A Western Electric Princess phone I picked up last year. Manufactured April, 1960. Sadly one of the prongs of the modular plug has broken off.
Number PULEAZE! Part One:
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A Western Electric Princess phone I picked up last year. Manufactured April, 1960. Sadly one of the prongs of the modular plug has broken off.
A Western Electric C/D 500 set manufactured December 1964. This phone was hard wired. Notice how thick the wire to the wall was. This is just like my parents bedroom phone when I was growing up.
soapgirl
Member
Funny story about a Pennsylvania Bell installer. My 13th birthday present was a phone in my room. Those were the days when you were allowed to let repair men into the house before your parents were home from work. The Bell man came right after I got home from school. I watched him string the line down the hall from my Mom's room to mine and put the jack in. He plugged the Trimline phone in. He did the callback to test the phone. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. After he got the third phone from the truck and still had the same results I told him I knew what was wrong. He said "Kid, if you can tell me what's wrong you can have my job!" So I told him that the callback only worked when he was hanging up on the base, and never worked when he hung up on the handset. He tried it. I was right. He gave me the turquoise color phone I wanted and left in a huff. Mom got home just a bit later. She was fit to be tied when she saw the installation. Joe Lineman had stapled the line from her jack, along the baseboard down the hall, over and around two doors into my room instead of fishing a line through the wall. She called the phone company, demanded a supervisor, and gave them a piece of her mind. They came out the next day and fixed it, and at a time Mom could be there to supervise.
justjunque
Well-known member
Louis,
After my grandmother passed away, I rented her apartment for a while, before buying a house.
She had a black, hardwired 500 in her bedroom.
When I was moving out, family members told me to take the phone with me, because nobody else wanted it. They probably would have thrown it away.
I still have it, but it needs cosmetic restoration, and to be rewired for modular.
If I'm not mistaken, it's all dated March of 1954.
Barry
After my grandmother passed away, I rented her apartment for a while, before buying a house.
She had a black, hardwired 500 in her bedroom.
When I was moving out, family members told me to take the phone with me, because nobody else wanted it. They probably would have thrown it away.
I still have it, but it needs cosmetic restoration, and to be rewired for modular.
If I'm not mistaken, it's all dated March of 1954.
Barry
Very cool Barry. There are various ways to polish up that phone. And rewiring it to a modular cord is a cinch. Click the link, I think this would be the appropriate line cord for your 500.
http://www.oldphoneworks.com/cord-line-vinyl-spade-modular-black-round-7.html
Barry, try some Brasso on that dial bezel and see if it removes the white film. Pry up the number plate at top dead center and then loosen the nut underneath it so the finger wheel can be removed to allow easy access to the whole bezel.
Brasso will also shine up the handset and case. Unless that phone saw refurbishing, it should still have its heavy original bakelite handset.
Here's what you need to put on that hard wired original mounting cord so it can be plugged into a modular jack (no need to buy a whole new cord). You might be able to find one cheaper than this ebay listing:
https://www.ebay.com/i/111524722273?chn=ps
Brasso will also shine up the handset and case. Unless that phone saw refurbishing, it should still have its heavy original bakelite handset.
Here's what you need to put on that hard wired original mounting cord so it can be plugged into a modular jack (no need to buy a whole new cord). You might be able to find one cheaper than this ebay listing:
https://www.ebay.com/i/111524722273?chn=ps
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
A rather odd bird...
For me at least. A General Telephone & Electronics Mod 80. Manufactured July 1978.
For me at least. A General Telephone & Electronics Mod 80. Manufactured July 1978.
International Telephone & Telegraph 1956
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BSR Phone Butler 1974
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justjunque
Well-known member
Louis and Ralph,
Thanks for the tips!
That replacement cord does look like it would be the right one.
I like that it's round, like the original.
And, that adapter would probably work too.
I haven't seen the phone in a while.
It does have the heavy handset!
But, now that I'm thinking about it more, the dial is also sticky.
I don't want to mess with the mechanical workings myself, (all thumbs), and I don't want to replace the dial assembly altogether, because this original one always had such a great sound to it! Plus, I believe the phone is almost, if not 100% original.
