Antique Mall Western Electric 202... $20.00...One "Small" Problem

[Rigger1]

The headset is a black F-1.

[Jim Stettler]

Rigger1

Just a heads up.
This phone is in the running for January 2011 "Find of the Month"
The poll is running thru February 10th. Votes can be changed.

Jim S.

[Doug Rose]

What did you ever do with your Blue 202?...Doug

[DavePEI]

One safe way to remove paint from phones is Easy-Off oven cleaner. Spray it on, and let sit. Remove with a plastic tool or spatula. It works best to remove latex paint, wall painting drips, etc., but will remove enamels with multiple applications. Wash off afterward with clear water. Plastic will require slight buffing afterwards to bring back its original shine.

Easy-Off is caustic - wear rubber gloves

http://www.islandregister.com/phones/buffing.html

[GG]

And with any paint strippers:  SAFETY FIRST!

Do it outside or in a garage with the garage door open.  The less you smell the chemicals the better, because those things are not good for you.

NO smoking or other sources of fire, flame, or ignition, including electric or gas heaters, in the area where the work is being done.  Some of these chemicals have flammable fumes and can cause explosions. 

Wear rubber gloves.  Disposable latex gloves are always good for these kinds of projects (and I'm no fan of disposable anything, except where safety/health require it).   You don't want dissolved old paints on your hands because these may contain lead which is neurotoxic (rots your brain). 

After stripping paint, scrub down the surfaces with soapy mildly-warm water, and then rinse with plenty of cool water. 

Wash your hands when finished: lots of soap and mildly warm water.  Don't even think of touching food until you've washed your hands. 

[Rigger1]

Hey everyone, Thanks for all your advice. I finally got a chance to do a little work on the B1 today. I stopped at the local Menards and bought a product made by Zinsser called Magic Strip - Citrus Action. Safe for indoor use. It is still too cold for garage work here unless it is absolutely necessary. One application and about a 20 minute soak did the trick. I had to do a some light rubbing with a 0000 steel wool in a few spots, but over all the paint came off fairly easily. I rinsed the parts in plenty of water but I am going to go back and use some soap on them, that seems like a very good idea. Now my next problem. Has any one ever stripped a head set? The stripper says that it is safe for fiberglass, but I am very reluctant to try it on my nice headset. I am posting a picture of the case and finger wheel. I was also wondering what type of paint to use. I was thinking of several coats of a black lacquer, and then rubbing it out. Thanks again for all the help.  Bill

[Doug Rose]

Nice job. Bakelite F1 will strip no problem. If it feels lighter than a normal F1, its plastic. Very few were made of the plastic, so its most likely bakelite...Doug

[bingster]

Bill, check out this thread...

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.0

...for helpful painting tips.  A couple coats of primer, a couple coats of paint, and into the oven to bake.  That will give you a glossy, long-lasting finish.

[GG]

Re. paint and ovens:  Volatile paint fumes + gas burner (or even pilot light) in gas ovens = possible explosion hazard.  Someone needs to check on this.  Electric ovens may be safer depending on how hot the heating element becomes.  Sorry to go sounding like an amateur fire marshall but better safe than sorry.

I vaguely recall seeing pictures of the painting processes used on automobiles, where there's a section of the production line that appears to consist of entire walls of heat lamps.  Seems to me a setup using a few heat lamps (let's say one from each side) could be built relatively cheaply and could work safely to bake paint finishes on phones & other projects of similar size.  This would still be a garage process in order to keep potentially hazardous fumes out of the house (and the "no smoking or other sources of ignition" rule should still apply), but I have to believe it's safer than an oven. 

[Kenny C]

The paint has not exploded/Caught on fire with me and this is something i do quite often.

[Rigger1]

Hey Everyone, I made a little more progress today. I stripped the head set and it came out pretty good, how ever it is a fairly dull black color. I did get the case ready to be painted and got the first coat on. So far so good. I will post a picture. I was wondering if painting the headset was the right thing to do. It is going to look really dull next to the phone. Thanks,  Bill

[Sargeguy]

You mean the handset?  A shiny F-1 should be pretty easy to find.  An E-1 also but a little pricier.  I would go for an E-1, but either are correct, considering these were refurbished with F-1s later in life.

[Craig T]

Excellent start on it Bill, I agree, I like the E1 on this phone. Great find!

[Rigger1]

Hey Everyone,  I had a little time this morning, so I finally got around to reassembling the B-1. I have been working on it as time as time has allowed.

I painted the body of the phone, the hand set, and the finger wheel with a black lacquer.  (The finger wheel was  a bear)  Between coats I hung it just above the radiator in my work shop. I didn't check the temperature, but I am thinking it is about 100 degrees just above it when the boiler is running. It's hot to the touch. I did sand and Novus the finish lightly to get a shine, but didn't really go all out.

The dial I put in is not the dial that was in the phone, but another 4H I found the same day as I found this phone. It was completely rusted and frozen when I found it. With a lot of help members I managed to get it working well and have installed it it this phone until I have time to clean and oil the original dial.

I also reinstalled the faded blue cord for the time being. I was wondering what your thoughts were on dying the cord. I was thinking of trying to get it back to the original blue color. I would really like your thoughts on that. I am going to wait and see.

Thanks to everyone for their help and input.

Bill

[Dennis Markham]

Bill, your phone look great!  Considering the condition of the blue paint I may have done the same.  It would be great to find a Blue one that was a factory refurbished paint job. 

I hope you don't mind but I went to the liberty to put the "before & after" photos together.  Very nice job.  Tell us a little more about your painting method.  What type of paint?  Spray can?  Looks very nice.  I don't know what to tell you about dyeing the cords.  I'm sure someone will share their experiences with doing that with you.