AE Monophone Strowger Pax Dial Cleaning & Lubrication?

[Max]

I recently came into possession of this telephone which, despite having seen better days cosmetically, is mostly functional: after replacing two broken wires inside the phone, it rings for incoming calls and I'm able to answer and speak with the caller.

What does not work, however, is the dial. I'm able to turn the fingerwheel to a number, but then it just sits there and won't go back to the original position unless I push it. Thanks to this post, I was able to remove the fingerwheel and number plate and give them a good cleaning, but as I'm completely new to working on dials, I'm hesitant to go any further in messing with the mechanism - at least not without seeking some of your guidance first.

Can my problem be solved by cleaning and/or lubricating? If so, can someone specify which parts I should clean/lubricate, and what I should be using to do so?

Thanks for any guidance!

[TelePlay]

Thanks for finding my topics about cleaning AE dials.

Being new to phones, if the dial were "slightly" dirty, I could offer a few steps to clean and lube the dial without disassembly.

But your dial is quite dirty and dry. I would not even try to turn the dial to prevent the dirt from being further ground in and possibly damaging the dial parts.

The best thing to do is to send your dial to Steve Hilsz for complete and inexpensive cleaning, oiling and adjustment.

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4384.0

If Steve is not available for this work, send me a PM (Private Message) through the Forum and I'll see what I can do for you.

[TelePlay]

Can you post a good, full picture of this phones base (showing the ringer and everything else)?

[Max]

Here you go. Note: I replaced the broken wires after this photo was taken.

I'm also attaching a photo of the phone in its current state after peeling away much of the blue and brown paint.