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Might Be A Blue 302 Underneath the Paint!!

Started by Doug Rose, November 15, 2011, 08:26:01 AM

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GG



Looks great, and a nice change of pace from the more common treatment that would match the dial fingerwheel to the handset.  The clear hookswitch plungers provide a kind of symmetry that makes your combination look correct. 

Though, to be just a wee bit picky, a dial number card showing a two-letter/five-digit combination would usually be used with a metropolitan (alphanumeric) numberplate.  For a rural (numeric) numberplate, a four or five digit number card. 

Nonetheless, it all looks original, and one has to wonder why WE didn't issue these with bare metal housings, or if corrosion was an issue, with some kind of clear protective coat.  Over time and with normal wear, the set would retain a newer look for longer, than occurs when black paint becomes worn and shows the metal under it. 

Doug Rose

GG...the dial card is a reproduction of my phone number. I did not want to cut a real dial card to make it fit. I have never stripped a metal 302 without at least a trace of corrosion, that that must be the reason. I am not a fan of clear coat, so I will leave it as is....thanks...Doug
Kidphone

GG



Doug, you might just start a trend here.   (Who's next?)

I'm sure all of us have (or can obtain at reasonable price) a metal 302 with paint worn off in all the usual places.  To my eyes, bare metal that's reasonably uniform looks better than paint that's all scratched up & worn off (the exception being rare historic pieces that ought to be kept as-is or, arguably, fully restored). 

Then come all the variations: black fingerwheel, bare aluminum fingerwheel, all with a black handset and black hookswitch plungers: those being fairly common combinations.

Question is, what to do when you find corrosion on a metal housing?


Doug Rose

Corrosion is the end of the line. I have not been able to take it out with a wire brush on a drill. Pending on where it is or how bad it is to be acceptable. Usually around the cradle ears and the edges around the bottom are the worst. At that point it is either painted or plated. Mine looks like it just came off the WE factory line, except for the Ivory paint. Totally amazing!....Doug
Kidphone

old_stuff_hound

Quote from: Doug Rose on November 15, 2011, 08:26:01 AM
I won this on eBay Friday with a buy it now. It looks like it might be a painted yellow (WHY!!!) Blue 302. The handset looks to be brown, but the shell sure looks to be blue! Why would someone paint it yellow. Was is WE, cord sure looks factory. I don't see any metal peeking out. I'll let you know....Doug

Ha! Maybe you found this one? ;-)


old_stuff_hound

Quote from: Doug Rose on November 21, 2011, 10:46:45 AM
Corrosion is the end of the line. I have not been able to take it out with a wire brush on a drill. Pending on where it is or how bad it is to be acceptable. Usually around the cradle ears and the edges around the bottom are the worst. At that point it is either painted or plated. Mine looks like it just came off the WE factory line, except for the Ivory paint. Totally amazing!....Doug

You can by some "aluminum welding rod" that's sort of half way between brazing rod & solder. I've seen people use it to fill pits in pot metal. I wonder if it would be possible to fill corrosion pits in phone bodies? You'd have to dress the repair afterward, of course, and it's possible the color of the metal wouldn't match. Although if it didn't it might be fun to do this:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/spray-on-chrome/1232328/

jsowers

Quote from: old_stuff_hound on November 23, 2011, 02:07:08 PM
Ha! Maybe you found this one? ;-)

Thanks for the laugh for the day! It's a very close match. Is that John Lithgow? And is the movie Buckaroo Banzai? I've never seen the movie. He sure has a crazed look on his face.

The phones are very similar, but the handset cord is different and you can see where they tried to paint the black cord yellow and it's still black in places.

One other comment I wanted to make on Doug's phone--do you think having all those layers of paint on it protected the metal? Corrosion couldn't get through all that stuff!
Jonathan

Doug Rose

Quote from: jsowers on November 23, 2011, 04:33:35 PM
Quote from: old_stuff_hound on November 23, 2011, 02:07:08 PM
Ha! Maybe you found this one? ;-)



One other comment I wanted to make on Doug's phone--do you think having all those layers of paint on it protected the metal? Corrosion couldn't get through all that stuff!
Jonathan....I'd like to say yes, but there were a lot of bare metal areas showing through, the reason I thought it might have been blue. Especially by the ears and on the front corners. Paint surely will protect metal and bakelite, but there were some rather large exposed areas.....Doug
Kidphone

old_stuff_hound

Quote from: jsowers on November 23, 2011, 04:33:35 PM
Quote from: old_stuff_hound on November 23, 2011, 02:07:08 PM
Ha! Maybe you found this one? ;-)

Thanks for the laugh for the day! It's a very close match. Is that John Lithgow? And is the movie Buckaroo Banzai? He sure has a crazed look on his face.

Yes, yes, and yes (in that order). It's one of may favorite cheesy movies -- a guilty pleasure. ;-)

I noticed the paint flaking off the cord, but only after I captured the still. In the movie it goes by so fast you'd never notice.

Cheers!

AE_Collector

Quote from: jsowers on November 23, 2011, 04:33:35 PM
Is that John Lithgow? !

Has to be him. I stumbled upon reruns of "Third Rock from the Sun" episodes here in Canada so the PVR is recording them all. I thought that show was hilarious and that John Lithgow is an excellent actor.

Terry

recrum

#40
Quote from: Doug Rose on November 19, 2011, 08:13:02 PM
Quote from: HarrySmith on November 19, 2011, 06:27:01 PM
Yes, the shell looks brand new, did you clear coat it or anything? That Brown bakelite handset looks amazing too! What did you use to shine it up like that? I have not had a brown one and the black ones are not easy to get a shine on!
Harry...after stripping....I used fine steel wool and Avon skin so soft. My hands are killing me from the stripper, two weeks in a row and the sh*t tears the rubber gloves apart. The skin comes off easier than the paint, but I'm not complaining

Thanks Dennis....I think it is a keeper....Doug

How long did you go with the steel wool before applying Skin So Soft on the handset?  I'm wondering if I just didn't have enough patience with the steel wool cause all the skin so soft just wiped right back off.

Doug Rose

Some handsets take longer than others. As you go over it with fine steel wool you will shine it start to shine, almost a glow. For stubborn grime, stripper or Noxon will help. If the bakelite has an orange peel or deep scratches it's time to toss it.

This works everytime for me, but there are members of the Forum who think I'm crazy ........and that doesn't work as well!!!  ???...Doug
Kidphone

recrum