News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

1960 Hard Plastic Light Gray WE 500

Started by Craig T, January 25, 2010, 11:20:18 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Craig T

#15
P 3 71

K 3 71

Are the codes on the inside of the caps. I just pulled it apart and I am embarrassed to say it is green. All I had to do was pull it apart to check b/c it is not like it will fade right through. This was a case of getting too many cool phones at once. Normally I go through them with a fine comb, but lately, I box them up or sit them on a shelf. Still, there are several small spots on the bottom cap the K 3 71 that show a baby blue color.

Time to get out the goo gone.

Yep, it polished off with Goo gone and some hard rubbing. It was obviously from banging it against the case. Well I am the goat on this one, time for the walk of shame  :D Can't believe I did not check something so simple  :-[  Thanks for calling it out McHeath   :)

The good news is I have a green 554 from my grandpa that needed a receiver, this will go nice. He may still have a blue handset then. I told him I collected phones about a month ago and he went out with me in the cold to find these phones in storage.

He said there were more bits and pieces, but I had my arms full twice and he had the car running to leave. I will have to mention it to him now. All of his other phones had all the parts (nice shape too) so he should have it somewhere. At any rate I love this handset, the G6s I seen had the black plate on them, I take it they are newer than this one? I like the look of the chrome plate.

At some point the green handset must have been on the blue case to get those marks on it.  :P

Dennis Markham

Craig, I thought that handset looked green in the photo.  Perhaps a G6 was need and all they had in the truck that day was a green one so it was installed.  That will work great on the wall phone.

Craig T

I thought it was amazing that is faded all one color  :o , lol. I will have to ask my grandpa when I see him tomorrow evening. If I am lucky he will say, let's go dig around for it!

Steve


That phone looks turquoise to me?

if you try a bleach solution (1/3 bleach 2/3 water) I think it will come back nicely.

nice that you have a history to go with it as well.
If you're a long way from home,
Can't sleep at night.
Grab your telephone,
Something just ain't right.

jsowers

Quote from: Craig T on January 26, 2010, 04:54:51 PM
It is my two face phone. 80% of the phone is just excellent baby blue and then there is the side that faced the sun  :'(

(snip)

So the case looks like it can be done. The handset has faded a nice even color, so I should just leave it, but I won't. It will either end up shiny or ruined, no middle ground over here  ;D  Thanks for the post, it gives me some hope that the bleach method could work for my phone. The fading is even, it just covers that one side. Should I just try to lay that one side in the tub at first, instead of the whole thing?

Craig, that looks like faded aqua blue to me (it fades to turquoise, but you can see hints of blue in the crevices and inside it should be a nice bright blue). You're going to need a modular handset jack for the side to go with that handset, which hopefully will be modular too and have a matching aqua blue coil cord. Maybe the handset jack is still inside the phone? Yes, that's a moss green handset you had with it, no question.

If you find the handset, go ahead and put the entire housing, handset and caps in the bleach water in the sun (as mentioned before 2/3 water, 1/3 bleach) and see what happens. Different colors do different things in the bleach tub, and sometimes smoke fade comes off better than sun fade. It's worth a try, anyway. I haven't had results as good with aqua blue I've had with light gray, though. You may want to turn the side that's the most faded toward the sun when you bleach it, in case that helps. But that's a moving target, I know.

You can always tell sun fade because it happens only in spots and not where the sun doesn't shine. Smoke fade is more evenly distributed, and very pronounced on the handset caps, where it even seeps into the holes and gets inside. About the only place smoke can't penetrate is behind the receiver element in the handset.

It's nice to have phones from your grandfather. Keep them. I wish I had the AE50 Jukebox phone that hung on my grandmother Sowers' wall for 30 years. Now all I have is the outline where it sat. I don't have any old phones from either side of my grandparents. Those are special phones.
Jonathan

Craig T

#20
I think I will try bleaching it face up first (the faded face up). The Mother's polish trick does not work with this one, that seems to work well with smoke and not at all with sun fade  :-\   I have extra handset jacks on parts phones. The one that was on there had a large chip missing from the side, so I took it out. I am still hoping to find the handset.


I agree with you both on the history part, my grandpa has like two dozen grand kids and 5 of his own kids, for him to allow me out of all those loved ones to receive some of his lifelong treasures has been and is truly an honor for me. We spent a lot of time together recently and I got the chance to learn a lot about him. His life stories will be as cherished as any one of those items.

Thanks for the advice gentleman, I look forward to warm weather to get this project started!  :)

Craig T

#21
I finally figured out the dial cards and this phone looks much better with this one. Does anybody have another online source of dial card scan besides this one?


http://www.telephonearchive.com/numbercards/index.html

Greg G.

Quote from: Craig T on February 03, 2010, 09:34:55 PM
I finally figured out the dial cards and this phone looks much better with this one. Does anybody have another online source of dial card scan besides this one?


http://www.telephonearchive.com/numbercards/index.html

The dial card looks fine to me, I like the way it's a different shade of gray than the phone.  But why do the numbers 5 and 6 not have finger holes?  Or is the finger wheel on backwards?
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Steve

If you're a long way from home,
Can't sleep at night.
Grab your telephone,
Something just ain't right.

Craig T

#24
Quote from: Brinybay on February 03, 2010, 09:44:44 PM
Quote from: Craig T on February 03, 2010, 09:34:55 PM
I finally figured out the dial cards and this phone looks much better with this one. Does anybody have another online source of dial card scan besides this one?


http://www.telephonearchive.com/numbercards/index.html

The dial card looks fine to me, I like the way it's a different shade of gray than the phone.  But why do the numbers 5 and 6 not have finger holes?  Or is the finger wheel on backwards?


Lol   :D :o :-[  you got me Briny and boy have I been pulling some doozies over here lately. This one adds to that list! So much for anyone taking me seriously  ;D ;D

The gray card is perfect on this one, but I was looking for other colors. I love this Bell logo, if I could find it in all colors I would put it on every phone I have. I especially need something for a Moss green and all of my black Bell 500 phones.

Thank you Steve and Briny for the kind words. Here is an updated photo.... again.  

Steve


Well,

seeing as that phone has a defective dial, I'm going to be nice and offer you 15.00 American for it. you can thank me later. :)
If you're a long way from home,
Can't sleep at night.
Grab your telephone,
Something just ain't right.

Craig T

I don't know Steve we are talking Utra Rare here... I did not see another one on ebay with the backwards dial. In fact this is the first time I have captured the illusive beast on film  :o    ;)

Steve


Well, since yours has the "European"  style dial, I would feel comfortable offering 20.00 .

but you will have to let me know right away, as I am going out of town and this offer expires at midnight....
If you're a long way from home,
Can't sleep at night.
Grab your telephone,
Something just ain't right.

Jim Stettler

Quote from: Craig T on February 03, 2010, 10:44:11 PM
I don't know Steve we are talking Utra Rare here... I did not see another one on ebay with the backwards dial. In fact this is the first time I have captured the illusive beast on film  :o    ;)

I have heard rumours of rumours, that  these (Bell "backward" dial) sets were sometimes produced in the training section of the  Western Electric assembly line.  Supposedly none of these examples ever made it out of the plant.

They were called "Bassackward dials", after their inventor.

The original source of this rumour  was attributed to a WE assembly-line Trainer.

Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

McHeath

It's a very good looking phone, and the dial card suits it well.