Advice on refitting and restoring my new vintage phone

[skyvue]

I just spent 15 minutes searching for the lengthy thread devoted to vintage phones that I know full well exists, but I can't find it. So forgive my starting a new thread (and feel free to merge this one with that one, bartenders):

I've been planning for some time on buying a fully restored and refitted vintage phone and figuring on paying $250-300 for it when the time came.

But I found one at a vintage and antique market over the holidays and, at $65, couldn't pass it up.

The finish is really good considering its age, but the color on some areas of the dial is worn off, and it needs to be refitted to work with modern phone jacks (currently it has a cord that ends in four rather thick exposed wires).

Is the refitting something that a relatively unhandy, nontechy guy like me could undertake, or should I send it to an expert?

And does anyone have an expert to recommend (hopefully, someone who could also restore the dial to like-newish condition) who would charge an unreasonable amount?

Here's a pic of a phone that resembles mine (to the best of my memory -- it's packed up and on its way to NYC via the USPS, so I can't take a picture of it just now).

 

[BinkieBaumont]

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=5982

 

[Mickey D]

You can buy a fully restored vintage phone for under $100. I bought this Kellogg Redbar from here. http://www.ericofon.com/catalog/classic1/kell1000d.htm

Here's a link for some help. Might even be able to swap for a rebuilt unit.

http://www.telephonymuseum.com/new_page_1.htm

http://www.vintageswank.com/vintage-telephones.html

http://www.ericofon.com/catalog/classic1/kell1000d.htm

 

[Brazen-Akula]

try this place

try phonevault.com the look to be good at what they do.

 

[skyvue]

I'd still like to know if refitting my phone to work with a modern jack is something I could undertake on my own, or if I'm better off having it done professionally.

 

[LizzieMaine]

You can do it yourself in about ten minutes, and the only tool you need is a screwdriver. You can buy a modular mounting cord pretty much anywhere, but for the proper look, get one from Phoneco in either brown fabric or black rubber cover, with spade lugs on one end.

Open it up, and you'll see a block-shaped thing that looks like a transformer with a lot of screw terminals around the edge. Connect the red lead from your new mounting cord to the screw marked L1, and connect the green lead to L2. Tape over the yellow and black leads from the cord, because you don't need them.

And that's all you need to do. Put it back together, plug it into the wall, and you should have a dial tone.

 

[skyvue]

Thanks, Lizzie -- I'll look into it. I just pulled out the phone again, and I'm not even sure what brand it is. I'll post a picture of it shortly.

 

[skyvue]

Here are some not-great cellphone photos of the phone. I think the info on the receiver reads Western Electric, but I can be certain. Does anyone recognize what make and model this phone is?

 

[Hercule]

For what ever it's worth, Linens-n-Things has Crosley vintage style phones in the $50-$75 range.

http://www.lnt.com/search/0/0/1/1/?s=telephone

H

 

[LizzieMaine]

Here are some not-great cellphone photos of the phone. I think the info on the receiver reads Western Electric, but I can be certain. Does anyone recognize what make and model this phone is?

Western Electric 302, built from 1937 to about 1953. Probably the most durable phone ever built -- follow the instructions I gave earlier, and it'll work fine. I have two of them, and have never had a lick of trouble.

 

[skyvue]

Terrific -- thanks again, Lizzie.