atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Antique Telephones Old wooden wall phone

My buddy just gave me this Kellogg wall phone. As you can see it is missing quite a few parts, but as I have never worked on one of these, I am not sure what exactly I am looking at here.
Any help would be graciously appreciated! I definitely want to get this thing cleaned up and if it is able to work that's a plus.


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Nice project - "Cathedral Top", "Picture Frame Front"

Looks like you need the Magneto generator and crank, a couple of bells, and a receiver/earpiece.

Try not to have to strip the finish off of the wood, but perhaps something like steel wool and lacquer thinner. Perhaps something like "Briwax"

You can try phonecoinc.com, but don't get repro parts. Join up at the TCI mailing list, https://www.telephonecollectors.org/

It's a local battery set, so you won't really get it connected to the PSTN. We used to mount the parts from a 500 or 2500 set in the lower battery area, connect into the hook switch, replace the transmitter guts with a T1, and put on a repro earpiece that holds a U3 receiver. A magnetic latch kept the door closed, but you could swing it open to use the dial. This type of conversion can be done well, or it can be absolutely awful, just like the good/bad installation threads.

Personally, I'd replace the parts, get the bell ringing when you turn the crank, and hang it on the wall for show.

And maybe store some sort of small standard phone inside. Like one of those "Hamburger" phones listed on e-bay.

Thanks, I have sent an email to Phoneco.

we did the same as Tommy but used AE starlight phones , their nice for that application because the plastic trim around the keypad or dial comes off and can be kept it gives a nice finished appearance . I would pick up some scrap oak from the local cabinet shop , cut it to fit the battery compartment and hide the phone network behind it ...

Any other suggestions for cleaning up/re-finishing the wood?

Tommy's suggestion of steel wool and lacquer thinner is appropriate. Try the it on an obscure part of the case to make sure lacquer thinner is the correct solvent. It probably is, considering the age. Finest steel wool you can find and turn over/change often. First use something like Murphy's Oil Soap (Wal-mart, hardware stores, and some grocery stores) to clean the crud, corruption and just plain dirt off. Use a dampened cloth, NOT wet, and watch out for stuff stuck in the dirt that will scratch the remaining finish. You may not have to resort to the lacquer thinner and steel wool. This will be a labor of love, but done carefully, you'll break your arm patting yourself on the back for a job well done.

Nice gift!

I saw one this past summer at a flea market that was absolutely awful just as TTT says. Yes, the dial was hidden inside but is was very, very, poorly done. The seller was so proud of it because it "worked" but he had no clue as to how it badly he had ruined it in the eye of a collector.

Thanks for the advice. I will be going to the hardware store once I am home on break to see what he's got that I can use.

How about some Murphy's Oil Soap to start.

So far I have the whole phone taken apart, wiped it down, stripped the finish off and cleaned it with TSP and water. I will be sanding it down tomorrow or the day after and putting new finish on it.

Since you will be refinishing, avoid polyurethane. Remember, when restoring, "less" is often more (i.e. better). You want to keep this baby looking original (old) and not like a reproduction!

kinda hard not to make it look repro now...give it 50-75 years and the patina will come back .

So much for TTT's suggestions..... :bang:

Jeff, did you even try Murphy's. You realize you have cut the value of that phone, otherwise untouched, in half, by stripping the finish. May not be important to you, and it IS your phone, but there are probably some antique lovers that are imagining their hands slowly tightening around your windpipe. And in 20 years you might wish you hadn't spiffed it all up so nicely.

Oh trust me, there is still plenty of finish left...a lot of it was just dirt.
If it looks like a repro, oh well. It's just going to hang on the wall

I have no idea what its value is but I can say this: stripped and refinished it will have far less value in the eye of a collector. They absolutely cherish the aged effect on antiques. Making it look like it is brand new simply makes it look like it is a reproduction. You could take a new one, bury it for 20 years and it would look like a new phone that was buried for 20 years. You cannot duplicate 100 years of age.

I read an article about people trying to fake that 150 year old 'patina'. One guy, trying to fake an antique pine chair, used an assortment of objects to apply 'dings and dents'. (I should say that the chair was handmade with appropriate tools, so that at least 'mechanically' it looked 'old') Then he literally smoked the chair for several days over a smoky fire that had an assortment of dirt and garbage tossed on the fire. More 'dings and dents'. Left out on the windy seashore, protected from direct rain for several months, more smoke, more dings, more seashore. Did this for 2 years. Showed it to another 'expert' who declared it to be a legitimate piece from the early 1800's. Other experts had mixed opinions. So, if you are REALLY dishonest, it IS possible to fool the 'experts', if you have enough time and patience.

Well guys...the phone is just about done. Got it looking pretty nice and all it needs is a replacement switch hook because the part that the handset hanger mounts to has corroded off over the years, somehow I did not catch that at first.

Nice job Jeff

Well done, Jeff!

Sam

Thanks guys! It was a fun project, thanks to Phoneco for having all these parts!

Good job Jeff. Give yourself a pat on the back!