Beauty of old electrical and measuring things, etc.

Borg · Nov 1, 2018

dlgoff said:

I'll post some photos when its "restored" and wall-mounted.

It couldn't be in better hands. :woot:

dlgoff · Nov 2, 2018

jedishrfu said:

Some old timey pictures of my sliderules of yore per an earlier request. The straight ones are decitrigs and the circular one is well circular with basic scales for multiplying and simple trig.

One cool feature of the circular one is a math and science pullout complete with a detailed periodic table written in super tiny writing. You can still get these on eBay or from Concise in Japan.

Physics majors preferred the small pocket size for stealth while engineers and high schoolers preferred the 12” variety as weapons of math instruction.

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Nice. You have both lengths; same for me. I see yours are "Post" whereas mine are "K+E". Here a picture I posted back in 2014 in the My Old Computer Collection thread.

dlgoff · Nov 2, 2018

Borg said:

It couldn't be in better hands.

Well, thank you sir.

jedishrfu · Nov 2, 2018

dlgoff said:

Nice. You have both lengths; same for me. I see yours are "Post" whereas mine are "K+E". Here a picture I posted back in 2014 in the My Old Computer Collection thread.
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Yes, I remember seeing them and wanted to post my meager collection. One item I didn’t post is my old Brother adding machine. I got it new and used it extensively in college physics where I’d convert measurements to logs and add them up to get more precise answers in the age just before the dawning of the hp and TI SR-50 hand held scientific calculators. Oh yeah I still have those too but the hp is a retro anniversary edition. The TI is original.

dlgoff · Nov 6, 2018

dlgoff said:

I found this Western Electric telephone set ...

dlgoff said:

I'll post some photos when its "restored" and wall-mounted.

I thought I might ought to explain how I've learned to bring back some beauty to Bakelite. The phone's hand-set shell is made entirely of Bakelite. The screw-on ear and mouth pieces were in really bad shape; showing raised surface blemishes. And where one grips the hand-set showed a little wear. I'm thinking the perspiration may be to blame. Anyway here's what the ear and mouth pieces looked like. Note the white spots which I believe are the fillers used to soak up the Phenol formaldehyde resin during manufacturing.

First I did a light rubbing of the bad areas with 0000 steal wool followed by a coating of an automobile vinyl protector (a very thin oil).

After about 30 minutes, all the oil was absorbed into the Bakelite. Then I coated it with a black shoe polish paste and another coating of the oil.

The oil absorbs some of the black dye from the shoe polish and the Bakelite absorbs that after about another 30 minutes.

I repeated this step twice followed by hand polishing (removing excess oil and polish) with a soft cotton fabric. For the hand-set grip, only a VERY light steel wool rub on the ware area, oiled, then cotton fabric polished. Here are the results.

Now back to work so I can finish this project. Completed and mounted photos to follow.

davenn · Nov 7, 2018

wonderful resto

dlgoff · Nov 7, 2018

davenn said:

wonderful resto

Thanks Dave. I think I could have done a little better though.

davenn · Nov 7, 2018

dlgoff said:

Thanks Dave. I think I could have done a little better though.

can always have a redo in the future if you feel inclined ... at least it is currently protected from further corrosion/other damage

gosh, I haven't had time for restoration work for quite some years. Used to do quite a lot of old tube radios.
Recent years I have just been busy with an electronics production line that I do from home supplying several customers.Dave

Charlie Cheap · Nov 8, 2018

Okay Don, you are the guy with all that old neat stuff from my youth. At 75 I remember most of what you have, and I have one question...does any of it "Meet Code"? Just kidding. In the 1950's my buddy and I made crystal radio sets and ran AC to his barn where we "tinkered" with radio stuff we got from Mr. Weaver, the local TV repairman. Between him and the Army/Navy surplus store, we had a dream shop in my buddy Wayne's backyard, where I am sure we created havoc with neighbors radios and TV's. Antenna wires all over the house and barn, lights that lit the neighborhood, speakers, headphones and mikes everywhere...until the city told Wayne's Mom, NONE of it met Code. All gone in one day. WOW, does this jog an old man's memory!

dlgoff · Nov 8, 2018

Charlie Cheap said:

Okay Don, you are the guy with all that old neat stuff from my youth. At 75 I remember most of what you have, and I have one question...does any of it "Meet Code"? Just kidding. In the 1950's my buddy and I made crystal radio sets and ran AC to his barn where we "tinkered" with radio stuff we got from Mr. Weaver, the local TV repairman. Between him and the Army/Navy surplus store, we had a dream shop in my buddy Wayne's backyard, where I am sure we created havoc with neighbors radios and TV's. Antenna wires all over the house and barn, lights that lit the neighborhood, speakers, headphones and mikes everywhere...until the city told Wayne's Mom, NONE of it met Code. All gone in one day. WOW, does this jog an old man's memory!

You're my kind of man Charlie. I wish you could have kept all of your goodies.
And like you, I'm sure I put some noise on my neighbors TV's horizontal oscillators. :redface:

dlgoff · Nov 12, 2018

dlgoff said:

Completed and mounted photos to follow.

Here we go. The completed and mounted Western Electric Telephone:

Western Electric and Kellogg telephones together:

davenn · Nov 13, 2018

lookin' awesome

dlgoff · Nov 14, 2018

davenn said:

lookin' awesome

Thanks Dave.

kiki_danc · Nov 16, 2018

Hi, most isolated transformers being sold now use the shell type design due to more efficiency.. but I want to take hold of one using core design (at least 500VA) for collection (not to use it).. do you know where I can still buy core designed isolation transformer (I don't want to build it as I don't have the time to do it and not hobby to build things)?

dlgoff · Nov 17, 2018

kiki_danc said:

... do you know where I can still buy core designed isolation transformer (I don't want to build it as I don't have the time to do it and not hobby to build things)?

