Field radio

[Giants77]

Hey guys again lol! So I have quite a few purchases lately as Iam getting the side pieces for this special display I’m working on! So I can get this field “phone” for about 40 usd I barely found out these where real lol. I know this one is heavily beat up but I thought would be a nice cost effective side piece. Photos are not the greatest as he’s an older gentleman I apologize for that. Would this be worth purchasing and trying to clean it up and “save” it from the rust and Dirt/grime as always Thank you guys!

[JPhilip]

Hello,
this is indeed a field phone named FF33 (Feldfernsprecher 33), it's original and $40 is a very good price. Apparently only the carrynig strap is missing.
Thanks

[Giants77]

Thank you JPhilip! Any advice on cleaning it up?

[Kohima]

Little more than a wipe over with a damp (well squeezed-out) cloth really; certainly no abrasives (scourers or cleaning fluids/compounds), as these could leave a fine scoring to the surface of the Bakelite and leave it with a dull finish.
Very nice find... it looks like quite an early one (I think).

Cheers,
Bob

[Giants77]

Thank you Kohima! So really just a wipe down with a cloth dipped in water squeezed out well?

[Kohima]

It’s always best to keep the cleaning to a minimum. Just take your time over it and be gentle.
Once dried, you can always do the same again, to lift a little more grime, if necessary.

Far better than steaming in with the heavy stuff and ruining the look of the thing. A little dirt in the recesses looks ‘right’ too... it is a field telephone, after all!

[BlackCat1982]

Some WD40 wiped over the lid hinge and catch parts will help it lose that orange rust. Spares can be found if you decide to replace any really bad bits but it will look better after some TLC.

[Neil Hever]

Once cleaned, you can try testing it with a 1.5 volt battery. A d battery and adapter can be wired into the two terminals in the battery box. Once you have a battery in place, put the crank into the receptacle and rotate it clockwise while depressing the Pruftaste or test button. If the phone rings - you have a working example. You can test the handset by depressing the Sprechtaste talk switch on the handset and speaking into it. You should hear yourself. If not, there may be issues with the phone cable or the handset components. In this condition, I'm afraid it may not be in working order - but you never know! Let us know how it goes. NH

[AZPhil]

Very Cool. That will make for a great display piece once cleaned up.

Semper Fi
Phil

[Giants77]

Thank you Neil and Azphil and finding out if it works sounds like it is way out of my league lol but I’m up to try and find out if it does!!