Hard Rubber Conversation Tube
This conversation tube would appear to be the most common type that I
have seen. It is 42 inches long and has a bell opening of 2 inches. It
has a black mohair spiral cover. |
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Here is another hard rubber conversation tube. It is 38½" long (tip to tip).
The woven tube gradually tapers from about ⅞" (outside diameter) at the
bell to ½" at the earpiece. It fabric now appears black. The bell
is the same size as the below conversation tube.
Interestingly enough, the lining inside the tube of this conversation
tube has deteriorated such that if you blow through it and plug the
opposite end, there is no back pressure—all the air escapes through the
fabric. As a result, it doesn't conduct sound either, and is only good for display
purposes. In contrast, the conversation tube below works just as well
now as
it did the day it was made.
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Here is yet another conversation tube. It is 39" long (tip to tip).
The woven tube gradually tapers from about ⅞" (outside diameter) at the
bell to ½" at the earpiece.
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A close-up view of the earpiece. The hole in the end is 1/8" in
diameter. The hard earpiece is just under 4" long. |
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A close-up of the "bell" or mouthpiece of the conversation tube. The
opening in this bell is 2¼". The bell is 3⅝" long.
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This conversation tube, which was made in the 1880s, was still being
made 20 years later as it was
listed in the 1902 and 1908 editions of the Sears-Roebuck catalogue. It
would have cost $1.65 in 1902, but only $1.40 in 1908. Ad from the 1902 Sears Roebuck catalogue. Prices ranged from $1.40 to
$1.89 depending on the quality.
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Ad from the 1908 Sears Roebuck catalogue. Prices had dropped slightly
from the 1902 catalogue and now ranged from $1.30 to $1.75 depending on
the quality.
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