First Ashley soaked all the metal parts in coke and scrubbed down the wood to get us a clean working surface.
Meanwhile I took apart an nxtl handset we had laying around. I decided the 200mah battery was not going to be acceptable as this would likely sit for long periods without being charged so I cut the battery off and soldered on a 2000mah battery.
After painting the parts a flat black to bring back some of the old look and rubbing the wood down with a bees wax organic conditioner we were ready to get started.
The original cable for the ear piece was completely deteriorated so I ordered some cloth wrapped twisted wire and measured and cut the new length.
We reassembled the phone and I mounted the Bluetooth board and battery inside the box.
After a quick test call our project was deemed a success.
The best way to curate old hardware is to keep them working. I had a funny thought. We have a 1951 model Bakelite phone with a DTFM module hooked to our fiber-line. Works great. But I realized that the time between your phone and mine is less than my phone to now!
Must be a deformation from the historical disciplines messing with my head!