New Life Games LLC
**Reel Slots** Gaming Machines => Other Reel Games => Topic started by: Retro tech repair on September 04, 2014, 09:55:21 AM
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Is their any way to tell how old a mills slot machine is. One of the stickers inside says bell on it but can't read all of it.
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most mill reel strips say 1910 0n them even ones from 40,s and 50,s post a pic
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i actually did some digging in a couple old slot books and online it looks like it a 40s mills high-top quarter machine. i got it working yesterday it was a lot easier to fix than i taught it would be.
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And how did you fix it? (for future referents) :yes:
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Replaced the spring that goes between the reel stop arm and the thing that holders the pay slides forward.
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Great you got it running. :applause: Since I take it your kinda new to this, what ever you do, DO NOT put WD40 or anything on the slides. They will work fine just cleaned. Any lubrication will cause problems with dirt and sticking down the road.
Dave F
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Slides were good fingers were rusty looked like someone soaked the entire mech in something corosive, I have worked on a few mills and Watlings. This is just the first one that was actually mine so I have never needed to know an age befor. I have a few people that want to buy it and they want to know how old it is.
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put up a pic they made high tops for almost 20 years
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Not usually the case for corrosion. A great deal of machines spent their life on the beach or close to it and were stored near there when they had to be. Most corrosion I have seen is from salt air. Nasty stuff.
Dave F
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also could be a repo that was made with junk metal
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Trying to add pics but it's not happy
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now why did it do that.
on my computer and on my phone they are not sideways i dot know how to rotate them. stupid apple.
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nice real mills that's no repo and being a 25 cent machine is very good for price
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im not sure i want to sell it yet. i don't even know what its worth. i know a few people that know value on them and im going to let them see it before i do anything with it. the fact that i have had 3 people in 2 days walk in see it on the bench and make offers tells me its desirable tho.
also i think it does have some repo parts in it mostly small stuff. one of the horizontal fingers has been changed and the metal plates that line the inside of the cabinet look modern, and a few springs. i have seen a clone or repo watling rol-a-top once you can usually tell the new metal from old.
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Different areas get different prices , most high tops I see sell in auctions bring 1000 /1300 ,your is a 25 cent one worth a few 100 more if I had it I would ask 1500
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I dont believe that the security shields that line the cabinet are repo's Usually when one works on a machine like that, its easy to take them off and throw a coat of grey primer to them to make them look clean and new.
Dave F
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Since you did the pics on the phone, did you have your phone sideways? If might rotate on your phone but not on an upload. If this is the case, try taking the pics with your phone upright and see if it works.
Dave F
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Check your pics now.
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There You go ... glad to see everything is right side up now.
Dave
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Thanks for fixing them.
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I have the same problem with my apple pics. Before I post I edit them and rotate them 360 degrees then resave it again. Then they post correctly.
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:I_agree_1: That's the way to do it!
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Or I just stop posting pictures from and "I" devices. Anyway thanks to everyone who has given me some info.
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Just glad to help ...
Dave F
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Different areas get different prices , most high tops I see sell in auctions bring 1000 /1300 ,your is a 25 cent one worth a few 100 more if I had it I would ask 1500
I agree on the evaluation mentioned here, start out at $1,600.00 but be prepared to take $1,400.00, leaves a little wiggle room.
The Award Card looks to be a Repop as the originals had designated 3-5-10-14-18-20 payouts to match the slide payouts.
The variable Award Cards were generally used later in the 70's/80's where slide wear would cause inaccurate payouts and the restorer didn't want to spend the time to build up the slides to correct the payouts.
Does the front jackpot work? I see it is in place, if it does that would help you bring a higher value!
Nice Hightop!
Ciao,
Monti
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Yes it does, I had a small pay out problem with single cherry but the spring for it snapped in half while playing today, and I have not had the problem since replacing it.
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That's Great as original front jackpots, when you can find them are usually about a $125.00 or more and the repops are usually no reserve jackpot capability, just single jackpot and the parts usually do not operate correctly with the interaction with the mech.
Takes a lot of TLC to make them work right, in MHO!
There are some buyers who are looking for the Hightops, especially in quarter play, usually not collectors as they are pretty plentiful but folks who just want a slot machine in their game room, Etc. like them as older folks remember playing them in the casino's of the early to late 50's.
Ciao,
Monti
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It looks like someone that didn't know what they were doing tried to fix it before I got it. A lot if the springs and a few screws were removed and stuck in the coin box(I got lucky with that). A few parts on the escalator were badly bent, and the arms that keep you from inputing 2 coins at once are totally missing. It would actually free play every few plays because of how badly smashed it was, but we had all the bad parts at work. I already have a few people that want it. I mainly bought it because we have never fully taken one apart.
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Probably don't have to mention this but correct spring tension is critical especially on the slide springs, slide release levers and the payout fingers so as to have correct payouts and eliminate slide jams. Also the escalator tension is critical to prevent escalator jams which is more prevalent on the dime machines than on the quarter machines, the quarters escalators are more forgiving due to the coin size.
If you don't already have one the book "OWNER'S PICTORIAL GUIDE for the CARE and UNDERSTANDING of the MILLS BELL SLOT MACHINE" by Bob Geddes and Daniel Mead is a must have for the novice on the mech as to timing and operation, Etc.
As far as I know it has been out of print for some time but one becomes available on EBAY from time to time.
Bona Fortuna My Friend,
Monti