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I have a hunch, just a hunch...

Started by WEBellSystemChristian, February 13, 2014, 09:45:41 PM

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WEBellSystemChristian

I just bought this 1956 WE 500 on eBay, and I have a hunch about it, one that my dad disagrees with me on. I have a $69 light blue 500 on my hands here, but I think that I have a Med blue underneath that coat of 58 year old paint. At least one of the caps is med blue, or so the seller describes as "Navy blue". I'm very strong about the housing being med blue, but not so sure about the handset itself. Well, I'll leave this one up to you guys.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151202036095
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WEBellSystemChristian

Also notice a small chip in the left front cradle ear, appears to be dark blue.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Phonesrfun

I vote for the light blue.  Just doesn't look like medeteranian to me. 
-Bill G

Phonesrfun

The phone has a 62 stamped on the base.  While it is unusual for a 500 to have the color code stamped on the base, it is not unheard of.  62 is the color code for Aqua Blue.
-Bill G

RotarDad

Christian - I think you might be right about that shell.  It looks dark like the earpiece cap where the paint is knocked off.  There appears to be one more spot near the lower edge in the front also.  The mouthpiece cap is certainly painted also, but the handset?  Hopefully it's all m-blue, then you can add a black dial and some grey cords after you get the paint off.....  Those fat cords on there are pretty nice and could certainly be used on another light blue phone as well.

There is another thread here about a similar situation where the seller agreed to take a pic of the inside of a shell - I think that light blue shell was indeed m-blue under the paint. You'll have to consult with the experts like Jorge Amely if you end up with a paint removal project....
Paul

Kenton K

Hmmmm...I wonder how difficult it would be to find a med blue bezel.
I'm certainly crossing my fingers!
-k

Kenton K

I'm also pretty sure the housing is painted. If you look were the logo is, it looks covered up. There are also a number of small scratches through the phone that look dark underneath. Last point is that the shell is looks way too shiny, especially on the ears where it reflects the light, which is characteristic of painted phones.

WEBellSystemChristian

#7
I asked the seller if they saw any paint chips in the handset, or any signs of it being painted, they said no. :( One thing that I could still do (although it wouldn't have been an original option for med blue) is have a black handset, cords, and dial, and make it a two tone set.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

paul-f

Quote from: Phonesrfun on February 14, 2014, 12:28:45 AM
The phone has a 62 stamped on the base.  While it is unusual for a 500 to have the color code stamped on the base, it is not unheard of.  62 is the color code for Aqua Blue.

The few color code stamps reported seem to have been on relatively early color sets in the late 1950s.

There is no refurb date, even though the housing does look painted.

If aqua, I'd be hoping for a 1956-dated aqua housing -- making it one of the earliest made.

It will be interesting to see what's actually there!
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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jsowers

That's some good spotting there, Christian. I think it's an early refurb because the cords look old. The dial may have been replaced sometime in the 1970s. You'll need another dial if you ever find a dark blue dial face.

It definitely looks painted to me and notice the caps on the handset are a much different blue than the rest of the handset, which may mean the handset is actually aqua blue plastic. The "62" stamp on the base could have been done by the refurbisher. You could find other colors under the paint besides dark blue. It could be dark gray or brown. I bought an aqua blue many years ago that turned out to be dark brown underneath the paint on the housing, and with pink caps on the handset under the paint. It also had old cords. What I call an "early refurb."

I haven't seen aqua blue dated before 1957. Good luck and let us know what it turns out to be.
Jonathan

WEBellSystemChristian

Well, according to eBay's estimate, it should be here sometime next week, not that eBay shipping estimates are ever right. I know WE made black dial med blue sets, but did they ever make a two tone one?
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

jsowers

#11
Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on February 14, 2014, 04:17:41 PM
Well, according to eBay's estimate, it should be here sometime next week, not that eBay shipping estimates are ever right. I know WE made black dial med blue sets, but did they ever make a two tone one?

The dark blue ones were never advertised, but I think we've seen evidence in BSPs that any of the eight colors could be used as a two-tone back then, by just swapping out the housing on a black phone. It could be done in the field by an installer if he had a color housing. The only colors we see in ads are red, green, dark gray and ivory.

But I have a dark beige two-tone that came from a basement in Schnectady, NY with the original card on it (under a stick-on), so I don't think it was someone's creation. Somewhere along the line it had the handset cord replaced, but it still had a part of the original station wire mounting cord attached with a vintage strain relief crimped on the end. The pic below is how it arrived, but after bleaching of the housing, which was more like brown than dark beige.
Jonathan

WEBellSystemChristian

Wow, what a beautiful phone! Well, at least it makes me feel a little better about installing a black handset. I'm already planning in advance for the phone's arrival. I have a 1-55 7D black dial cleaned and polished, and I have a 9-56 black handset lined up from my parts shelf, which needs buffing and and straight handset cord.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WEBellSystemChristian

#13
The phone came via USPS yesterday, I removed the caps and housing, and let out a shrieking "YESSSS!!!". The caps and housing are all med blue, dating 9-1956. The handset is through and through aqua, dated 1958 soft plastic.

So far, I added a 1955 black dial to the base, which I polished and cleaned. Unfortunately, the paint used seems to be Polane, since I can't even scratch the flecks of paint off on the inside of the housing with my fingernail. I started to remove the paint with Carberator Cleaner, which seems slightly harsh (don't worry, nothing bad happened to the housing or caps).

But, since tonight, my dad and I are trying a new alternative to paint removal, which we found from plastic model forums. It's called LA's Totally Awesome, and it seems to work pretty efficiently so far. It's basically a strong degreasing soap, and it seems to be removing the Polane pretty easilly (after ten minutes of testing it on one of the caps, I could scratch a layer of paint off with my fingernail), and it doesn't look like it affects the soft plastic itself. Well, I'm hoping for the best. I'm including a picture of the phone last night, after two hours of gently rubbing Carburetor Cleaner on the housing.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

paul-f

Great news!  Congratulations on your hawk eyes!   8)
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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