advertisement


Getting an old Bakelite telephone running again.

kennyh

kennyh

pfm Member
We got an old GPO bakelite phone from a relation many years ago and I remember at the time calling an "expert" about a conversion and he was quoting something like 100 quid back in the 80's

The phone is a 332 model dated 1954 and in pristine condition. After many years just collecting dust I decided to have a google and see if I could sort something for it this time around. Upshot is a guy on Ebay is selling conversion kits for coppers really, consisting of a new modern plug in lead and a resistor, along with a drawing showing where to put the new wires etc.

Anyone here had any joy doing one of these? Even with the new kit fitted I'd bet there's a good chance some of the other electrical bits in there will be naff after 63 years. However I'd like to have a go and hear it ring again if poss. Any tips/advice appreciated.

Cheers
 
Fortunately all parts are electrical, not electronic, so it is basically just switches and coils, plus the carbon mic (that might need some rejuvenating). The first thing to check is if your phone line still supports pulse dialing.
 
They are really well made, I’d be surprised if it needed anything more than a new cable and whatever compatibility mod. I’d really like one as they are beautiful things, but they seem very expensive these days.
 
These are lovely old telephones and well worth renovating. I can't comment on your specific question, but I once restored an older 232 model with the help of info gleaned from the internet and You Tube. I believe the parts most likely to cause problems are the microphone and earphone capsules but you can source and fit modern replacements if necessary. As I expect you have discovered already, there is loads of stuff on the net, including how to clean and restore the working parts, the Bakelite casing, and info on which networks still support pulse dialing. If necessary you can by a black box gizmo which converts pulse to tone dialing.

Good luck. I hope you get it working!
 
Many thanks guys for the replies. I'll have to check whether we have pulse dial support after reading the replies. Also great to know there are possibly suppliers of spares if needed.
Hopefully the kit will arrive shortly and when fitted I'll report back. I'd be over the moon if the bell rang for incoming calls and the phone worked, however I'm betting it won't haha.

Again thank you, appreciated.
 
If you press the on hook switch a few times and it doesn't revert back to the dial tone them it will support pulse dialling.
A handy trick to know in the rotary dial phones with a lock days.

Pete
 
Thanks for the further info. chaps. Our house is still on the old vintage phone wires with telegraph pole outside so I would hope pulse dialling will indeed be available. Hopefully conversion kit will arrive soon to see what happens to the old phone when fitted.

Ah yes, I now recall the place in Southport, it's in the Arcade isn't it? The guy has a vintage Quad amp and Tuner sitting on his cash out desk too if I recall.
 
Another thing....I'm pretty sure you need the 'bell wire' connected in your main and extension sockets to get these old phones to ring. Modern phones don't need it and it's often left unconnected or disconnected as it can sometimes degrade the broadband connection. There is a work around involving shorting a couple of connection in the phone but I can't remember what it is. I'm pretty sure I found it all on the internet so Google is your friend, again! Good luck!
 
MikeMA said:
Another thing....I'm pretty sure you need the 'bell wire' connected in your main and extension sockets to get these old phones to ring. Modern phones don't need it and it's often left unconnected or disconnected as it can sometimes degrade the broadband connection. There is a work around involving shorting a couple of connection in the phone but I can't remember what it is. I'm pretty sure I found it all on the internet so Google is your friend, again! Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike for that. The drawing for this conversion shows the re-jig of wiring and jumper bars and also where to fit the provided resistor. I wonder if that could be the work around for the expected bell problem?
 
kennyh said:
Thanks Mike for that. The drawing for this conversion shows the re-jig of wiring and jumper bars and also where to fit the provided resistor. I wonder if that could be the work around for the expected bell problem?
Click to expand...
I'm no expert on this and it's a few years ago since I converted our phone, but it certainly sounds like it, and you'd expect the people supplying the kits to cater for what would be a common problem with modern extension wiring.
 
I will report back Mike anyway when fitted, whether it be success or the probable forthcoming failure :)

As an aside, the little plastic/perspex/glass central cover where your phone number would be has gone AWOL. I could make one up probably but would like to source an original if the phone by chance did work.
 
Chaps

I am in Spain at the moment, so everything that I write is a bit of a memory test. I bought a white 332 from 1960 about 15 years ago. I dislike modern phones but I acknowledge their technical and practical superiority. The 332 takes pride of place in the lounge and is supported by 3 of the usual portable landline phones scattered around the house. I have a Virgin Media phone line and I can easily receive calls on the 332 but cannot dial out. The 332 was, if my memory serves me correct, the first BT telephone that had an integral bell, so it was a self contained unit rather than the usual phone plus a separate ringer that was prevalent at the time.

There is a UK based vintage radio / telephone forum that is full of very knowledgable men who can give out really good advice. My 332 sounded crackly on the other end and I was advised to buy a new modern micro phone that was very easily fitted simply by unscrewing the mouth piece and it only took a few minutes. It now looks and acts as new. The parts are readily available and can be refitted by an army of nerds who are just grateful to be allowed the opportunity of working on them.

I was directed to a chap who worked in a branch of Maplins and he almost ripped my arm off when I allowed him some time to overhaul the phone whilst I was away on holiday.

I like the old bakelite phones, they have some character and personality and anything that keeps them going has to be a good thing.

Regards

Mick
 
Thanks Mick, good to know that yours is fully up and running, I hope I can do the same. It appears your Ivory phone, along with the red and green 332's are worth a hefty premium over the more common black ones like mine.
I'm swotting up on these sites now I've decided to have a go at getting it to work and there does seem to be a lot of support out there. I'll know what exact questions need to be asked when I get this initial first retrofit done.

Also, looking at the 332's most have the "twisted" fabric wire between receiver and phone, although some but few are pictured with the curly cable.
Mine has the latter and is 1954. I know the phone for certain has not been messed with as it came from my aunties house many years ago before they became sought after.
I wonder if a GPO engineer changed this or whether some sets did in fact come with the curly cable?

Thanks for your input, appreciated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top