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AE 183 Spacemaker Disassembly & Reassembly

Started by Greg G., September 24, 2009, 03:26:21 AM

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Greg G.

Well, I learned something today.  I was getting a little frustrated because I couldn't get more than a polished "matte" finish on the handset, the high-gloss look was alluding me.

To make a long story short, I set the handset aside and started on the dial cup.  Then I remembered something about the sanding process in another thread where they (sorry, don't recall who) said to sand in opposite directions with each higher grit, but do so until the lines from the previous (lower) grit were gone.  That's what I wasn't doing, sanding enough to remove the previous lines.

So I'm rather pleased with the way the dial cup turned out.  I wish I had a better before pic.  This is after I did a more thorough job of sanding, then buffed it with Novus 2.  I'm going to hit it again with Novus 1, but not until all the other parts are done.  I've been using Ryobi buffing attachments for my drill.  I prefer that because of the variable speeds and it's just easier to handle.

I'm going to redo the handset, but after I fix the gouge.  I'm taking it with me to Tap Plastics and ask them what they recommend to fix it.  It's too deep to sand out, although I made sure I was hitting it well while sanding it to at least smooth it out a little.

I couldn't get that green paint out of the AE emblem w/o completey sanding the emblem away, so I'm just going to leave it as is.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

#1
More pictures of the progress.  I'm going to leave the cups as they are.  I buffed them with Novus 2 and 1.  They're a (expletive deleted) to sand anyway.  The main cover looks ok, could be a little better, but it too has some deep nicks that can't be sanded out, so I want to try to fix those too.  Unfortunately, a power wash in the dishwasher did not remove that stubborn green paint from the handset cord, so I'm not sure how to get that off, I don't really want to invest in a handset cord just for that.

Oh, one other thing, the switch hook.  Is there anything different about that chrome-colored plastic?  Can it be sanded the same as any othe plastic?  I don't know how to remove it, so I'm going to sand it in place. 
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

stub

Brinybay, Hey I just found your 183 and looks like your headed in the right direction. I wouldn't sand hookswitch, hard to get lines out, just novus#2 till you think your hand will fall off!!  I've had good luck with liquid dish detergent, straight up, + baking soda, give a good scrub by hand for handset cord. The AE logo , hottt water with same dish detergent,( no baking soda here). Soak till soft and use tooth picks to scrape it off .  It works well for me. Then give the whole thing a good polish with novus and it will look great!!!!!!!! PS . Be very carefull with two clips that hold the logo base on they will  s n a p, crackle, p o p !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck, Stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

Greg G.

Glad you posted this just now, I was thinking I really need to prioritize finishing this, it's been laying here in pieces for how long now?  I used some "putty" (resin and hardener) with some black pigment to fill in the gouges on the handset and cover, I need to sand those off and see how they turn out.  Thanks for the tips!
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

#4
The experiment with the resin and pigment turned out ok.  I'm not going to be real picky because I just wanted to see how it worked.  The "filler" turned out lighter than the plastic.  I think that's because as I was mixing the resin, hardener, and pigment together, the stuff becomes the consistency of dry clay, so I added a little water to make it more workable, which probably diluted the pigment.

The pics are after I sanded and buffed them.  I only sanded the area on the handset where the gouge was, I will go back and resand the entire handset.  The body is ok.  You can still see where the gouges were filled in, but you cannot feel them when you rub it with your finger.

Another thing I tried was I invested in an inexpensive 1/4 sheet power sander and used it on the body cover.  Worked fairly well, reduced what would have been a tedious hour or so of sanding to a few minutes, although changing the sheets as I progressed to finer grits was a bit of a hassle.  
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

ntophones

That looks very, very good, even if the pigment doesn't quite match.  I know that is hard work.
--nto

Greg G.

