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A Selection of British / GPO Endcaps

Started by FABphones, September 15, 2020, 07:49:13 AM

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FABphones

Following on from the endcap info/photos on this thread:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=24311

I have today pulled out this bag of spares and taken a few random photos, both sides, for ref.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

FABphones

#1
These are exactly as received, in all their years of grime. Those who are prone to 'tickle tummies' are advised not to view up close.

First photo shows front view, second reverse view, etc...
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

FABphones

#2
Next set:
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

FABphones

#3
Final two, inc ITI.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

Jack Ryan

Good idea to list the caps.

Trouble is, even though they are listed as 60 to 100kB, if they are downloaded, they are half that and the moulding marks are hard if not impossible to see. There is no way to zoom them in place either.

Is there a problem posting higher resolution pictures? Are they being down-sampled when posted?

Perhaps it is just me and I need new glasses.

Regards
Jack

FABphones

#5
Quote from: Jack Ryan on September 15, 2020, 10:11:05 AM
Good idea to list the caps.

Trouble is, even though they are listed as 60 to 100kB, if they are downloaded, they are half that...

...Is there a problem posting higher resolution pictures? Are they being down-sampled when posted?...


Thanks for bringing that to my attention. They should be large when viewed. Am attaching two photos to this reply via a different device, perhaps it is something my iPad is doing when I download. Clicking to view an image below will confirm...

ETA: Looks like my iPad adjusts the size when downloading. I will need to move the photos to this device, remove the above photos, and download again.
Except I deleted them so I will have to recover them first.

Will get it sorted for you later. Don't have your dinner before you look at that first endcap up close - truly yuk!
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

Jack Ryan

Quote from: FABphones on September 15, 2020, 10:27:40 AM
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. They should be large when viewed. Am attaching two photos to this reply via a different device, perhaps it is something my iPad is doing when I download. Clicking to view an image below will confirm...

Terrific, I can see the molecular structure again.

Regards
Jack


FABphones

#7
Changed the photos on the first two posts. Do they work for you Jack?
I kept getting errors and page hanging when trying to save so just those two took a while all took about an hour to amend.

If they have worked I will try to amend the other posts Done. Should expand for you now.

:)


A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

Jack Ryan

All is good now, thank you. I actually answered the question before you asked it.

I don't wish to impose or take your post off on a tangent but there is a bit more information that would be really useful. Can you add the material from which the caps are made?

The Earpiece No 22 contains the code shown on the attached image. This means it was moulded by GEC for Western Electric (or Standard Electric depending on when it was made). The code "BA" is the material code and as the cap looks like Bakelite and the code looks like an abbreviation for Bakelite, I assume  that "BA" is the (or a) code for Bakelite.

It would help of you could check the cap and verify that it is Bakelite.

If you find a material code on an Ebonite cap, that would be interesting to know as well. And urea, and melamine...

I know it's a pain but whatever you can do would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jack

FABphones

No probs, didn't see your reply as was busy tooing and froing with the photos. Glad all are nicely viewable now.

Would need to check that last cap on reply one, but they felt like Bakelite (cleaned up so much Bakelite I can usually see and feel the difference between country of origin/age, but will double check if you think I have made an error, good to learn).

I will pull a few more out when I get a mo and add.
I don't « do » colours but I have Red and quite a bit of Ivory.

———

I also have a spares box of Spitcups (and another of assorted 164 type handsets). I may start a thread for those too.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

.....

Now that's an interesting collection of end caps.

Jack Ryan

#11
Quote from: FABphones on September 16, 2020, 03:12:26 AM
No probs, didn't see your reply as was busy tooing and froing with the photos. Glad all are nicely viewable now.

Would need to check that last cap on reply one, but they felt like Bakelite (cleaned up so much Bakelite I can usually see and feel the difference between country of origin/age, but will double check if you think I have made an error, good to learn).

I will pull a few more out when I get a mo and add.
I don't « do » colours but I have Red and quite a bit of Ivory.

———

I also have a spares box of Spitcups (and another of assorted 164 type handsets). I may start a thread for those too.

Caps and mouthpieces are likely to be celluloid, composite, Ebonite and Bakelite - probably in that order with time. Coloured mouthpieces were probably urea or possibly cast Bakelite but I don't think the GPO used those.

Black "bakelite" handsets were Bakelite (phenyl formaldehyde). Coloured handsets were Bakelite (dark ones and early only), urea, possibly melamine, Diakon and polystyrene (then ABS). I'm not sure if the GPO used any melamine but (at least) Ericsson made it.

I don't see much coloured stuff so I have trouble identifying some. It would be good to be able to connect the material codes with the actual material.

Regards
Jack

Jack Ryan

Quote
Would need to check that last cap on reply one, but they felt like Bakelite (cleaned up so much Bakelite I can usually see and feel the difference between country of origin/age, but will double check if you think I have made an error, good to learn).

The cap No 22 with material code "BA" and the cap No 23 with material code "I" both look like Bakelite.

There are ivory telephones also marked "I" (sample attached) which are not Bakelite.

So what exactly does the material code mean?

Jack