I don't know but I'll keep an eye opened for you. If you do happen to find one, please post a picture. :approve:

dlgoff · Nov 17, 2018

dlgoff said:

Beauty of hardware doesn't just come from it's appearance but also it's functionality.

Here's a good example of this. I picked up these reference tubes from ebay.

Now I can trust my Hastings VT-5AB vacuum gauge numbers.

kiki_danc · Nov 17, 2018

dlgoff said:

I don't know but I'll keep an eye opened for you. If you do happen to find one, please post a picture.

I bought a 500VA Isolation Transformer for research and study (in my country, all transformers are autotransfomers being only 1/5 the cost of the IT) but found out it was shell type which is more efficient. But I want a core type for collection.

jim hardy · Nov 17, 2018

this guy has a warehouse of surplus electrical stuff ,
http://www.integratedresources.net/

as does this guy
https://denverbreaker.com/

there are plenty of other such places try google
just I've been in both of those treasure troves myself

experimenter's paradise, both of them

good luck

Charlie Cheap · Nov 20, 2018

Don, as you can see by my 65 Mustang I am an old car guy. One thing you may not know is, if you have old hard rubber items, say headphone covers, wipe them generously with lacquer thinner to soften them. It works great on old rubber car parts, like window seals that are no longer available. Afterwards, Armorall helps keep them soft. Phosphoric acid works great on old rusty metal...but don't drop an old Rare 40 Ford rearview mirror in it overnight...next morning glass is all that is left.

Charlie Cheap · Nov 20, 2018

Don, I forgot...Pot metal is not safe around phosphoric acid...which I learned the hard way.

Charlie Cheap · Nov 20, 2018

Bystander said:

Be a day or two to get them all powdered and rouged for the camera.

"Powdered and rouged"...todays youngsters have no idea what you are talking about. At 75 I do! Somewhere I may still have a "belly-button Brownie"...remember those? Back in the early 50's my Dad and I were on a trip where he returned from the bathroom laughing so hard he was choking on his tobacco chew. I asked what was so funny, and he told me someone had taken the Kodak counter ad-sign that said "Film for your Brownie"...and placed over the toilet paper roll. We both laughed for a 100 miles.

dlgoff · Nov 20, 2018

Charlie Cheap said:

Don, as you can see by my 65 Mustang I am an old car guy. One thing you may not know is, if you have old hard rubber items, say headphone covers, wipe them generously with lacquer thinner to soften them. It works great on old rubber car parts, like window seals that are no longer available. Afterwards, Armorall helps keep them soft. Phosphoric acid works great on old rusty metal...but don't drop an old Rare 40 Ford rearview mirror in it overnight...next morning glass is all that is left.

Charlie Cheap said:

Don, I forgot...Pot metal is not safe around phosphoric acid...which I learned the hard way.

Thanks Charlie. I'll certainly keep these in mind. :thumbup:

davenn · Jan 26, 2019

Don, I don't know where you live, but if it is anywhere near Detroit, this may interest you ...

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/63022552

a bunch of older Motorola test gear for saleDave

dlgoff · Jan 26, 2019

davenn said:

Don, I don't know where you live, but if it is anywhere near Detroit, this may interest you ...

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/63022552

a bunch of older Motorola test gear for saleDave

Wow Dave. That's some good looking test equipment. Thanks for thinking of me. Unfortunately I live west of Kansas City, so it would be a fairly long drive for this old man.

That and it's really cold this winter. :oldcry:

davenn · Jan 26, 2019

dlgoff said:

Thanks for thinking of me.

you're welcome

dlgoff said:

That and it's really cold this winter.

one of the hottest summers on record for parts of Australia It's been dreadful
So many days over 40C (104F) so far. the hottest in my area has been 43C
the record is 52C (125F) in northern South Australia State ... just crazy

dlgoff · Feb 15, 2019

Here's a photo of my vacuum system, made of old stuff, doing a pump-down. Here, the beauty is in "system's" reliability. After hundreds of pump-downs, never a component failure.

dlgoff · Apr 15, 2019

I was given a https://www.radiolaguy.com/Showcase/TestEquipment/B&K_550.htm panel that was covered with dryed mud. After lots of cleaning I built a wooden box frame for mounting the tube tester on. Here are a couple pictures of this old beauty from around 1959.

The thing works very well so I'll be putting it to good use.

Janus · Apr 15, 2019

I remember when tube testers could be found all over the place, even in grocery stores.

dlgoff · Apr 15, 2019

Janus said:

I remember when tube testers could be found all over the place, even in grocery stores.

Yes. The one I have looks like it may have been in a store.
My first use of a tube tester was in my little town's Standard Oil gas station.

image compliments of https://www.dividend.com/how-to-invest/the-complete-visual-history-of-standard-oil/

Borg · Apr 16, 2019

dlgoff said:

I was given a https://www.radiolaguy.com/Showcase/TestEquipment/B&K_550.htm panel that was covered with dryed mud. After lots of cleaning I built a wooden box frame for mounting the tube tester on. Here are a couple pictures of this old beauty from around 1959.

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The thing works very well so I'll be putting it to good use.

I think that I have the same oscilloscope that's in the background. :oldbiggrin: