays active forever.

Thanks for finding and posting it, a real contribution to this hobby.

[Key2871]

Very interesting, I never knew that it was pressed, I thought it was cast as modern plastics are injected into the mold.
Thanks for finding and posting that segment.
I suppose heat as well as compression was used?
Very cool Jeff..

[Desert Phone Guy]

What a great Video!  Bakelite was king back in the day.  Is anything made of bakelite today?

[Ktownphoneco]

Yes, it's still quite common today.      The handles on some makes of clothes irons and toasters are Bakelite, as are handles on some cook ware.    Electrical breakers in electrical panels are Bakelite, and some of the more heavy duty wall switches that run electric motors and such things.     Some heavy duty commercial light fixtures are still made from the material as well.    I'm sure there's more things still made from Bakelite today than I can think of at the moment.    But it's out there.

Jeff

[FABphones]

Thanks for finding and posting the link for that Jeff. Very interesting.

I think that clip dispels nicely the thoughts that some have re Bakelite having a 'coating' on the exterior. The manufacturing process shown shows it to be the one 'powder' placed in those molds. The heat produced must have been quite some working temperature in there too. Super thick heat resistant gloves as well.

Love the way he knocks them out of the jig, many of us Bakelite collectors will be having palpitations at the thought of handling it so firmly. It really was quite the thing back in the day.

[Ktownphoneco]

Your all welcome, my pleasure.     Fab:   Yes, your right, the Bakelite forms a very shinny "skin" as it cools and becomes the exterior finish.     Once the Bakelite resin is heated, and forms whatever it is that's being made, it can't be re-heated and turned back into a liquid.     Once it's cast, that's it.       

Have a great day.

Jeff
   

[Dan/Panther]

Right after the segment on the AE handset, I noticed a small hand held electric razor. I didn't know they had them that small back in 1936  ?

D/P

[Ktownphoneco]

I noticed that too, and was surprised at it's size.   I thought of the old Schick electric shavers and how bulky they were.     

Jeff

[19and41]

As a part of our industrial arts curriculum in high school, we got the opportunity to make various items from the bakelite resin powder.  I date myself as I remember I made my folks 4 ash trays, similar to those sold at the local 5 and dime.  The other choice was to make plastic checkers, which would have been difficult in use as we only had speckled black powder.  It required a hydraulic compression molder with heated molds.

[Jack Ryan]

Very interesting, I never knew that it was pressed, I thought it was cast as modern plastics are injected into the mold.
Thanks for finding and posting that segment.
I suppose heat as well as compression was used?
Very cool Jeff..

Bakelite for telephone cases is moulded (compressed at high temperature & pressure) with a filler such as wood flour in a mould.

Bakelite can also be cast without a filler. Cast Bakelite can be brightly coloured but is brittle and not suitable for telephone cases.

Jack

[HowardPgh]

This is one of my favorite bakelite things. I use it all the time.

[cchaven]

In the late 1940's Admiral made some console television sets that had one piece bakelite shells, such as the 20x122 using a 10" CRT.  It was supposedly one of the largest single pieces of bakelite cast. 

[oldguy]

I remember when a Simpson 260 was THE state of the art multi-meter.

[19and41]

Here's my bench Simpson.  They made good analog meters.