I Can't Stay Away from the Flea Market - Red Continental

LarryInMichigan · November 06, 2011, 09:59:13 AM

This morning, I was a bit disappointed by the selection at the flea market, but then I saw a red WE Continental. It was marked $80, but I got it for $60. The paint is in pretty good condition. The handset cord is a bit frayed near the handset, but it looks salvageable. The mounting cord is missing though. There was a long piece of solid core phone wiring in place of the mounting cord.

The finger wheel is badly damaged. It looks like someone forced it off. Will an open-center finger wheel from a #7 dial fit? The dial is a 4H, dated II 36. For some odd reason, someone soldered a wire from the BB contact to one of the contacts on the dial. The inside of the shell is dated II 37. One of the base plate screws is missing. The center of the receiver cap is broken and held with tape on the inside.

If anyone has a base plate screw, finger wheel, and/or red cloth mounting cord to spare, please contact me.

Larry

Doug Rose · November 06, 2011, 02:01:38 PM

Nice find Larry. That is a tough finger wheel to find, it fits on #4 or #5. See the very cool flange for mounting it. A #6 or #7 clear fingerwheel will not fit on it. I think you'll have better luck installing a 6D dial than finding that finger wheel...Great phone....Doug

LarryInMichigan · November 06, 2011, 06:16:21 PM

I do not have a spare 6D dial, but I do have a 6A which I could probably paint. Would a #6 dial in red Continental be white on the sides or red?

Larry

Dennis Markham · November 06, 2011, 06:37:13 PM

Nice phone, Larry! The dial housing should be white in the Continentals.

LarryInMichigan · November 06, 2011, 06:48:21 PM

Thank you Dennis. I think that I might cheat (don't tell anyone!) and paint the housing with some glossy latex wall paint which I have lying around. I can expropriate the open center finger wheel from a 500 which is in a box in the basement.

Interestingly, the dial housing in my green Continental (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5548.15) was painted green to match the phone.

Larry

Dennis Markham · November 06, 2011, 08:00:56 PM

Larry, I was only basing my response on the sets that I have...which may not be accurate. Mine all have dial housings painted white, including two of my green Continentals.

LarryInMichigan · November 07, 2011, 12:08:13 PM

I just tried an open center finger wheel from a #7 dial with the adapter from the 4H dial, and it does fit properly. The later finger wheel is noticeably thinner than the earlier type, but it looks good enough. Here is a picture of the adapter piece.

Larry

jsowers · November 07, 2011, 01:46:17 PM

I've seen that same spider on very early color 500s, from 1953-54. They use the standard clear open center fingerwheel. Below is a picture from an ivory 11-54 500. It also had the biggest "hairball" of any dial I have ever seen. Or you could call it a spider egg case.

I hope nobody was eating.

LarryInMichigan · November 07, 2011, 02:16:37 PM

I have been throwing away the hairballs from my dials. Should I have kept them?

Larry

gpo706 · November 13, 2011, 10:32:19 PM

Folks I have a box full of genuine GPO/BT hairballs, dead insects, belly button fluff and toenail clippings, starting from 10 bucks a pop plus postage.

PM me if interested...

GG · November 14, 2011, 02:48:53 AM

I don't think that's a hairball. It might be a dust bunny.

Anyone know the proper BSP reference for identifying the difference?:-)

jsowers · November 14, 2011, 10:32:43 AM

Quote from: GG on November 14, 2011, 02:48:53 AM
I don't think that's a hairball. It might be a dust bunny.

Anyone know the proper BSP reference for identifying the difference?:-)

Hairball: made of hair
Dust bunny: made of dust

This one is actually made of hair. Red hair. I like to think it was from Lucy's house.

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I Can't Stay Away from the Flea Market - Red Continental