Paint Information and Pricing

Introduction:
I have been working with a painter for a couple years now and he has become very proficient at painting phone parts. We use polyurethane paint, the same material the phone companies used when they refurbished phones. It's an incredibly durable finish that works well on both plastic and metal. Some might remember phones being painted with Polane. Polane is a brand name for polyurethane paint made by Sherwin-Williams paint company. We're using a polyurethane paint made by Cardinal Paints, my painter thinks it's a higher quality than Polane.

See the end of this page for current pricing information.

How it works:
Below is a chart of available colors. If your color is on the chart, you can send your parts at any time. Typically it doesn't take long to get a small batch together and that's when I send them in for painting. If you have a few phone parts, you might want to check in to see how soon that color can be done. If you have 5+ phones worth of parts, it will likely get done right away. I will make sure nobody sits on a shelf for longer than 30 days waiting for a batch.
If you don't see the color you want on the chart below, contact me and we'll see what we can do to get it done for you.

* This dark blue is a match for the blue 302
** Semi gloss black is used on older metal phones to mimic the original look as close as possible.
 

Full service painting:
If you have one or two phones and are not the phone disassembling type, I do offer a service to take care of the entire process for you. The pricing for this varies by phone since some are far more work than others. Contact me directly about this.

Cords:
I do have cords available at a discount for painting participants. I can provide modular handset cords and some spaded cords for all the colors painted with the exception of Dark Blue (-18) and semi gloss black.
Notching for modular jacks is also available for models 500, 554, 2500, 2554, 702, 2702.

* Very close to Cherry Red
** Not an exact match for Western Electric yellow, but close
! I have a surplus of 6' moss green modular, $2 each, no limit

Surface preparation:
Plastic: The phones need to be ready to paint. You need to remove all dirt and debris and also stickers and glues. For optimal finish, use a hand sander with 180 to remove gouges and dings, then 320 or 400 grit paper for smoothing off the sanding lines to a smooth finish. The paint goes on thin which helps keep lines and logos sharp. The downside of this is that it also shows through defects such as scratches and gouges. Even scratches from scraping off a sticker will show through. Make sure anything you don't want painted is removed, such as plungers, rubber feet, etc. Be sure each and every part is marked with your initials and a two letter abbreviation of the color to be painted.

Metal: Be sure any existing paint is smooth. You don't need to remove the old paint, the polyurethane will adhere just fine. The key is smoothness. I like to say that "If you can feel it, you'll see it". Run your fingers over the transition between paint layers or paint to metal, if you can feel it, it will show through the new paint. And remember, smooth, smooth smooth. Once a year in the late summer I gather metal phones for bead blasting. There is a separate pricing for that- CLICK HERE FOR METAL PRICING.

Dealing with Surface Issues:
I can help out with repairing cracks, chips, dings, and gouges  for you. If a crack is cosmetic and not structural, then I make a repair with glue and body filler. This works well with cosmetic cracks like Princess phones with end cracks. This does not work well with structural cracks such as corner cracks where stress is involved. These cracks will likely reopen when the shrunken shell has been forced back onto the metal base.
If you have a phone with some surface issues or cracks, be sure to bring them to my attention and I can take care of them for you. If you send me a whole box of parts to repair, then there will be a minor charge. I'll make a judgment call on each case.
Just remember, even the finest hairline crack will show through the paint. I use body filler to cover the repaired cracks.

Marking Parts With Identification:
I like to have everything marked in a similar fashion, it makes it easier when sorting. On handsets, keep the caps on half way and put your initials inside the transmitter end of the handle. Marking the inside of the caps will help should they become separated from the handle but is not necessary. On phone bodies, find the largest open flat space inside for marking. Since the painter has instructions to paint all edges, if you mark too closely to the edge your initials could become covered. On small parts mark the side that doesn't get painted. A lot of times ID markings get painted over, so you'll get back a part the same as you sent, but not necessarily the exact one you sent in. If you want to insure you get exactly your parts back, put a piece of masking tape over your ID so that paint won't cover it.

Inventory list:
Please include some sort of paperwork with your parts, I want to make sure that your count and mine match. I recommend using this form:

CLICK HERE for the recommended inventory list form.

Packing:
I've seen a lot of phone shells come in for painting and I've seen what can go wrong. Here's some guidelines to follow to insure your phones make it safely.

Warranty:
Nobody is perfect, once in a while paint doesn't always cooperate. A batch of plastics for painting can be several hundred individual pieces. I don't have time to do quality inspections of each one. If I do find a defect, I will have the painter fix it. But since there are a lot of parts, I don't get to do a close inspection of each and every part, I give them a quick once over. Should you have a defect you want fixed, send the part back and I will have it repaired.

Prices:
If you don't see your phone listed, just look for something similar in size and go by that. For certain phones, multiple parts constitute "1 phone", the table below will explain what you get. If you don't see your phone listed, then assume it's piece by piece. If you're not sure, ask. PLEASE NOTE: There is a minimum charge of $10. If you only send one part or a couple of small items that don't add up to $10 on the chart, then your cost to paint will be $10 plus return shipping. Sorry for the high minimum, but there's a great deal involved in taking in, inventorying, painting, sorting, and packing.

For more information and questions, email: