Thank you for visiting our “About Me Page”. We felt it important to introduce ourselves to you and also, at the same time, give you some interesting information about the old telephones that we restore. Every day we watch people paying significant amounts of money for “auction telephones” that simply don’t measure up, or, worse yet, are reproductions. Hopefully we can at least share some light on what we think you should look for in an antique telephone set and also give you some information about our philosophy when it comes to restoration. So, we have addressed a number of topics here

ABOUT US

We started our business out of a love for old phones. There are few things more interesting and romantic than a telephone from the past. We are kept very busy since the demand and interest in our products continues to climb every year. We have been on Ebay since its earliest days and have supplied happy customers with hundreds of telephones, either through on-line auctions or direct sales. (Our web site is not yet complete). We are situated in Ontario, Canada and we ship largely to the US and Canadian markets although our phones are found all over the world. We ship exclusively with Canada Post/ US Postal Service via Airmail and can deliver to the North American market usually within 6-7 business days of receiving payment. We maintain a large inventory of telephones at any given time and we have a good supply of most major North American manufacturers including Western and Northern Electric, Kellogg, Stromberg Carlson, Canadian Independent, Automatic Electric ( from both Canadian and US plants) and many more. We sell Wall Phones, Candlesticks, and Desk Sets of all descriptions. We spend many hours on each restoration and do our utmost to supply a quality product.

REFINISHING

To begin with, please note that we never paint any bakelite parts (handsets or telephone bodies). We simply buff them out to a nice shine. In most cases the finish on old metal telephones requires some degree of restoration and refinishing. Occasionally we get one good enough to sell with the original finish, but not often. Our clients want their phones to look nice since many are displayed and used in offices, older restored (period) homes, and in cottages ( ours has many). Our refinished telephones are bead blasted to remove the old finish. They are then professionally painted with high caliber products and equipment and finally they are baked in a commercial oven. We use several coats of rich black lacquer which has a nice sheen. The set is polished to give it shine and finally buffed. We find this best replicates the original finish. We do not use high gloss paints or polymers because we think that it will not do justice to our product….after all you want it to look nice, but your antique telephone should not look like you just bought it at a department store. Metal ringer boxes, if supplied with a telephone are finished the same way the metal body of the phone has been finished.....black lacquer. Old wood ringer boxes (usually made from walnut, oak, or maple) when supplied with a set, and old wooden wall phones are refinished with an appropriate stain and given a satin hand rubbed ( with hard paste wax) finish.

REPLACEMENT PARTS

In some cases, old telephones require replacement parts. We do our very best to advise you of any replacement parts that have been used in the restoration of the telephone. Read the Ebay description carefully and you will see that even something as simple as the replacement of the bottom felt or leather cover is mentioned. We do our best to secure original parts from other phones that are salvaged and harvested for their parts and we also purchase parts from reliable suppliers. Generally speaking, we replace old cords unless the original is in good/very good condition. We do not want you to be frustrated with your purchase because of poor quality electrical connections due to old cords and wiring. Before shipping any telephone we check its performance on a BK Precision Telephone analyzer which runs checks on transmitter, receiver, and dial performance as well as cords and connections. Telephone dials are completely disassembled, cleaned, reasembled, point oiled, and calibrated to industry standard. The make/break contacts are set at 60% and the pulses per second is set at 10. This is done on original speciality equipment that is NOT readily available today. Before you purchase a dial telephone, ask the restorer how he restored the dial. Believe us when we tell you a shot of WD40 just to make it spin freely spells big trouble down the road.

NETWORKS

You read a lot on Ebay about networks…....whether they should or should not be used ..... or are necessary. Here is a simplified version of the facts. Old telephones require the transmitter and receiver voltages to be balanced and controlled. They therefore require a coil and capacitor within the system to “equalize” and manage these voltages so that you can hear and be heard properly. In many older phones this equipment was installed in a box along with the ringer. It made your phone work correctly then, and if these components are in good condition ( but, often they aren’t) they will make your phone work now! We test old coils, elements, and capacitors to judge whether they can be used or should be discarded. If they need to be discarded and solid replacements aren’t available then we opt for a more modern (FCC approved) network and install it. If that has been done it will be listed in the product description. Many believe a network will give better service and longer life than really old components which may be prone to failure. Any network that we have installed will be done in such a way that it’s removal will not harm the structural integrity or antique value of the phone.….our goal is to supply you with a nicely finished antique telephone that will give many years of service and also increase in value as time goes on

Often, we see stand alone phones (without networks or ringer boxes equipped with a capacitor/coil) sold on Ebay. These are sold as working telephones….and they will work for a period of time but the volume will not be balanced for transmission / reception and the receiver and transmitter modules will eventually “fry” leaving you without a telephone you can use or enjoy. You are well advised to purchase from a seller who knows what they are doing rather than someone who twisted a couple of wires together to “make it work”. Remember, if it isn't wired correctly it is not legal to plug into the public telephone system.

We get a bit amused by some of the “seller rhetoric” on Ebay about who has the best phones, so please understand we are not suggesting that ours are the only phones worthy of purchase. Truth is, Ebay has several good sellers of restored phones. Whatever choice you make however, considering you might be spending hundreds of dollars to purchase an antique telephone, pick a supplier who knows what they are doing, and will stand behind their product. You might pay more but your satisfaction and pride of ownership will be worth it. We believe antiques were made to be used, not just looked at and that's why we enjoy our old telephones and you should too.

FINAL THOUGHTS