Post by alexkerhead on May 26, 2008 23:03:11 GMT -5
I restore phones as a hobby every now and then, and this was my latest restore. It is a Western Electric 302 from 1941.
I thought it may encourage others to restore these wonderful older telephones.
The original state and disassembly. This part is the easiest and the most fun.
Releathering of the feet. Mind you, this is the absolutely hardest part of restoring telephones, because of the effort of getting the leather fit in just right and clamping it in. This is a lighter leather, because I think it looks better than the dark brown, but if someone wanted to darken it, all you'd need it shoe polish. This is bi-product leather too.
Sandblasting the old paint off. I also buffed the old brass finger stop, which I forgot to take images of.
Priming and Painting. This part requires patience. I primed it, waited, primed it again, waited, painted a black coat, waited, and painted 3 more coats, with 25 minutes between coats.
Wiring. This par is fun too.
The final product. The handset had nothing done to it, because it was in stellar condition itself, but some have to be sanded, plastic primed and painted with a high-endurance paint. I haven't decided whether to use the old number paper, or use a replica replacement, but I will decide later.
Edited for: Added info.
I thought it may encourage others to restore these wonderful older telephones.
The original state and disassembly. This part is the easiest and the most fun.
Releathering of the feet. Mind you, this is the absolutely hardest part of restoring telephones, because of the effort of getting the leather fit in just right and clamping it in. This is a lighter leather, because I think it looks better than the dark brown, but if someone wanted to darken it, all you'd need it shoe polish. This is bi-product leather too.
Sandblasting the old paint off. I also buffed the old brass finger stop, which I forgot to take images of.
Priming and Painting. This part requires patience. I primed it, waited, primed it again, waited, painted a black coat, waited, and painted 3 more coats, with 25 minutes between coats.
Wiring. This par is fun too.
The final product. The handset had nothing done to it, because it was in stellar condition itself, but some have to be sanded, plastic primed and painted with a high-endurance paint. I haven't decided whether to use the old number paper, or use a replica replacement, but I will decide later.
Edited for: Added info.
