Wooden Wall Phone Terminals - Replacements?

[scottfannin]

Here is something I can't find so far with Google.  Those terminal brackets used in just about every wooden ringer box or phone.  The problem is, each device that is missing some puts you further in the hole.  So you can always have more wooden boxes than you can terminals.  I love to use those black plastic things for experimenting but they look awful and anachronistic to say the least in a real phone.  My next move is to try to buy some medium thickness metal and cut/grind it and then make holes for the brass terminal screws (which strangely ARE sold everywhere) with a threading die tool.  Labor intensive and presumably will to some extent show it was done by me though.  I've attached a picture since I'm not even sure what their real name is.  Anyone seen these for purchase somewhere?

[Key2871]

Have you looked at old phone works?
I seem to recall another place but the name escapes me right now..

[scottfannin]

Didn't see them on places like that.  I found some dismembered equipment of various kinds on eBay, which could be worth chopping up if cheap enough sometime.  I also made an interesting discovery that could work for me.  I've been making "Amish components" where I need a condenser.  Quarantine is forcing a lot of creativity.  So I make what looks like a toy block.  I don't have a router so I take a drill press and one of those spade bits for drilling big holes in wood and mostly hollow out the block.  Some shatter but I'm stuck here all day so it doesn't matter and I just make them and some live.  I paint it badly with black paint or stain it well with Minwax.  Then I hide capacitors inside and make my own condensers!  They're just fake enough that nobody is going to think I'm trying to rip them off, but just convincing enough that they look nice inside, say, a local ringer box converted to common battery.  So my assistant and I are looking at these and making a sort of Doctor Evil laugh when we realize we have blocks of wood and boxes of different drill bits.  What we REALLY need now are the right strips of metal.  But once we have that, what we do is drill three rows of holes in a small block of wood.  Two holes are fairly big and open.  The middle holes are pilot holes for small wood screws.  We drill three holes into little strips of metal (that's the part I'm still figuring out, what item can I get delivered, not pay much for, and then sacrifice?).  We use a die to cut even just a few threads into the two bigger holes.  Use the wood screw to fasten the pieces down.  Now we have metal strips, and they have spaces for two terminal screws that are actually in air under the strip, but LOOK like they just go right into the wooden block.  Not as cool as the ones that screw into the sides of the boxes just under the lids, I have to admit.  But they will look quite convincing, unlike the plastic terminal strips they would be imitating.  To summarize--wooden block, three rows of holes, metal strips, three holes, middle screw holds strip down, other two screws are terminal screws that hang in air in bigger holes underneath the metal strips.  Any ideas what could be sacrificed?  Bed frame is too thick.  Foil is too thin.  What is just right and doesn't yet know it's going to die for the cause?

[Jim Stettler]

Jerry Williams used to have hundreds of those for sale at the Kansas phone shows.
As it turns out he is the part time office manager for ATCA
I would try  reaching him thru this page
https://atcaonline.com/contact.php

edit>> After reading the page, the email address is for membership questions, you may have better luck writing or calling.
ATCA
P.O. Box 2805
Salina, Kansas 67402-2805
785-404-9282
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Some one one this forum should have Jerry's phone number . They may be able to PM it to you.