Baking Handset Cords Question

[bingster]

That was one of the first cords I did Jorge and it was bad! Nearly stretched out straight. I baked it twice and it came out nice, but not quite like the others. It was so dry it will need a third session down the road. It was a bit tighter after it was done, it has settled to this point.

It was from 1946 out of a 302. Here is a pic of the cord before and after...

Craig, I guarantee you don't need to bake that one again.  If you just reverse the coil on the whole cord, I bet it will be very tight.

[JorgeAmely]

I think one run through the oven is all you need. We once had a sales person from National Cable visit the company and he mentioned that once the cords have been through the oven and cooled down, they reverse the coil turns to get them ready for shipment.

[Craig T]

You bring up a good point gentleman, I will try and reverse the coils on the next cord I bake. I am sure I have some more stretched out ones on parts phones. I will dig something up and try it over the next few days and report back.

Thanks for the push in the right direction, -Craig

[bingster]

You don't always need it, though.  For example with the 302 cord you just did, if it's not as tight as you want it, you'd go ahead and reverse the coil now.  You bake it first, then if it's not tight enough, you reverse the coil after.  In other words, it's not part of the baking process, it's something extra you do afterward if it's not tight enough.

[Craig T]

That would explain why the cord was so tough to reverse before baking it. That thing was like trying to wrestle a wet pig, I finally gave up   It kept unwinding itself on the dowel.

The 302 cord is vastly improved but it is no where near tight. That may be the new candidate then. So do I re-bake it and then reverse it or I just reverse it now before re-baking it?

[bingster]

Just reverse it, and you'll probably find that it requires no further attention.

[Craig T]

Well, I have another doozy to ask... can I bake a cloth cord?

I have the handset cord from my most recent 302 that is in nice shape, but it is choppy.

Initially I thought no problem the wires inside are rubber coated and they will reform, but I am unsure if the material can handle the heat. I understand that some of these cords are made with silk.

[Jim Stettler]

I know that guys on the listserver used to microwave/Freeze cloth cords. You have to encapsulate the metal before nuking. ISTR paraffin wax for the spade tips. I don't know what they did for the cord stays.

I would probably use the "Black Bag Car Window" method.

I have thought about using an old aquarium instaed of a car window.
Select your site, set up the cords and flip the aquarium over them.

JMO,
Jim

[Craig T]

What if I were to put the cord on a dowel and them use the clothes steamer to settle it out? Anybody ever do anything like that?

[Jim Stettler]

I would have concerns about staining.
JMO,
Jim

[Craig T]

Why would steaming it stain it?

[Jim Stettler]

How much dust do you think settles into an old cloth cord?

I have seen waterstained cords on colored 302's.

I wouldn't want to risk it unless I had an old cord for expermental purposes.

I think the Black bag/sun method is probably the safest.
JMO,
Jim

[Craig T]

This particular cord would be cleaned with woolite first so not much dirt actually. If you think the water will do that alone then I better hold back.

Sounds like the black bag for this one.

[Jim Stettler]

If you clean it first then the I wouldn't be so concerned. The staining I saw was on several Ivory sets and a rose. I think it was from a dirty cord getting wet.

My next thought is will a clothes steamer get the whole cord evenly warm, andfor enough time? I am thinking that if the cord doesn't stay evenly heated that the coils may not all turn out the same tightness.

This is all speculation .
Jim

[Craig T]

I did some deep Google research and came across this site. Silk in the oven is NOT a good idea. I don't know how much of the cord is silk or if this one even is. Just a word of caution to anyone thinking of trying it...don't.

http://chestofbooks.com/food/household/A-Manual-Of-Home-Making/Fabric-Burning-Test.html

Read the last line under silk. Sounds just like what I was going to do with it, set it on a dish and put it in the oven, YIKES!