sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Antique Telephones Explosion Proof Phone

I have an old explosion proof phone I retrieved from the bottom of the mine at the Riverside Cement Plant in Riverside, CA in the 1970's. I had forgotten all about this until I ran into it the other day in my shed. It's round and weighs somewhere between 30-40 lbs and requires a key to get into it. Someone told me it takes an old B Box key, any idea where I can get one.

The W/E ones I worked on mounted on the wall, only special part was that the phone back unscrewed and was mounted on the wall, then the gasket put in place and the phone screwed on.These were about 14(?) inches in diameter and projected off the wall about 5 inches. We discovered a trick to get them off without the key, but darned if I remember what it was! As I recall, it damaged something that was easily repaired and we removed the lock. I don't remember what the signaling device was, seems to me it was a standard 2500 set bell-coil with a linkage that reached through the top of the housing and rang bells mounted on top of the housing.