I know a guy who does a beautiful job refurbishing vintage phones. I would just have to get up the nerve to ship it to him. I'm just afraid of it getting damaged in transit after 60+ years.
I do have this similar, albeit newer, modular one that's ready to be plugged in and used.
This is a picture when I first got it from eBay. It polished up beautifully since then.
I still want to get my grandmother's working again eventually though.
Barry
Thanks for the tips!
That replacement cord does look like it would be the right one.
I like that it's round, like the original.
And, that adapter would probably work too.
I haven't seen the phone in a while.
It does have the heavy handset!
But, now that I'm thinking about it more, the dial is also sticky.
I don't want to mess with the mechanical workings myself, (all thumbs), and I don't want to replace the dial assembly altogether, because this original one always had such a great sound to it! Plus, I believe the phone is almost, if not 100% original.
I know a guy who does a beautiful job refurbishing vintage phones. I would just have to get up the nerve to ship it to him. I'm just afraid of it getting damaged in transit after 60+ years.
I do have this similar, albeit newer, modular one that's ready to be plugged in and used.
This is a picture when I first got it from eBay. It polished up beautifully since then.
I still want to get my grandmother's working again eventually though.
Barry
You're very welcomed Barry.
I guess it's a question of esthetics when it comes to the line wire Barry. Wow, that 500 led a hard life. Never seen one with a broken finger stop.
I guess it's a question of esthetics when it comes to the line wire Barry. Wow, that 500 led a hard life. Never seen one with a broken finger stop.
Barry,
I didn't even notice the broken finger stop.
I think it's worth putting the older phone into use. The 500 is really easy to work on. Loosen the two screws at front and rear on the bottom and the case will lift off. The dial is held in place by two or three screws depending on the age of the chassis. Two on the sides and the third one (if there) in front. You don't have to remove them completely; just loosen them enough to lift the dial off the mounting bracket. The intricate part of the job is removing the transparent plastic cover for the mechanism behind the dial. The two tiny screws that hold it in place can easily get lost, and you'll need a smaller screwdriver to remove them.
Use just a tiny bit of light oil such as Zout or 3-in-1, like on the tip of a toothpick, and apply sparingly to the exposed gears and any related posts that may also rotate. After each application, give the dial a try and see if it's working properly. Don't over-lube. Dab away any excess with a paper towel. It's also not recommended to lube the spring mechanism (located inside a round brass casing about the same diameter as a nickel), but I've done so in the past and haven't had any problems. At worst, lubing that spring would perhaps cause the finger wheel to return faster than normal. I would only do this if lubing the gears didn't help. The spring mechanism is calibrated and is best left alone.
If you restore the dial to proper operation and then outfit the end of the mounting cord with the modular adapter, the phone will probably work fine. If it's been sitting for a long time, unscrew the cover for the transmitter capsule and remove the capsule from the handset. Shake it and you should hear the carbon granules inside if you listen closely. If you don't, rap the capsule's sides gently on a solid surface to loosen the granules. Transmitters are the weakest link on any old telephone set.
I didn't even notice the broken finger stop.
I think it's worth putting the older phone into use. The 500 is really easy to work on. Loosen the two screws at front and rear on the bottom and the case will lift off. The dial is held in place by two or three screws depending on the age of the chassis. Two on the sides and the third one (if there) in front. You don't have to remove them completely; just loosen them enough to lift the dial off the mounting bracket. The intricate part of the job is removing the transparent plastic cover for the mechanism behind the dial. The two tiny screws that hold it in place can easily get lost, and you'll need a smaller screwdriver to remove them.
Use just a tiny bit of light oil such as Zout or 3-in-1, like on the tip of a toothpick, and apply sparingly to the exposed gears and any related posts that may also rotate. After each application, give the dial a try and see if it's working properly. Don't over-lube. Dab away any excess with a paper towel. It's also not recommended to lube the spring mechanism (located inside a round brass casing about the same diameter as a nickel), but I've done so in the past and haven't had any problems. At worst, lubing that spring would perhaps cause the finger wheel to return faster than normal. I would only do this if lubing the gears didn't help. The spring mechanism is calibrated and is best left alone.
