-40%
Fully Refurbished Western Electric 20 AL Candlestick - Upgraded Network / Ringer
$ 263.97
- Description
- Size Guide
Description
Fully Refurbished Western Electric 20 AL - Fully RefurbishedThe Western Electric Number 20 series Candlestick telephones made their debut in 1904. The metal parts of the phone were made of brass. Early models were generally nickel plated, while the majority of the phones produced after 1910 were painted with a black finish. The natural brass finish was occasionally seen, but it was not generally favoured due to the high maintenance requirements.
After World War I, the Model 40 was introduced. This candlestick is identical in appearance and function to the Model 20, but the base and the tube shaft were made of steel.
Interestingly, the Candlestick desk set was considered to be a premium product and subscribers were often charged an additional 25$ per month to upgrade from a wood wall phone. The production of Candlestick phones was discontinued in 1940, however the manufacture of modern reproductions continues to this day.
Like all original Candlestick phones, the Model 20 would have required a subset containing the ringer and components to facilitate connection to the line. This particular unit has been upgraded with a modern network and internal ringer.
The Restoration Process
Cords
– The phone has been outfitted with brand new cloth covered cords and the line cord has a modular connection to facilitate a modern connection to your wall jack.
Shell
– The shell has been sandblasted of all paint or plating and
powder coated
in a semi-gloss black finish. This closely resembles the original colour of these phones.
Subset -
We have included a subset with ringer.
Original Receiver & Mouthpiece
– Finding these original part with no chips or cracks is extremely hard. These two items alone can sell for over 0.00 online. We have ultrasonically cleaned them to get all embedded debris and then painstakingly put through a multi-step restoration process which includes sanding with 400, 800, 1000, 2000 grit. This ensures that there are no scratches, dents or dings. The shell is them carefully buffed on our three step buffing wheels. This takes out the fine abrasions left by sanding and leaves the Bakelite with a smooth factory fresh finish.
Base
– The base is completely sandblasted clean and sealed with a clear coat to resist rust. It is then wrapped with super soft pig skin suede leather to ensure it does not damage the table it proudly sits on.
The phone goes through extensive testing before to ensure it is in perfect working condition prior to shipping.
Do you currently have any rotary phones? If the answer is no, it is always a good idea to call your local phone company and check if they still support “pulse” dialing. If they do, you are all set to go. If they do not, your phone will not be able to place calls without a converter. We have internal converters for this type of setup available for .95 (installed during assembly) or an external solution for 44.95.