Bell system

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Here is a pic of a Bell sign I just hung up in my garage today. Someone had butchered it with a chainsaw or something else very crudely. They had turned it into a table but at least used the flip side for the top. I used shelf stripping around the outside as I said it was badly damaged on the edge. The sign is 3’x5’.
View media item 110312
The desiccant may not be Ma Bells but does mention on the can to use as per practices from Bell.
View media item 110311

 

[c1504]

Pretty much every time I go to my grandpa’s house he has got some new decoration in his shop. This was new last week on the door to the bathroom

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is a pic of a Bell sign I just hung up in my garage today.

That's terrific.

This was new last week on the door to the bathroom

That's hilarious.

 

[Username already in use]

This past weekend I brought home this American Electric Company field handset. It's not marked anywhere as Bell Systems, but it could be a Signal Corps handset. The gator clips on the end of the wire are marked TL-137 which is typical Signal Corps part number.

This seems like the most appropriate thread for this guy. Anyway, a cool piece.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

TL-137 was the Signal Corp part number for alligator clips, UNAIU. I can't read the Spec. Number in that photo, but if you google that and the serial number, I bet it produces some info. I have a similar wartime Navy handset made by RCA with a USN anchor logo with Spec. R17T23.

 

[Username already in use]

Thanks Lugz. The Spec number is identical to yours R17T23 (INT) and the serial is 15597.
I don't see any other obvious military marking anywhere on it other than the clips.

 

[ttpete]

TL-137 was the Signal Corp part number for alligator clips, UNAIU. I can't read the Spec. Number in that photo, but if you google that and the serial number, I bet it produces some info. I have a similar wartime Navy handset made by RCA with a USN anchor logo with Spec. R17T23.

I think that could be a handset for an EE-8 field phone. It appears to have ring terminals with TL-137 clip adapters. It also has a push-to-talk button. An Army lineman could have carried one for line testing. We used field phones for years on our rifle range to talk between the firing line and target pits

The Navy did use handsets aboard ships, but almost all battle phone circuits were sound-powered units.

 

[Username already in use]

The Signal Corps designation for the handset only is the TS-10. Most of the Signal Corps or army/navy handsets that I've looked up have a tag or plate over the manufactures marking on the handset. Could be military, or could be someone just put some Signal Corps clip adapters on it. I guess I'll never know. Still a neat piece. And heavy than I would have thought. I think it's all Brass.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The Navy did use handsets aboard ships, but almost all battle phone circuits were sound-powered units.

I'm pretty sure that sound-powered "Deck Talkers" came in two forms: headsets with chest mic, and handsets.

Could be military, or could be someone just put some Signal Corps clip adapters on it.

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that Spec Number is not commercial. I would not rule out military, or Navy. I'd have to dig into my notes, but it wouldn't be the first time I saw a Signal Corps TL- number on a Navy or USAAF item.

 

[ttpete]

I'm pretty sure that sound-powered "Deck Talkers" came in two forms: headsets with chest mic, and handsets.

That's correct. The handsets snapped into a metal cradle. Been there. There were many different circuits for different areas. At battle stations, the phone talkers wore a special helmet to fit over the headset.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this #3 Phillips driver made by Irwin yesterday.
-Don

 

[Username already in use]

I'm really not going out of my way to collect service telephones... though 2 in 2 weeks seems like it.
But, who here would have passed up a New In Box Bell System 4011B rotary dial service phone?!
The box has seen some abuse, but it's still there and the stamp reads: ONE 4011 B HANDSET TEL. CO. PROPERTY
The phone seems to function well. I'm no expert, but I'm guessing late 40s or 50s? Here are probably too many pictures.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm really not going out of my way to collect service telephones... though 2 in 2 weeks seems like it....[ ]...
But, who here would have passed up a New In Box Bell System 4011B rotary dial service phone?!...[ ]...
Here are probably too many pictures.

Haha...nobody...and no such thing! Nifty find! And it's freaky how things get streaky sometimes.

 

[DD T/A]

(kinda related to that phone and how it doesn't need to say Made in USA)

I'm so young I find it weird to live in a world where 80-90% of tools and stuff are made here in our home country. I grew up in a world where it's the opposite.

 

[LesserSon]

Is this what it would seem - a hook to push & pull cables (vines, branches)?
Seems a pole goes in the socket at left - how long?
The sunlit photo shows the forged-in lettering a bit better.

 

[bmwrd0]

That is to push a rope over a cable when out in the street. The pole needs to be able to reach over an 18' cable (the typical height of telecom cables strung between utility poles.) If I remember correctly, it was a sectional unit. You could also use it to grab a cable under a house, although we used a reach pole for that.

Typically, you threw a rope over a cable when you needed to ladder up over a span for some reason. And while I did this when in climbing school, which also covers ladder use, with the number of bucket trucks running around, any time this came up we would just call for an outside worker to come and take care of the issue.

 

[Leviton]

LesserSon, thanks for posting that photo, and, bmwrd0, thanks for the explanation. Interesting. I haven't seen one of those for decades.

When I was a kid I found two of those, identical to the photo (but without the stamping). The difference is that the ones I found were cast iron. I was always intrigued by them. I grew up in a rural area that, previous to my time, had many hop fields. Evidently they did double duty; moving strings and cables around the 18 foot high hop trellises as well as working around 18 foot high telephone cables.

I will have to see if I can dig them up and post a photo.

 

[LesserSon]

One tantalizing detail: there are two stamps of a cross or shamrock symbol on it. I kept thinking, “I’ve seen that somewhere: Looks a little like 1932 & 1933 Snap-on date codes had a baby.”
So here is something VERY similar on a Penens socket. Same size. Trouble getting both in focus at the same time.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

One tantalizing detail: there are two stamps of a cross or shamrock symbol on it. I kept thinking, “I’ve seen that somewhere: Looks a little like 1932 & 1933 Snap-on date codes had a baby.”
So here is something VERY similar on a Penens socket.

That symbol appears on numerous Plomb Tool Co sockets in the 50's, LS, including Proto, PENENS, Fleet, Challenger, etc. It marks the location of the detent hole on the inside wall. While I can see the resemblance, I think it would have to be considered a coincidence, not any indication of Plomb manufacture.

 

[LesserSon]

Thanks.
The size similarity had me ignoring a subtle difference: the wrangler stamp has 90° exterior corners, while the Penens has rounded lobes.

 

[Outlawmws]

OK I should have looked closer at the Proto "ignition" wrench I picked up today - I went to look up the number, and there ISN'T one!

It's a Bell System-B Made by Proto, - not even a size marking - but it is a 3/8's:

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice find. And that actually helps date "B" tools into the 50s.

 

[JjKk40]

Just cleaned up one of my Dads telephone tools. Any idea of who forged or made this particular piece? The only marks are right next to the single hook.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Kind of hard to see - and I think upside down. Is it a 4-leaf clover (like a playing cards "Club" card) next to a "2"?

 

[JjKk40]

Yes its the number 2 next to what looks like a diamond or square. I zoomed in, hope its clear. Do these marks ring a bell on any brands?

 

[LesserSon]

The one I posted had that mark toward the tip instead of the base, and I don’t think any numeral with it. The inside border of the stamp looks to me like a diamond; the outside border a cross with sqare outside corners (but the internal “corners” are actually arcs.).
As Lugz had observed, it is not the Plomb/Proto/Penens detent stamp.

 

[JjKk40]

LesserSon, yours also has the "diamond" stamp in 2 different locations as well. And the forgings are slightly different along where the shaft meets the long skinny area. Maybe same maker, different years possibly? Pretty cool tho!

 

[NYBODYMAN]

What is this tool used for?

 

[Robertel1]

What is this tool used for?

That tool goes on the end of “Lay-up Sticks”. Six foot sections of pole that were extendable to what length you needed.

Specifically it was used to guide Drop Wire through trees, retrieve IW Wire from a crawl space under a house, and any other number of useful tasks that were necessary to complete the job at hand and where it was physically impossible to get to. It was also used in retrieving wire in attic’s where crawling was impossible.

It was extremely useful, and a essential tool for the Bell System Installer/Repairman, in performing his everyday installation and repair jobs.

A vital and necessary tool for sure. So useful.

 

[Leviton]

LesserSon, thanks for posting that photo, and, bmwrd0, thanks for the explanation. Interesting. I haven't seen one of those for decades.

When I was a kid I found two of those, identical to the photo (but without the stamping). The difference is that the ones I found were cast iron. I was always intrigued by them. I grew up in a rural area that, previous to my time, had many hop fields. Evidently they did double duty; moving strings and cables around the 18 foot high hop trellises as well as working around 18 foot high telephone cables.

I will have to see if I can dig them up and post a photo.