The camera exaggerates the contrast quite a bit.  Looking at them with the naked eye, they aren't that noticeable.  For the nicks on the body and the smaller ones on the handset, cleaning them out real well and filling them with super glue probably would have sufficed, but that large gouge on the handset needed some filler.  Lesson learned for next time:  Add more pigment when you add more water to the mix.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

stub

#7
Brinybay,
       That looks like a great job to me. A little wet sanding with 1500 and 2000 grit  and that baby should slick right out. Keep up the good work.
       I thought I might take an old busted housing, of the same type I'm working on, and grind it to a powder and try mixing it with epoxy to see if I can get the same color. Sometimes some epoxy will give that smooth shiny as glass look, but I can't seem to remember which one it was!!! If it's not written down anymore I forget!  Later , Stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

Greg G.

Quote from: stub1953 on November 15, 2009, 12:22:26 AM
Brinybay,
        That looks like a great jog to me. A little wet sanding with 1500 and 2000 grit  and that baby should slick right out. Keep up the good work.
        I thought I might take an old busted housing, of the same type I'm working on, and grind it to a powder and try mixing it with epoxy to see if I can get the same color. Sometimes some epoxy will give that smooth shiny as glass look, but I can't seem to remember which one it was!!! If it's not written down anymore I forget!  Later , Stub

Somebody else here said they just mix it with super glue.  When working on a 500 style desk set, they got the shavings from a rib on the inside of the main cover.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

#9
How are the dial wires routed?  Over or under the dial cover?  (I didn't take a before pic).
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

stub

Brinybay,
        They go over. Just keep them clear of mounting screw holes. They can cause the cover to have a hairline crack if they get trapped under one or more screws
        That old phone is looking good. Good job!! 
Kenneth Stubblefield

Greg G.

#11
Ok, FINALLY got around to putting this darn thing back together.  (And I meant it when I said I'll NEVER take one of these apart again!) Couple of problems.  

1. It doesn't work anymore, whereas it was before (other than not having a ringer box).  No dial tone.  I don't diagram the wiring, I take pictures, but in this case the before pics were kind of hard to see, but I studied them carefully and am fairly sure, but not 100%, that they are connected correctly.  I need some help on the wiring.  

3 sets of wires:

1. The dial wires you can see in the pic above.

2. White, red, black, yellow and green coming from the part that the switchhook interacts with (sorry I don't know the technical term for it).

3. The handset wires - Red, yellow, green, black.


Second problem.  I have a left over part that I don't recall where it went and it doesn't show in any of the before pics.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

stub

#12
Brinybay,
              The first few I put together didn't work either. Take all the wires loose and start over. The first thing I thought of was strap on #3 to #2, but I saw it in pic.
              Just take a break and come back and start with the dial, then go to hookswitch and then hookup the hand set .
              Try this diagram. Good luck!!! You can do it !!!   stub
                                  Never saw that extra part before in any of my 183's
Kenneth Stubblefield

Phonesrfun

I cannot see everything in the picture, but it all looks in order.  Here is the hookup as taken from the diagram stub just posted:

Line cord goes to 15 and 16.  (don't use 20 GRD)

Dial Red-4
       Blue-1
       Yellow-11
       White-3

Switch Red-11
           Yellow-3
           Green-4
           White-15
           Black-16

Handset Red-5
              Yellow-4
              Green-2
              Black-2

If you unwired the wires from the dial itself, check to make sure that is back the way it should be.  If in doubt, don't hesitate to ask.

Also, make sure you haven't robbed the receiver or transmitter out of the handset for another project and forgotten to put them back!  (Been ther, done that).  Also look in the handset and make sure the red and green are connected inside in the transmitter cavity.  Make sure they are making good contact.  Check that black and yellow are hooked to the receiver element inside the receiver cavity.

I do not for the life of me recognize the extra part.  Looks like a spacer or something.  Hard to tell from just the picture.

-Bill
-Bill G

stub

#14
Brinybay,
 Sometimes on the #3  and #2  connections the spade lugs get bent up and ground out the handset with the hookswitch mount. Also check wires that come thru the opening where the hookswitch locking screw is , it's crowded in there and a wire sometimes gets grounded when you tighten the screw to anchor the dial head and hookswitch position.
Let us know if we can be of any more help, I 'm sure it's something simple!!!
                                                                                                             stub
Kenneth Stubblefield