Vintage Fully Refurbished & Working Western Electric Blue 302 Rotary Telephone For Sale

This wonderful working example of 1930\'s design is sure to fit your period decorating scheme. What I love most about this phone is the great RRRING that will be sure to get the attention of everyone in your household!

The Model 302 desk telephone was introduced in 1937. Created by famed industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, the first versions had a die-cast zinc housing, however, demands for metal during WWII necessitated a shift to thermo-plastic housings on later models. The 302 series was the first Western Electric desk telephone to contain the ringer and induction coil within the phone. Previous desk models required a separate subscriber set or bell box that was attached by the line cord. While the 302 series telephone is predominately found in black, it was also produced in nine colours. When the thermoplastic housings became the standard, the colours were molded in the plastic of that colour rather than being painted on as was the case of the die-cast phones. Over the years the metal version of this phone has often been plated with various metallic finishes such as nickel and chrome. The Model 302 was manufactured until 1954 and during it\'s lifetime it was the workhorse of the phone system.

The Restoration Process

Dial – The dial has been fully disassembled, cleaned, lubed and timed to ensure years of trouble free service. The outer edge of the dial has been stripped and repainted with a gloss black enamel. Unless the dial is removed, this is something you will rarely ever even see, but this is how it would have come from the factory. The number plate has been cleaned and a perfectly matching overlay has been applied. The finger wheel has been sandblasted and powder coated with a semi-gloss black finish. A brand new die cut dial card and acetate cover have been added as well

Cords – The phone has been outfitted with brand new cloth covered cords that are made in house on the same type of equipment originally used by the phone companies. They look amazing. The line cord has a modular connection to facilitate a modern connection to your wall jack.

Shell – The shell has been stripped down and sandblasted using a glass grit and powder coated in a hammered blue finish that is unsurpassed in both appearance and durability.

Handset– The F1 handset has been ultrasonically cleaned to get all embedded debris out. It is then sanded through a multi-step restoration process which includes sanding with 400, 800, 1000, 2000 grit and buffed back to its beautiful original shine.

Base – The base is completely stripped of all its components and painted with a high gloss black. The components are then cleaned, tested and reinstalled.

Feet – The feet are disassembled and sand blasted. They are then re wrapped with super soft pig skin suede leather to ensure it does not damage the table it proudly sits on.

The phone goes 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 an external solution for 44.95.

We also have an internal converter that is hidden inside the phone that works with all telephone providers. If you would wish to have this option, add the phone and this item to your cart and check