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Enough to make a grown man CRY like a BABY :-( AKA Ray's Colored AE Find!

Started by kleenax, October 24, 2011, 02:01:11 PM

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Dennis Markham

Awesome phones, Ray!  I am the same shade of green.....with envy! :)

AE_Collector

#16
I'm holding my breath to see how the red AE35 looks once Ray finishes it!

I was wondering about the light blue looking 1A with the key add-on on the bottom. It is sitting immediately to the right of the red 35 in the group picture. The bottom piece looked purple and the phone/handset are light blue. There was a light blue AE phone on ebaY recently that went for an astronomical amount because it was detemined that it really was the rare Orchid color that had lightened over the years to a light blue color. Could that phone you have be Orchid with an Orchid base that didn't discolor as much?

Terry

kleenax

Here's your answer sir.

This is, to my knowledge, the only known example of an original Orchid AE31B in existence! Oh, and as you might have guessed, the AE40 was also Orchid faded to baby blue.
Ray Kotke
Recumbent Casting, LLC

AE_Collector

#18
Unbelievable.

Now you've stopped crying and we've all started crying so the subject line of this thread is still accurate.

Looks like you've got this months mortgage payment covered.

You have to try to figure out the history of these.

Terry

kleenax

Terry;

I tried as hard as I could (always do when I find a special phone) to get as much provenance/background on these phones, but to no avail  :'(

The guy that I bought them from said that they were in the railcar when he bought it, and he didn't even notice them for about 10 years! By that time, they were about toast as you can see. By the way, this Pullman car is sitting in a field behind this guy's house, and is about 20 miles away from the nearest railroad track! And it's about twice as big as a regular caboose that you would normally see sitting in someone's yard.

Only thing that I can tell you is that the railcar came out of an old rail yard up near Cleveland, OH in the 60's.
Ray Kotke
Recumbent Casting, LLC

AE_Collector

It looks as though someone removed quite a few of the dials. Strange to have such a mixture of colors and different models. GREAT for a collector though!

Terry

kleenax

Quote from: AE_collector on October 26, 2011, 04:33:00 PM
It looks as though someone removed quite a few of the dials. Strange to have such a mixture of colors and different models. GREAT for a collector though!

Terry

Yes, and unfortunately,  it's about impossible to get a dial back in there because of shrinkage. I will try and devise some kind of fly-cutter attachment to my drill-press to "gently" and concentrically remove about 1/32" from the dial hole so the dials will fit.  I think that there were actually 3 loose gold-plated dials in there though, so all is not lost.
Ray Kotke
Recumbent Casting, LLC

Wallphone

Ray, Maybe you can modify one of those drill motor driven hones that you can find at the auto stores and "gently" hone it. The hone stones "float" so you don't have to worry about being on center like you would with a fixed tool.
Doug Pav

DavePEI

Quote from: Wallphone on October 26, 2011, 05:59:10 PM
Ray, Maybe you can modify one of those drill motor driven hones that you can find at the auto stores and "gently" hone it. The hone stones "float" so you don't have to worry about being on center like you would with a fixed tool.
Doug Pav
Actually, Doug - that is a great idea. It would probably work great. They cut only gradually, and would give Ray a lot of control... I envy you, Ray - they will be beautiful, I know when you are done!

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Wallphone

Since it is a blind hole he will have to cut the stones at the pivot point so they put pressure on the work.
Doug Pav

kleenax

Quote from: Wallphone on October 26, 2011, 05:59:10 PM
Ray, Maybe you can modify one of those drill motor driven hones that you can find at the auto stores and "gently" hone it. The hone stones "float" so you don't have to worry about being on center like you would with a fixed tool.
Doug Pav
I have honed a LOT of cylinders with those things Doug, and I think it would take about 4 year's worth of honing to get it big enough to fit the dial again! The honing stones just aren't made to remove much material; they are primarily glaze-breakers only. To make it even more difficult, the dial holes in these phones didn't shrink evenly; they are somewhat egg-shaped.

I will probably use an old dial-blank to center the tool and run it slow-speed to selectively true up the opening. That in itself may be enough to allow insertion of a 3" dial.
Ray Kotke
Recumbent Casting, LLC

AE_Collector

Quote from: kleenax on October 26, 2011, 04:47:32 PM
Yes, and unfortunately,  it's about impossible to get a dial back in there because of shrinkage. I will try and devise some kind of fly-cutter attachment to my drill-press to "gently" and concentrically remove about 1/32" from the dial hole so the dials will fit.  I think that there were actually 3 loose gold-plated dials in there though, so all is not lost.

I had the same problem with fitting a dial into my shrunken red AE40. I used a one of those round sandpaper coated drums in a drill press to gently enlarge the opening until a dial fit in again. A 40 is easier to do this to than a 1A though since the 1A has a back to the dial hole.

By the way, I moved this topic from the Find of the Month Board into the Collectors Corner Board. While most certainly a find of the month to end all find of the Months, I think Collectors Corner will be a better place for it along with the pictures of the restored phones.

Terry

kleenax

I was hoping that you would move this thread!  That was another idea that I had as well; using a small drum sanding attachment to sand it down slightly. Trouble is, I would really like to true up the "roundness" of the dial hole.
Ray Kotke
Recumbent Casting, LLC

AE_Collector

Quote from: kleenax on October 26, 2011, 10:01:12 PM
I was hoping that you would move this thread!  That was another idea that I had as well; using a small drum sanding attachment to sand it down slightly. Trouble is, I would really like to true up the "roundness" of the dial hole.

That's what I was trying to say...Drum Sander (thingie!) in a drill press. Yes I guess if the dial hole was obviously out of round you would have to do some slow methodical sanding.

I was thinking of moving this topic to the Flea Market / Yard Sale finds board but Dennis suggested Collectors Corner and with just a little thought that made perfect sense to me now that you are posting the before and after pictures here as well. I added a little to the subject line as well.

A very exciting thread for AE Collector(s).

Terry

kleenax

Quote from: AE_collector on October 26, 2011, 10:16:10 PM
Quote from: kleenax on October 26, 2011, 10:01:12 PM
I was hoping that you would move this thread!  That was another idea that I had as well; using a small drum sanding attachment to sand it down slightly. Trouble is, I would really like to true up the "roundness" of the dial hole.

That's what I was trying to say...Drum Sander (thingie!) in a drill press. Yes I guess if the dial hole was obviously out of round you would have to do some slow methodical sanding.

I was thinking of moving this topic to the Flea Market / Yard Sale finds board but Dennis suggested Collectors Corner and with just a little thought that made perfect sense to me now that you are posting the before and after pictures here as well. I added a little to the subject line as well.

A very exciting thread for AE Collector(s).

Terry

I LOVE AE phones the best!  Here are a "few" of the variants that I have cast over the last 5 years or so.  Hope it's OK to post these links. And to think, people still yell at me for not casting them fast enough for them!  :P

https://picasaweb.google.com/100244066488499036666/AutomaticElectricModel1ASAndVariants
https://picasaweb.google.com/100244066488499036666/TelephoneCreationSAE34Creations
https://picasaweb.google.com/100244066488499036666/AutomaticElectricAE40Creations
https://picasaweb.google.com/100244066488499036666/ClearAE50

( dead links 03-11-21 )
Ray Kotke
Recumbent Casting, LLC