OK. This is weird. Until LesserSon's post, it had been decades since I had seen one of these. Then, last Thursday I was in a thrift store far from home, and what do I find? One of these marked Bell System.

Here are photos of the Bell System one and the one I found when I was a kid. The Bell System tool has the "diamond" mark in two locations; near the lower hook and up by the top hook. It has no other marks. The one I found when I was a kid only has an "M" mark, has a slightly rougher finish, has no side holes, and has 3 flanges near the lower hook.

It would be neat to figure out who is associated with the diamond mark.

 

[southalabama]

Dad tells the story of AT&T always wanting employee input on how to be more efficient. One particular task required two tools. The guy cuts the unused end off both tools and joined them together thus saving time with that particular task. It became a multi tool. The company sent him a bill for both tools.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

OK. This is weird. Until LesserSon's post, it had been decades since I had seen one of these. Then, last Thursday I was in a thrift store far from home, and what do I find? One of these marked Bell System.

And with JjKk's, that makes 3 in a week!

Every year GJ in general, and the Garage Sale thread in particular, seems to go on "runs" like that. Examples of eerie synchronicity. Some of it is sheer coincidence just due to the sheer statistics (many people collecting in may places at once and reporting their finds in one place). But if you're familiar with "forcing" as a fundamental principle of stage magic, where magician's use an elaborate and undiscernible set of prompts to force people into making choices that only seem like free will, I think some of it is often a sort of subconscious cognitive assonance version of that. People noticing things they may not have noticed if they hadn't seen it here. But it's fun when it happens.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I always enjoy your "Dad' stories southalabama.

 

[RTM]

Every year GJ in general, and the Garage Sale thread in particular, seems to go on "runs" like that. Examples of eerie synchronicity. Some of it is sheer coincidence just due to the sheer statistics (many people collecting in may places at once and reporting their finds in one place). But if you're familiar with "forcing" as a fundamental principle of stage magic, where magician's use an elaborate and undiscernible set of prompts to force people into making choices that only seem like free will, I think some of it is often a sort of subconscious cognitive assonance version of that. People noticing things they may not have noticed if they hadn't seen it here. But it's fun when it happens.

There is a group of us that makes (made, pre Covid) a group trip to the big monthly antique flea market at the Alameda NAS in the SF Bay Area. One of the things we do after is compare what one item that we saw a lot of that day, that we don’t usually see. And it’s odd that several of us will comment on the same thing, that we hadn’t seen before, but there were three today. Once it was the razor blade honing device, with the spinny disk and the automatic blade flipper. It’s not always a tool that people notice, but it’s odd that multiple vendors pull one out on the same day.


https://alamedapointantiquesfaire.com/

Looks like they are re opening for May.

 

[Leviton]

JjKk40, how did you clean yours?

 

[Old Radar]

There is a group of us that makes (made, pre Covid) a group trip to the big monthly antique flea market at the Alameda NAS in the SF Bay Area. One of the things we do after is compare what one item that we saw a lot of that day, that we don’t usually see. And it’s odd that several of us will comment on the same thing, that we hadn’t seen before, but there were three today. Once it was the razor blade honing device, with the spinny disk and the automatic blade flipper. It’s not always a tool that people notice, but it’s odd that multiple vendors pull one out on the same day.

I'm not part of the SF flea group, but, since I have one, I thought I would illustrate RTM 's example.

 

[532r5]

Found these in an old bell telephone maintenance building just before I demolished it.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[southalabama]

Back in the Ma Bell monopoly days they replaced their tools on a schedule.

Last time an AT&T tech came to the office he stopped at the Ace and bought a cheap Stanley screwdriver. It was embarrassing. I loaned him a Klein.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

That tool goes on the end of “Lay-up Sticks”. Six foot sections of pole that were extendable to what length you needed.

Specifically it was used to guide Drop Wire through trees, retrieve IW Wire from a crawl space under a house, and any other number of useful tasks that were necessary to complete the job at hand and where it was physically impossible to get to. It was also used in retrieving wire in attic’s where crawling was impossible.

It was extremely useful, and a essential tool for the Bell System Installer/Repairman, in performing his everyday installation and repair jobs.

A vital and necessary tool for sure. So useful.

I spoke to my dad who did 34 years with the phone company (NY Telephone/Bell Atlantic/NYNEX/Verizon) and he had never seen this before. He worked primarily in the manholes of Manhattan so he thinks that's why he never saw one.

 

[d_mayer]

All looks good and awesome