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Monti,
Thanks for the information regarding the Bursting Cherry/Cherry Bell series.
I am not a big collector or expert by any imagination.
I wanted a reliable slot series that our grandchildren (and the rest of us!) could enjoy in our limited space.
I decided on this series, as a nice Brown Front was available locally.
I found the additional two in two other states to make it a set.
Not rare, but lots of reliable fun.
I appreciate your taking the time to explain the differences in the three machines.
Sincerely,
Bob
Beverly, MA

I should have thanked nvmos2 for the great write up.
Monti also deserves credit for his constant help for us less than expert followers and collectors.
Bob

Agreed! Thanks for the history lesson.

Best,

Shane

Bob - Three great looking machines! Thanks for sharing.

Shane

Bob

It looks like the handles on your Cherry Bell and Melon Bell are painted the same color as your castings. Was that the standard factory issue? The handle on mine is black but I don’t know if that is from the factory or if it was re-painted.

I believe the handles are painted to match the major casting color.
Bob

The handle bushing on my machine is painted black. Would that be from the factory or were the handle rings always chrome?

Shane;

It's really nice that you are striving for a correct restoration that is faithful to the original machine.

I don't do restorations, so an expert's input would help here, but these are my impressions:

I agree with Bob; handle paint should match the primary front color.

Some guys call this group of Mills cabinet style Half Tops or Half Cab(inet)s, as distinguished from the High Tops which came next in time.
I have a small stash of period Mills ads; from looking thru them, I would say, as a general rule:
For Mills Half Cabs with the club handle, the handle is painted with the dominant front color.
High Tops with this style handle, on the other hand, seem to be reversed in the ads; the handle is painted with a secondary/trim color from the front.

I have 2 original Mills Half Cabs with the club handle; the handles are painted to match the primary front color on both of them.

I don't think Mills generally painted the handle bushings or used chrome on the Half Cabs; use nickel plating.
(If you're doing a Brown Front, think subdued!)

However, looking back to the machine photo that started this thread, I'm still thinking you may have a Brown Front Blue. It looks like the red may have been redone later, but maybe not; the unusual dark blue color looks to go back to the good old days.
If in fact that's what you have, Mills may very well have painted the handle bushing to freshen it up during the revamp.
IMO, if you believe you have a Mills revamp, I'd stick with that; it's unusual and more interesting!

The Cherry Bell casting finishes have a textured finish. Any advice on how to get this painted finish? There are hammered paints but the originals have more of a slight bumpy textured finish.