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My Western Electric Model 302

This summer I bought an old Western Electric Model 302 telephone at a garage sale for $4.  I just loved the look of it and longed to hear the ring that punctuated my childhood.  It may just be the best $4 I ever spent.

When I got home I researched the phone on the internet to see what I’d just bought and found that the 302 model dates back to 1937 and was in production until at least 1958.  My phone had all the characteristics of one of the earlier models so I’m guessing it was made sometime in the 40s.  But with little rewiring and a new RJ11 jack it was as good as new.

Aside from the nostalgic finger wheel dial, ringer bell, and classic black finish, what impresses me about this phone is its durability, heft, and compatibility.  Its body is made of thermoplastic which despite its 70 or so years on this earth has remarkably few blemishes.  Don’t get me wrong, this is one well-used phone!  No collector’s item here.  It simply has withstood the test of time.  Because it’s heavy and is well padded with cork feet, it won’t budge when the cord to the handset is extended.

The handset is made of bakelite- the same stuff that they once made radios from.  I swear it’s filled with lead because it’s heavy too.  Maybe back then they wanted you to put some effort into the act of talking.  When rewiring the phone I was amazed to find strain relief hooks and eyes on the inside that prevented the cord from being pulled away from the electric terminals.  Now that’s engineering! 

And talk about backward compatibility, all the rewiring I did was to simply replace the old connecting wire with a newer one with a standard RJ11 jack that would easily plug into my home’s phone system.  I didn’t have to replace any of the internal wiring- it was intact.  However, I did have to reattach the ground to the ringer bell which someone had disconnected to silence the phone as there was no on-off switch on the ringer at that time.  Fortunately, that someone kindly left a simple diagram inside the phone showing how to reactivate the bell!

So why am I so in love with this phone?  Simply put, it takes me back to a time when things were well-designed and built, often mostly by hand, to last.  When I lift the receiver there’s a weight of purpose to it that tells me not to take what I do too lightly. 

It's also what I like about Monkey Design products.  With just a little effort, a touch of craftiness, and a small investment of time, you can make something well-designed, durable, and timeless. 

Maybe you'd like to make your own phone... 

Monkey Design Papercraft Telephone

Monkey Goes Surfin' Safari

Once upon a time there was a cute little monkey with a big case of wanderlust. He wore a snappy cape with matching red shorts and a letter “M” on his chest.  His wandering lead to many, many adventures like the time when...

Monkey hopped a plane from Chicago bound for Los Angeles just to surf the waves!  Ever a fan of the Beach Boys, he just wanted to go on a surfin’ safari and meet a few cute beachcombers. 

Needless to day, he made a lot of friends zipping through southern Cal and while his reentry back to life in Chicago was a bit chilly, he’s managed to keep a smile on his face.