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S.H. Couch walnut two box

Started by Thomas, November 17, 2021, 06:39:04 PM

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RB

Tom.
Both Key and poplar are correct.
No cap needed if no connect to a Land line.
You mentioned you may like it to ring as an extension.
That would require a cap in line.
Take a look at this pic.
It is a very basic LB phone circuit, much like, "but not necessarily your phone"
The basics are the same.
Your phone wiring will be very much if not just like this.
As far as the magneto and ringer, you can connect a magneto to a ringer and by turning the crank, make the bells ring.
You don't need an ohm meter to do this.
Just wire it up and try it.
If the bell coils are good, it will ring.
You can go as far as you wish with this restoration.
Start with a good magneto, wire it to the bells, and try it.
If it works, and you wish to go farther, you will probably need a transmitter, receiver, and a hook switch.
Assuming you do not already have working ones.
They are available, even if not original parts.
It is your phone, do what you wish.
That is the fun part of it, versatility!
There is a circuit that is very easy to build that will allow you to place this phone on a CB landline and use it to receive calls.
There is no dial, so if you want one, that would be an extra build.
But it is also possible.
Good luck, and post pics of your progress, pics are pleasing!
Regards

Thomas

RB,
Your reply is very encouraging, thanks. Right now I'm concentrating on the box, all the wood. When that's done and the phone is put back together I'll start with another magneto and see what happens. Not sure just how far I'll go with this but is nice to know I could go all the way if I wanted. Regarding the magneto, I'm hoping to get a used one that won't break the bank. The one I have I believe had three magnets, is that the size I should be looking for.? Will a larger one be too much? When I comes to wiring it up I'll come back here for advise. I'm amazed at how fine the wires are coming off the coil of the ringer! Thanks again for the help. Tom

RB

Tom
The size and magnet count of a magneto does make a difference...
But not for what you want to do.
A 3 bar magneto is plenty, a 2 bar will work. "may need to crank faster", more bars will make it stronger, but not a problem.
Try to find one physically the same height so the crank lines up with the hole. it may not, you may have to modify the hole in the box??? if you cannot find a match.
THe switch configuration may be different too, but also adaptable, in most cases.
A lot of sellers on ebay are very proud of their magneto's...
If you have trouble finding one at a good price, look for other crank phone models that have a comparable magneto to be a donor.
Regards

tom.adams1

Thomas, the ringer in your phone is a Williams Abbott and are a Williams (Same Co), see ext ringer excert from catalog and also the design patent for the ringer frame.
I'm sure the SH Couch transmitter is an add on, not the original. Not sure if the phone is a Williams but could be. Good luck with the restoration

tom.adams1


Thomas

RB, thanks for the info. on magnetos, good to know.

tom.adams1, Very interesting that you think it's a Williams phone and not a Couch. It's funny but when I removed the transmitter from the door I thought it was a crazy kind of way for a phone manufacturer to install a transmitter, just seemed kind of wrong. That said you are probably right that the transmitter is from an S.H. Couch phone and the rest of the phone is something else.

RB, thanks for the info. on magnetos, good to know.

Thomas

Not sure if I should start a new thread with this question but I'll ask here first. Does anyone have images of the inside of a two box wood phone similar to mine that is working? I'm curious to see how parts are set up in relationship with each other. The magneto in this phone bolts with two bolts to the bottom of upper box, it lines up with the hole for crank. I have the receiver hook, and the spring, which lines up with three holes in the bottom. I have some other little parts that may have something to do with connecting the receiver but not sure.When I get a new magneto I want to make sure it is small enough to allow the receiver hook to be set up even if I have to jury rig it so it goes up and down with the weight of the receiver. Pictures of other set-ups would be helpful. I can't find a picture on line of any two box phones that show the insides so I thought some of you guys must have some pictures of your own phones.

On another note, I talked yesterday with Ron Knappen about this phone of ours thinking he could tell me something about it who made it. I sent him pictures but he said pretty much what everyone here has said about it, in fact I got more info. here. I asked about magnetos and he said he, his wife Mary actually, could put magnets on my magneto and it may or may not work. The cost was way more than just buying a used one that works so I won't be doing that. We had a nice conversation although a good part of it on his side was him talking to his wife about random things, it was funny. He seems like a great guy and so full of knowledge, it was nice talking to him.

Doug Rose

Thomas ...here is a picture of a woodie I found at a yard sale a few tears ago.

As it turns out is was a put together woodie.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=22316.msg225373#msg225373

When you say you want it to "work" are you just saying you want the gongs to ring when cranked? These beauties will not work on today's phone systems....Doug
Kidphone

Thomas

Doug, I don't want it to work as far as getting a dial tone. I just want a magneto that will power the ringer when it's cranked. I also want the receiver hook and it's spring to work as far as going up and down when the receiver is removed etc. I want to make sure I can use the original receiver hook, jury rigged in there, and still fit a replacement magneto. I'll post a picture of what I'm doing with the parts that came with the phone so you can better understand. The receiver hook on your phone mounts differently than mine. Thanks for the picture it does help.

Doug Rose

good news Thomas....keep us updated...Doug
Kidphone

Thomas

#25
Photos of receiver hook set up. Can you tell me what the long bolts with flat spots are and the plate that they seem to go in? Sorry photos are turned, haven't  figure that out yet.

< edit 11-23-21 : images removed, rotated, reattached >

Doug Rose

Kidphone

Thomas

Wow that's a good price. It seems to be much bigger than mine though and I really don't want to redo hole for crank, want to at least leave the outside original. Also because of the way my receiver hook mounts on floor of box I think there is no room with that magneto. Thanks for the heads up though.