Clear plungers on a WE 500?

[HobieSport]

Can someone tell me again about clear plungers and when they were used on the older black 500s?  Just that I'm looking at an early 1950s 500 and it has clear plungers and I'm wondering if they are original or part of a refurb.  Thanks in advance.

[Dennis Markham]

Hobie the plungers on the early black sets were black, made of Bakelite.  That would be through mid to late 1959 on any of the soft plastic sets.  Colored sets had clear plungers.  I don't know WHY they were that way but they were.  Another thing I cannot explain is why the photo of the early 1940-1950 set shows it to have clear plungers (or sometimes called hook switch buttons).

[benhutcherson]

Every black soft plastic case I've seen has had black plungers, and every hard plastic case I've encountered has had clear plungers.

So, based on my experience, it seems as though the switchover coincided with the switch from soft to hard plastic.

By the way, I've seen black soft plastic from as late as '63.

[HobieSport]

Thanks Dennis and Ben about the plungers.

Also, I thought the changeover/ cutoff point from soft to hard plastic was in '58-'59.  But Ben you have seen a black '63 soft plastic?  Six or seven hole receiver do you remember?  Ah the age old adage for Ma Bell; "Anything goes" and may I add "One never knows, do one?"  Well, at least I don't know.

[benhutcherson]

The '63 soft plastic set I have is a 554. It's pretty thoroughly old-style, with a G1 handset and metal fingerwheel. The receiver cap is 7-hole, though, and I think it's thermoplastic(I'll double check later).

Unlike older soft plastic sets, the date is molded in on this one, as it is on the hard plastic sets. It's definitely soft plastic, though.

[Dennis Markham]

I think there has been some discussion on these soft plastic sets in the past.  I know that it was discussed on the telephone collector's list serve.  The consensus was that phones in black were continued to be made with Tenite (soft) into the early to mid 1960's as many have surfaced that appear to be soft plastic.  I think though that no one had a set in color that was made after mid to late 1959 that was still soft plastic.

[HobieSport]

Thanks guys, that does clarify things some about soft/hard plastic in black/color sets.  So...another advantage of black sets; I can maybe still find a black 3-23-'60 birthday 500 for my sister that smells like an old goose!