Sani-Clean Finger Wheel vs AE Easi-Clean Finger Wheels

[Doug Rose]

I have already stated how much I love old dial cards to make a good phone...great.

Finger Wheels have the same affect. AE made their own Easi-Clean finger wheels in Brass Factory Painted Black and Nickel.

WE did not make any but a Company called Sani-Clean made them. Some had the numbers imprinted on the finger wheel, others did not. Made in Black, Brass and Nickel.

The last pics is an unknown make that has an opening but is still has a piece of metal. I have never seen another one like lit....Doug

[oldguy]

Great info Doug, thank you.

[kleenax]

I have already stated how much I love old dial cards to make a good phone...great.

Finger Wheels have the same affect. AE made their own Easi-Clean finger wheels in Brass Factory Painted Black and Nickel.

WE did not make any but a Company called Sani-Clean made them. Some had the numbers imprinted on the finger wheel, others did not. Made in Black, Brass and Nickel.

The last pics is an unknown make that has an opening but is still has a piece of metal. I have never seen another one like lit....Doug

Doug;

actually, it is Chrome-plating, not nickel.

[Doug Rose]

Thanks Ray...you are correct....Doug

[ReneRondeau]

Those look great! But I'm wondering what about having that notched section was expected to make them more sanitary? Everyone still touched the same finger holes, and the porcelain plate underneath.

[paul-f]

The missing metal simply made it easier to clean under the fingerwheel.

The AE catalogs list theirs as "cutaway dial finger plates."

https://www.telephonecollectors.info/index.php/search?q=cutaway+dial+finger+plate

[Jim Stettler]

Those look great! But I'm wondering what about having that notched section was expected to make them more sanitary? Everyone still touched the same finger holes, and the porcelain plate underneath.

>reply to old post, while browsing the forum<

I think the sanitary concept is that it is easier to clean the porcelain dial plate .

kinda like 'sanitary' glass mouthpieces, they still get spittle, but they can be boiled to kill the germs.
Jim

[Witty]

Excellent Post Doug.
I have one of each, AE and aftermarket WE. The one with the numbers is awesome, and very rare I think.

Ken

[Witty]

Just to expand on it a little further.
The Spanish Flu pandemic occurred during WW1, and focus increased a lot on sanitation in the years following. Not to forget that TB became a big focus in the late 30s and thru the 40s and 50s. Many firms developed sanitation devices for their products and many used sanitation advantages to help sell their products.
The glass and porcelain mouth pieces were some, along with sanitation devices to cover mouth pieces. Being able to clean finger wheels and dial plates easier fit the bill at the time.

[Jack Ryan]

As far as I know, AE was the only manufacturer to officially release a cutaway finger plate and this was in the late 1930s. The use of sanitary items started around 1900 and extended past the flu epidemic of 1919 almost 20 years before AE released the cutaway finger plate.

AE made no mention of the sanitary properties of their cutaway finger plate - instead they stated:

The "cutaway" plate is a new design, developed to increase the visibility of the dial number plate.

and, almost as an afterthought:

The cutaway portion of the finger plate also makes it easier to keep the number plate perfectly clean.

The latter being a reference to dirt rather than germs.

I have not researched the company "Sani-clean" but it seems more into marketing than cleanliness. It does not appear to use the word "sanitary" when describing their cut away finger plate. What appears to be the patent for the WE cut away finger plate does not mention "sanitary" - it's all about visibility. It references other patents that are also about visibility with no mention to "sanitary".

It appears to me that these finger plates are all about visibility but they are also easy to dust.

Jack

[Doug Rose]

Excellent Post Doug.
I have one of each, AE and aftermarket WE. The one with the numbers is awesome, and very rare I think.

Ken

thanks Ken...I have never seen another like it. I found it on a 202 in an Antique store in Maine many years ago. The 202 was overpriced, but I had to have the finger wheel....Doug

[Witty]

Jack,
I appreciate and respect your opinion, but respectably disagree with your conclusion.
First, the fact that the word sanitary was not mentioned in their descriptions, in my opinion, means nothing.
The AE statement that the cut away made it easier to keep the number plate, not only clean, but "perfectly" clean, tells me that was their primary emphasis, and not an afterthought, as you suggest.
If you have documentation showing this was simply an afterthought, please submit it.
As for the WE after market dial, when I see the name Sani-Dial, the thing that first comes to mind is a sanitary connection. I asked my neighbor, and my two kids, what they thought when I showed them this dial that was named Sani-Dial. They all said it was obviously some connection to a sanitary use of the phone. Why else would they call it Sani-Dial? Again, the open visibility area made it easier to clean.
As far as dirt vs germs, germs live much longer in dirt and grime than on a hard clean surface.
The increased visibility of these dials makes it much easier to keep the number plates clean, and I feel that is the primary function of these dials.
Your comment at the end, making it easier to dust? .... Well, I'll hold my thoughts to myself.

[TelePlay]

For what it's worth to anyone, additional info as found.

Attached images from: http://www.phonemandave.net/westernelectric6.htm


A 2013 Forum Discussion:  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8681.0

of the Sani-Dial aftermarket wheels being sold by the TCI

(sadly a very low resolution image linked below was posted at the TCI site:  https://www.telephonecollectors.org/store/SANI-DIAL.jpg )



Another Forum discussion:  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=16797.msg173511#msg173511

[kleenax]

thanks Ken...I have never seen another like it. I found it on a 202 in an Antique store in Maine many years ago. The 202 was overpriced, but I had to have the finger wheel....Doug

I hear ya Doug!
I have bought $65 WE 302's just to get the dial and dial card when it was REALLY cool!  Always simply sold the 302 later for "close" to what I paid for it.

[Doug Rose]

I hear ya Doug!
I have bought $65 WE 302's just to get the dial and dial card when it was REALLY cool!  Always simply sold the 302 later for "close" to what I paid for it.

Ray...I think we have all overpaid at some point, but for me this was well worth it. I have never seen another like it. I have enough of regrets for phones left behind, I am glad I paid for this beauty....Doug