Repair your antique wall telephone
If your phone is missing one or more original parts there are two strategies that can be used to fix it. You can find original parts that match the make and model.
One method is to find original replacement parts. Antique dealers and online vendors who sell antique phone parts may be good sources for finding parts. Before you look for parts you will need to identify the following:
The exact part(s) missing
Any dependent parts - a missing receiver may also need a cord for example
The manufacturer of the phone (usually on a metal name plate or decal)
The model of the phone
It can be difficult to find and replace original parts because antique dealers and collectors are hesitant to "junk" old phones and sell the parts. They may only do this with a few phones where portions are beyond possible repair.
A much easier way to repair a phone is to use new replacement parts. These are relatively cheap and easy to find. Numerous sites on-line sell these parts. This can make it possible to have a nice display piece in your home.
There is a potential downside to using these parts. Your phone will not be as valuable as if it hard original parts. Often though this can not be avoided and a phone in good repair with new replacement parts is worth far more than the same phone missing parts.
Also, new plastic parts are often made from a different form of plastic. The look of the new plastic can be slightly different than the originals. A combination of the old and new can look odd to the trained eye.
New metal parts match better. Metal parts for wall telephones are usually polished brass or painted black. It sometimes makes sense to replace more than one part to achieve a balanced look. Your antique phone may only be missing on bell but it makes sense to replace both so the phone looks good. If you do this do not discard the old parts - a collector or antique dealer would be glad to have it and they may even pay you for it.
The most difficult part to replace or repair is the magneto. If your bells do not ring when you turn the crank the magneto needs to be worked on. This takes some skill and knowledge and you may want to look for a specialist in your area who can repair this item. If you have basic electric/wiring skills you can check all of the internal connections first to make sure then are intact. Otherwise this is one task that should be outsourced.
Whatever the problem - repairing an antique wall phone is a worthwhile investment. It greatly increases the value of the phone and makes it an item worth displaying in your home.
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