11 Set stuff

[Mike K]

this may help .............

[cletrac (RIP)]

Plastic or metal? I was thinking along Mike's lines. Plastic in the late 30s stuff was restricted to small parts likely because of the strength issue. That panel is held in place by 2 bolts 10 inches apart and near the edges. The weight of the cables is all hanging off the panel too and would get flopping around in rough conditions.
Chris, have you got a picture of one of those catches?

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by cletrac

Plastic or metal? I was thinking along Mike's lines. Plastic in the late 30s stuff was restricted to small parts likely because of the strength issue. That panel is held in place by 2 bolts 10 inches apart and near the edges. The weight of the cables is all hanging off the panel too and would get flopping around in rough conditions.
Chris, have you got a picture of one of those catches?

There's plastic and there's plastic. The Switchboard, Charging, No.5 used with the WS9 and WS19 is made from a single sheet of some black plastic and it's probably almost twice the area of the item under discussion. I think it's about 1/4" or 3/8" thick, and secured to two wooden battens (for mounting to the truck) by a couple of woodscrews.

I'll try and get some detailed measurements tomorrow, and photos of the catch (which appears to be spring brass on one of the spare valve cases for the WS38).

Chris.

[cletrac (RIP)]

Chris, you're right but did they have both those kinds in the late 30s? lol By the mid 40s plastic had advanced by leaps and bounds!
I got one switch mounted today. When I'm done and paint stuff black it'll look the same whether plastic or metal.
I've been pondering the construction of the doors. In our picture of them it almost looks like the edge of the left door is bent funny but I'm not sure. The light is coming from the right so the black line you see has to be the gap between the doors.
I'm going to make the doors out of 14 or 16 gauge. They wouldn't be heavier or they wouldn't need the edges folded back that inch or so. That open catch hangs down over an inch so it has to be mounted an inch and a quarter or so back from the face of the closed door. That makes the door an inch thick. The doors will look like a shallow box.The doors don't overlap the unit's sides or they would tangle with the hool up cables.

[Ron Pier]

I made some similar observation in my post #129. But I still don't think the doors look 1"? I'm more inclined at about 1/2"? Ron

[Ron Pier]

I have now scanned everything I have as big as poss. Hopefully for the slightest detail. Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

Ron, if you look at the left picture, the door is about 1/4 as thick as the whole thing.

[cletrac (RIP)]

Here's a British set made by Aeronautical and General Instruments Ltd, so I guess some Brit units made it to Canada. I didn't think the stand looked like a Brit one but after checking again they're the same as the Aussie ones.
The wireless trucks would have had them for when they set up remotely but I haven't seen any British pics like that ( but some Aussie pics). They must have stored the stand in the compartment behind the operator in the wireless trucks.
Do we know how many companies manufactured these radios? The only other that I know of is EK Cole. The one at Blanford Camp Museum is made by Aeronautical and General Instruments Ltd
I just paypaled him the payment for this set so I should have it by Monday.
I guess I'm one of a select few owners of a Brit 11 set.
The Aussie set will go in the Carrier when I get around to it.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by cletrac

Chris, you're right but did they have both those kinds in the late 30s? lol By the mid 40s plastic had advanced by leaps and bounds!
I got one switch mounted today. When I'm done and paint stuff black it'll look the same whether plastic or metal.
I've been pondering the construction of the doors. In our picture of them it almost looks like the edge of the left door is bent funny but I'm not sure. The light is coming from the right so the black line you see has to be the gap between the doors.
I'm going to make the doors out of 14 or 16 gauge. They wouldn't be heavier or they wouldn't need the edges folded back that inch or so. That open catch hangs down over an inch so it has to be mounted an inch and a quarter or so back from the face of the closed door. That makes the door an inch thick. The doors will look like a shallow box.The doors don't overlap the unit's sides or they would tangle with the hool up cables.

They had bakelite (phenol-formaldehyde + various fillers) plus all its derivatives (Paxolin - synthetic resin bonded paper, and Tufnol - synthetic resin bonded fibre) and various other engineering grade plastics in the 1930s - remember that telephones were no longer made of wood!

As for the doors: STOP!

They will be thin sheet steel with a folded edge of 1/4" maximum to provide stiffness and enough overlap when closed to exclude dust. The closing edge of one door will have a step rolled/pressed into it so that it overlaps the other door when closed. The securing clips are a three part construction - a bracket that is spot-welded (or soldered/brazed) to the case, an thick wire loop that acts as a hinge, and a shaped spring brass clip.

I'll get the camera, some spare valve/spare parts cases and a Switchboard UC 10-line out in a bit for some typical construction details.

Chris.

[Ron Pier]

Yes please Chris. Any clues would be appreciated. If you have anything like the spring clips going spare, I'd be happy to buy them....Or borrow to get some copied. Ron

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

Yes please Chris. Any clues would be appreciated. If you have anything like the spring clips going spare, I'd be happy to buy them....Or borrow to get some copied. Ron

Bah! Battery has expired in the digital caliper, and I have to go out in a bit. Meanwhile, here's a spare valve case. The clip is actually a two part brass hinge, fixed to the case with a couple of rivets. The clip is 7/8" wide and the top part is 1.1/4" or thereabouts. Need to get some batteries!

Chris.