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#1

Forum News / Re: What do you like about The...

Last post by Greg G. - Today at 09:59:40 PM

My guess is that you are just taking a break from phone collecting.
I have taken collecting breaks, sometimes for several years.

Eventually, I find a cool phone, it causes me to unbox some of my stash to compare and then (without warning) I start buying again.

I still attend at least 1 show a year, even when  I am not collecting. I sell off some phone stuff and buy at least 1 show find.
I have attended at least 1 show a year for the last 30 years.
I got lucky in 2020 by attending the January 2020 FL show. I was planning on a Fall show as well, but COVID happened.
I hope to hit a Fall show in 2021.
JMO,
Jim

Now that I'm retired, I've found other things more important, and I have no place to display.  I do have a few, mostly in the attic. They're hard to part with, except for one apartment phone and a barn phone.

#2

Collector's Corner / Re: Passing on your Phone Coll...

Last post by Greg G. - Today at 09:04:06 PM

heres a good question... how does one make sure that their telephone collection stays within these collector groups when he/she passes on...

Two reasons.  I got married.  My wife's house is small, no place to work on them or display them.  Divine Providence was the other.  150 phones were packed and stored in the attack.  I sold nearly all of them via this website.  I have a few left.  I'm looking for a place online to do that, but after several years, it doesn't look like anybody is on here anymore. 

#3

Collector's Corner / Re: Passing on your Phone Coll...

Last post by Greg G. - Today at 08:40:06 PM

When I do pass on I'm taking my collection with me. I will be buried in my phone booth with my phones and signs.

Be careful, somebody might look you up in "Find-A-Grave" and bring a shovel with them!

#4

General Discussion / Re: Who among us has the newes...

Last post by MaximRecoil - Today at 07:03:48 PM

My 2003 Cortelco 500 does not mute the dial either.  And it was fresh out of the box when I opened it a couple of years ago.  I piddled around with contacts and such, moving this to here and there, nothing helped.  I assume that the network that Cortelco makes does not have the capability to mute the dial clicks.

Ah I found it.  See attached.

Important things to note pertinent to this discussion:

Bottom of page 2: where it explains the 425D network is intended for use in rotary dial equipped sets

Bottom of page 4: on the 425K network, the dial pulse capacitor at terminal F is omitted, and it is intended for touch-tone equipped sets.

So, I bet you these later Cortelco networks are missing the capacitor between terminal F and the resistor that goes to RR (see fig. 5 in the attachment).

Muting the receiver while dialing has nothing to do with the network. The two white wires from the muting leaf switch on the dial are connected to the two white wires that go to the screw terminals on the receiver element in the handset. When that leaf switch closes it shorts the receiver's terminals together, and that [mostly] mutes it.

To troubleshoot a receiver that isn't getting muted or isn't getting muted enough when it's supposed to, connect a jumper wire directly to both of the receiver's screw terminals like in the attached picture and then try dialing. If the pulses are muted sufficiently that way, you know the problem is being caused by high resistance somewhere in the mute circuit, probably the leaf switch itself, but it could also be a bad wire, a bad termination of a spade connector, or a loose screw terminal.

#5

General Discussion / Re: "Grain" pattern in Tenite?

Last post by MaximRecoil - Today at 04:36:00 PM

About 2.5 years ago, someone asked how they could test a 554 housing to see if it's soft plastic or ABS plastic.

I did some testing and posted this:

It's a valid, easy and simple test in that soft plastic is dissolved with isopropyl alcohol and ABS is not at all affected by alcohol.

Yeah, I found that out the hard way with my 1957 shell many years ago, before I'd ever even heard of Tenite / "soft plastic." I'd always cleaned my newer Western Electric phones (ABS) with isopropyl alcohol, but when I started to do it with that 1957 shell, it damaged it almost immediately. Then I researched it online and found out about Tenite.