If you restore the dial to proper operation and then outfit the end of the mounting cord with the modular adapter, the phone will probably work fine. If it's been sitting for a long time, unscrew the cover for the transmitter capsule and remove the capsule from the handset. Shake it and you should hear the carbon granules inside if you listen closely. If you don't, rap the capsule's sides gently on a solid surface to loosen the granules. Transmitters are the weakest link on any old telephone set.
Bell Telephone System 1957
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Bell System 1977
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I remember the Mickey Mouse phones! I wanted one but at the time we didn't have touch tone at home. It cost extra and my dad wouldn't switch. Later in the 80's we did, but it wasn't truly a touch tone system I don't think because when a number was dialed quickly with the buttons, I could hear the clicks on the other end for a couple of seconds and I'd count them...they correlated with the number dialed. Now it's all the real deal.
That was called "Pulse" dialing. You would still have button dialing, but it mimicked the clicks generated by a regular dial phone. It was only slightly faster than dialing a rotary phone. I remember back in the late 1980's touch tone dialing was still not widely available in Germany and pay phones used "pulse" dialing.
OMG I just love my old phones
I have a few. I think they are as fun to collect as old appliances and the Husband does not complain as much. love my candle sticks, but even more I have 2 WE 102's with the 4H dial one is hooked to my x-link. also have a WE 202 and
2 WE 302's The best one That I think I have is my Rovafone from the 70's. First cordless phone still works also have a Porta-Call Trimline push button but Pulse dial cordless phone. My husband hates the cordless phones but I love it when someone comes to the house and goes wild over it. The X-link lets you connect to your cell phone and use antique phones via Bluetooth. it also supports rotary dialing.
I have a few. I think they are as fun to collect as old appliances and the Husband does not complain as much. love my candle sticks, but even more I have 2 WE 102's with the 4H dial one is hooked to my x-link. also have a WE 202 and
2 WE 302's The best one That I think I have is my Rovafone from the 70's. First cordless phone still works also have a Porta-Call Trimline push button but Pulse dial cordless phone. My husband hates the cordless phones but I love it when someone comes to the house and goes wild over it. The X-link lets you connect to your cell phone and use antique phones via Bluetooth. it also supports rotary dialing.
John...
Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the floor. What a great collection. I have never seen a Rovafone or a Porta-Call. And here I thought cordless phones came out around 1979. Those 102's are beautiful. And I agree about the husband complaints. The smaller the appliance, the less grumbling.
Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the floor. What a great collection. I have never seen a Rovafone or a Porta-Call. And here I thought cordless phones came out around 1979. Those 102's are beautiful. And I agree about the husband complaints. The smaller the appliance, the less grumbling.
Nice phones John!
I do like the round base phones and they're less common than the oval base types. My oval base is nearly identical to the one in your picture 4. I have it connected to a minty 1931 subset, but for now it's all boxed up. Do your E1 handsets still have their original transmitters? I retrofitted mine to accommodate an F1 transmitter capsule and nobody on the other end of the conversation has any idea that I'm talking on a phone that's nearly 90 years old.
I may have to look into an X-link. I'm beginning to receive more casual calls on my cell phone than I'd like, so being able to use a real phone as an alternative when I'm at home would make the whole experience more tolerable, even if it doesn't resolve the annoying lag time of wireless communication.
I do like the round base phones and they're less common than the oval base types. My oval base is nearly identical to the one in your picture 4. I have it connected to a minty 1931 subset, but for now it's all boxed up. Do your E1 handsets still have their original transmitters? I retrofitted mine to accommodate an F1 transmitter capsule and nobody on the other end of the conversation has any idea that I'm talking on a phone that's nearly 90 years old.
I may have to look into an X-link. I'm beginning to receive more casual calls on my cell phone than I'd like, so being able to use a real phone as an alternative when I'm at home would make the whole experience more tolerable, even if it doesn't resolve the annoying lag time of wireless communication.
Two pretty Touch Tone Princesses
