Although this phone is in great condition considering that it is 127 years old it will need a top to bottom rehab. The first step is to disassemble the box.
Luckily, phones this old did not rely on the copious amounts of solder that later phones used. Most of the wiring is wrapped, not soldered. There are no nickel straps either. Disassembly involves removing screws.
Once the screws were removed, the metal parts were deposited in a barrel tumbler with stainless steel shot and water. Place a drop or two of liquid detergent into the water before sealing. The pieces were tumbled for 2 hours. They were removed and placed in 175 degree oven for 20 minutes to dry the remaining moisture.
The oak pieces were examined and it was determined that the backboard did not need to be refinished. The other parts were coated with Citru-Strip and the shellac was removed. The door needed to be treated twice, as some of the shellac clung to the moulded edges of the door. Use a toothbrush or scrub brush to remove the remaining stripper while rinsing under warm water. Once the stripper is removed, place wood pieces in a warm oven to dry them for 30 minutes.
The front door and the left side had some rough spots that required sanding. For oak, which is coarse grained, I used 80 grit sandpaper (I use a finer grain for walnut)
To restore the finish, I used a
Preval Spray System with a mixture of amber shellac. I have some red shellac flakes that I dissolve and add to a commercial shellac.
Spray wooden parts from all angles. Make sure that the front of the box is face down so that you do not get shellac on the front edge of the box. If you get some on the back side it is okay because that side will not show. I apply three coats. Between coats I let the shellac dry then rub it down with a #0000 steel wool to cut down the shine. Use a tacky cloth to wipe down the steel wool chaff before applying another coat.