Fortunately, it wasn't a very good shell to begin with. It had been "modularized" and because the square notch they'd cut into the bottom for the modular jack created a stress riser, a crack had developed in the corner of the cutout. I super glued it back together many years ago (before the alcohol incident) and it's still holding. On top of that, it had been over-polished before I got it, most likely on a buffing wheel, and it was part of a "Frankenphone" (a mixture of Western Electric, Northern Electric, and ITT Kellogg parts from wildly different dates). I was able to fix the alcohol damage with sanding and polishing with Novus.

But after you're familiar with both Tenite and ABS, it's easy to tell them apart just by the look and feel of each one.

#6

General Discussion / Re: "Grain" pattern in Tenite?

Last post by countryman - Today at 04:33:34 PM

Correct, Tenite (CAB) can be chemically sanded using alcohol including ethanol (rubbing alcohol, denatured alcohol). That's how I improved my 302 which arrived in very poor, scratched condition. ABS or polystyrene won't be affected by alcohol, but by acetone.

#7

General Discussion / Re: "Grain" pattern in Tenite?

Last post by TelePlay - Today at 04:02:51 PM

About 2.5 years ago, someone asked how they could test a 554 housing to see if it's soft plastic or ABS plastic.

I did some testing and posted this:

If you put a small drop of 70% Isopropyl Alcohol on a clean area inside the case and let it dry by itself over several minutes, if it leaves a ring in the plastic that can be felt when running a finger tip over the spot, it's soft plastic.

If it does not, it's ABS, hard plastic.

It's a valid, easy and simple test in that soft plastic is dissolved with isopropyl alcohol and ABS is not at all affected by alcohol.

#8

Western Electric Pay Phones / Host number for programming my...

Last post by Seymour70 - Today at 03:48:18 PM

Having trouble programming. When I dial 1-888 -213-1795 just rings and rings and doesn't pick up. Is there an alternative number that anyone knows? Thanks for your help, Bill

#9

General Discussion / Re: "Grain" pattern in Tenite?

Last post by MaximRecoil - Today at 03:08:02 PM

Its definitely there on my (1949) 302 - the individual perception may vary.
But apparently Eastman Kodak used the Tenite brand for different formulas or compounds based on cellulose acetate, butyrate or propionate or mixes of them all. The presence of the smell may have been reduced or even removed while it is still "Tenite"
A funny observation: The English Wikipedia has different articles for Tenite and for CAB (cellulose acetate butyrate). The former more emphasizes the perishability of the material, while the latter points out it's durability. Like they were talking about completely different things.

CAB is still used for niche products like quality tool handles for it's comfortable grip and mechanical strength, so I more tend to believe the latter article. The issues with the film spools mentioned in the first article may have their own reason, maybe added softeners?

The stuff Western Electric used for early black 554 shells (and presumably early black 500 shells too, though I don't have any of those) seems to be plenty durable, considering how many of them still exist after 70+ years with no cracks nor noticeable shrinkage/warpage. It does scratch easier than ABS does, but it's also easier to polish out the scratches. And I like the look, feel, and sound of it a lot better than ABS.

#10

General Discussion / Re: "Grain" pattern in Tenite?

Last post by countryman - Today at 02:33:29 PM

As for the cheesy smell that people often mention, I've never been able to smell it, not with this 1958 shell nor with my other black Tenite 554 shell from 1957 (7-21-57).

Its definitely there on my (1949) 302 - the individual perception may vary.
But apparently Eastman Kodak used the Tenite brand for different formulas or compounds based on cellulose acetate, butyrate or propionate or mixes of them all. The presence of the smell may have been reduced or even removed while it is still "Tenite"
A funny observation: The English Wikipedia has different articles for Tenite and for CAB (cellulose acetate butyrate). The former more emphasizes the perishability of the material, while the latter points out it's durability. Like they were talking about completely different things.

CAB is still used for niche products like quality tool handles for it's comfortable grip and mechanical strength, so I more tend to believe the latter article. The issues with the film spools mentioned in the first article may have their own reason, maybe added softeners?