News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Whoops I did it again... (UK stuff)

Started by gpo706, August 11, 2009, 08:47:55 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

gpo706

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350215099172&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300336387975&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250474102772&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

The Dictograph comes with a black 706 thrown in "cheap as chips", fills in a colour gap.

The chrome wallmount cost more than the darn phones, pretty rare though it means I can convert one of my 706 junkers to a wallphone.

(I bought a job lot of 10 junk 706's without dials from Telephonelines last year, managed to get 3 Ivory's and 1 grey up from the remains).

The discreet dial is fab, I'm going to screw it to the underside of my desk wired to a blanked off dial set, my mates kids are gonna love it...

Luckily I don't have a wife at the moment, or probably for the forseeable future...
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

bingster

I think those are all great finds.  The dial mount is very cool, and small, rare accessories like the chrome wall adapter make a collection fun.
= DARRIN =



gpo706

Thanks for your moral support Bingster, though I doubt many close to me would understand why I spent £14 on a bracket!

Need more shelving...
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Phonesrfun

-Bill G

McHeath

Oh I get it, spending enough money for a nice dinner out on a funny shaped piece of chrome bracketing.  That is super cool that you can take a 706 and turn it into a wall phone, didn't know that was possible.  

foots

gpo706, that dictograph is one cool machine, I can't beleive you got it for so little, especially with a phone thrown in as lagniappe. Please post some pictures of it when you get it.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

gpo706

Here's one someone made earlier...

http://telephonesuk.co.uk/images/706_wall_red.jpg

Imagine it with a dial, you simply invert it, although I've notice different cases dont have all the knotches to seat the dial upside down.
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Stephen Furley

#7
I think that inverted wall-mount modified 706 was a 1/706, wasn't it?  They were never very common; the purpose-designed wall 'phones with the handset rest at the top, 711 and 741 I think from memory, were much more common.

Other makers had a similar idea of reversing the dial to make a wall 'phone.  Look at the Stromberg-Carlson 1543 'Crab Claw' and Leich 105 'Converta Phone' here:

http://www.ericofon.com/catalog/classic2.htm

I think these pre-date the GPO version, but I don't know who first had the idea, or when.

gpo706

That "crab claw" is the same principle, the Leich version has a dual purpose hanger, very, very clever.

I still think the US companies were much copied by us Brits, especially when it came to the 706/746 designs and the modular wiring.

BTW whats the designation for a chrome clawed 746, I only ever seen 706 screw-in versions?
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Stephen Furley

Quote from: gpo706 on August 12, 2009, 08:38:14 PM
BTW whats the designation for a chrome clawed 746, I only ever seen 706 screw-in versions?

Was there ever such a thing?  I've never seen one.  The adapted 706 seemed to be largely replaced by the purpose-built 711 in later years, so maybe the 746 was never adapted, and a 741 was always used when a wall model was required, but I don't know for certain.

gpo706

"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

Stephen Furley

That's a new one on me; I've never seen one of those before.

gpo706

Hi again Stephen,

Had the cradle sitting about for a few days so last night decided to mount a grey 706 junker I had cosmetically restored to a CB set with a blanking dial, and after much effort, managed to get the chrome lugs off, repalce it with the bracket and find a decent bit of my (rotten) walls to take the screws in and hold the weight without it dropping off on my head in the middle of the night, (it's right over my bed).

So far so good.

So tonight I'm bored, I have 3 706 creams in various shades which I have resurrected and work fine but who wants 3 desksets in the same colour?

And why not have a working machine on the wall?

So takes the grey CB off, removes the fiddly bracket off it and removes the equally fiddly chrome fixing mounts from one of the Ivory (more like cream weathered) ones, I decided because it has a very tight handcoil and slips in desk use as it has only been hand cleaned not soaked to free it up a bit.

Loosen the dial on the cream one, and rotate 180, make sure its level then tighten.

Fine, so far so good.

Then affix the lovely chrome bracket on the cream body, a bit of a wrangle with the fixing lugs bit of brute force and a pair of pliers and its in.

So now just to remount the cream chassis onto the holes I had in the wall before.

Merde!

The grey one was a a metal chassis 706 with holes in it, the cream one is plastic chassis and no predrilled holes only marked recessions in the moulding.

So now to dig out the hand-drill and a suitable sized bit to make the holes, after much vexed searching, I had the drill, but there isn't one damned wood bit to be found in the tool drawer.

Sod it, heres a set of masonry bits, surely they will work on plastics, and glad to say they did fine.

The last hurdle was lining up the 3 holes with the screws (2 top, 1 bottom), to align it perfectly horizontally on the wall, luckily I knew exactly where my spirit level was to hand.

Then you replace the case, with some flexing and muscle power, again the hookset fit through the holes till you experiment with the screws holding the bracket, adust one too tight the other isn't interested, bit of expermentation and screw them in TIGHT.

So now its on the wall, try a dial test, - nothing but crackle, try again and it works, magnifique!

Now the dial centre is upside down?

I have no idea how it managed to rotate 180, unless I did it earlier and forgot, so out with the sucker cup and set to it.

One last thought, once you start with a seemingly simple swap like this you end up spending half your waking hours a lot of knuckle skin and end up perspiring like a miner off a 12 hour shift.

Then you sit back, relax with a large nip and a cigar, admiring your exertions, and say "ahhhhhh, the cords are the wrong way round..."

"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

McHeath

QuoteThen you sit back, relax with a large nip and a cigar, admiring your exertions, and say "ahhhhhh, the cords are the wrong way round..."

Hilarious!  I know just the feeling on a 706.  I spent a lot of time on mine, set it up on the missus desk all ready to impress her after scrubbing and cleaning and doing the mods to make it work well in our modern age.  She picks it up and Shazam, it hits me, the cords need to be moved around.


gpo706

The dictograph and black 706 arrived today, well packed though still didnt stop the dictograph mouthpiece losing one of the grille bars broke in two, at least the bits are still there so should glue back ok.

The 706 has an original line cord, buts it's green! fair bit of rust oxidation near the body plugs should clean up, the dial is jammed doesn't want move more than a centimetre, no worries got spares, or can try and clean the innards.

One thing I didnt notice from the pics was the 706 has its original dial lable "Cardiff 868681 Extn' 217. obviously from a big company/office, also has a redial button fitted, well I think its a redial its just says "PRESS".

The "touche"/"bum" stamp is GPO706L FWR 66/2, so a refurb from '66 GPO Factory, Cwmcarn, Wales (Refurbished), metal base.

It has superficial scrape and the usual white paint flecks on it (why is always WHITE paint eh?, didnt they have any other colours back in the day?).

Will polish up fine, funnily enough same post came a "watch reciever" (also black should pair up ok). It's a single earcup with a curly cord you just double on the handset line for surveillance or two folk on the end of your line at once.

Should make an unusual set, If I'm not too keen I might get some pics along the way.
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"