[GreenKeys] Nose Oil

[Frank Carraro]

   I have heard of it as "nose grease".  I used it to cover minor scrathches
on photo negatives.  I didn't invent that of course.  A professional
newspape photog showed me how it works.  The area at the base of the human
nose has numerous pores that secrete oily gunk.  That's why women (some at
least) "powder their nose"

-----Original Message-----
From: Don Robert House [mailto:k9tty at dls.net]
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2013 7:15 PM
To: til128 at aol.com
Cc: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Nose Oil


Tom,

Nose oil was specified for the wiper contacts for the old Panel
Central Office.  This equipment was 11' 6" tall and the selectors rose
up and down spinning rods.  In the 20s and 30s up until the last panel
office was scrapped in 1984 there was a technician known as the
"Equipment Cleaner"  Imagine different kinds of grease and oil and
cleaning compounds.  Bell engineers did not want the normal oil on
wiper contacts, so the practice instructed the technician to rub their
index finger on the side of their nose and use that oil for these
contacts.

My good friend and elmer Dave Alm, WG9J (SK) won many bets with this
little bit of nostalgia.

The only remaining panel office is at the Museum of Communications in
Seattle.

Don
Bell System 1966-1983
Ameritech 1984-1996


On 15 Mar 2013, at 7:16 AM, til128 at aol.com wrote:

No kidding - has anyone heard of "nose oil"??

I have heard rumors of its use in relays . . April fool joke or was
this actually used?

TT