atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems 1A2 and Comkey Telephones & Systems 1A2 and some old WECO stuff

Sweet!

paging uncle Arthur!!

Uncle Arthur is busy with another color for me. Hope to post soon.

I have embarked on a new project. I’m currently rewiring the message recording console from 1ESS I believe (not sure what the model number is, but they appear quite often on eBay sold as grey “Call Directors”, though they won’t work on 1A2).

This console has originally short mounting cord with different 180 degrees triple Amphenol connector. On mine it’s cut off. So the cord is only about 3’ long.

If anyone has an idea on the source of any length, any color, any termination type or just cut mounting cord D120A I believe - flexible one with 120 connectors or 60 pairs, I will be glad to acquire it or trade for something.

I know it’s a kind of rare thing from unobtainium, but sometimes a wonder happens and someone finds it in the garbage bin from scrapped call director.

Of course if not available I can wire with existing short cord or alternatively use 3 standard 20 pair cords from 564 sets and pass them through a single PVC insulation tube, but before I spend some good hours resoldering the 240 connections (as I will need to work through both sides of the cord) - I will test my like here if I can find a spare D120A cable.

This is what I have as a current cord:



This is where this console was originally used:



And this is how it normally appears on eBay (this one is not mine):

Another restoration story. This time in 50 shades of yellow.

This phone was for sure the most sun burned in my collection. I have another yellow 564, but that one is of newer housing without a lucite escutcheon above the line buttons, which I really like. I bought this one on eBay with no hope left to ever trace a yellow 564/565 in a better condition. So as I had a spare yellow phone, I could experiment with this one as much as I want without too much sadness if the restoration doesn't work out well or I destroy the set.

I have a feeling that this set was installed for about a decade in a greenhouse in California, as sun faded it all around (even on the back side and under the handset). Fading made yellow a very brownish dark orange color.



Even worse - the housing had 2 very old cracks on the front side, which are well visible on the semi-sanded set.



So removing this deep discoloration took a lot of plastic material to remove. Having ABS chemically welded and repolished on the front surface gave satisfactory results in my view. It is not 100% invisible, but taking into account it was not a hairline crack but a wide dirty inside deformed large crack - the result is not bad at all. You need to know it was there to recognize and find the place.

Besides other things on this set, I have to replace the line key strip as the hold button shaft spring was broken on this set. I have cleaned thoroughly the original Western Electric 9C all metal dial dated 6-65 which was full of dirty black oil (appears someone decided to use a shot of WD-40 on it at some point). After alcohol rinsing, cleaning and drying, and the final lubrication the dial is going nice and smooth again. I will need to change the mounting cord on this set. The existing one is painted satin silver over shiny black cord. Paint is not integral and doesn't look good. I will later may opt to take the cord out, clean out the paint and use it on a real black set. For now it is left as it is.



I still have to work on the handset - the one on the picture is from another set (modular) just for appearance. Original handset is factory painted yellow on yellow. I must admit now, that it is easier to remove heavy UV discoloration by sanding, than to clean out the WE refurbish paint. It is a disaster to sand and not really coming off by mild solvents to remove chemically. I will have to rub it for more.

Nicely done!


Sam

What Sam said. I think it looks fantastic.

Thanks to uncle Arthur my collection of rare WE 565 colors extended this Christmas.

Very nice. And Arthur is a class act.

I'm jealous.