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I inherited this from my grandmother. It spent 40 years+ in her basement. I don't know anything about it. There isnt any identifying information on it. Looking for help with identification and help with where I can find new reels. As you can see in the pic one of them is really bad. Also wondering about replacing glass.
I fixed a jam and it seems to still work. Some bits look rusted.
Would appreciate any thoughts about repair or restoration as well as identity and links to where I can buy the reels and glass. Thank you!

I have free glass but you have to cut it to size. Just pay shipping from NJ.

Rich

I believe it is a Mills Black Cherry from the 40s. You can get parts from Dave Berten, who is on this site. mrslot1@aol.com and http://www.mrslot1.com/. Here are some things I would recommend if you are going to tear it down and it is your first time.

Get The complete service manual for Mills Slots from 1906 to 1969 by Marshall Fey.
It looks like it needs a full tear down, rust removal, and cleaning. The manual will show you all the steps.

Take a picture of each step of the tear down. It will prove to be invaluable, when you rebuild the mechanism.
Replace all the springs, which you can also get from Dave Berten.
Take your time, and enjoy the amazing ingenuity of this fully mechanical machine.

First, Welcome to the forum !!!! thank you for joining.
As stated by pb4sc , it's a post war made black cherry by the Mills company. 1946 49 (?). very popular at the time & now. it has the original paint colors on it which is nice.
the book stated would help (would be nice if it included a lot of other things & slightly re edited). taking photos (as mentioned) very much needed ,since this is your first machine.
I assume you might do little in the way of restoration. for minor stuff ,we all can help here , just ask.
nice machine ,specially for free.
jeff H.

The bible for repairing or restoring Mills slot machines is; The Care And Understanding Of The Mills Slot Machine by Daniel Mead. It is available from Mead Publishing.

Thank you for the responses. I am researching them and contemplating my options. I'll keep you posted.

If I possess the manuals mentioned and look to break down machine to restore what if any specialized tools will I need? Do you recommend buying as many parts as I can before or to begin process of following manual to take down and buy parts as needed?

EArkins wrote:If I possess the manuals mentioned and look to break down machine to restore what if any specialized tools will I need? Do you recommend buying as many parts as I can before or to begin process of following manual to take down and buy parts as needed?

I guess it depends on how big of a hurry you are in to complete the job.

If you are in a big hurry order the stuff that you know you need now. If you are not in a big hurry hold off until you know exactly what you need. Doing that might save you some money on shipping.

shouldn't take to long to "know what you need" now , then anything else as you find it.
serious cleaning, replace cosmetic stuff (strips , ect), springs if needed (some always do it just to do it), just check for worn or broken looking parts. these machine are built fairly sturdy at the time. study photos of similar slot machines for any parts your's looks to be missing. go from there. take your time , you'll be much happier later.

EArkins,
I think you will be good on the tools. Most of what I needed, were tools I already had. I used a bent paper clip for the springs, and that actually worked out pretty well. Also, this site should help you out. http://www.slotrestoration.com/2010/01/10/in-the-beginning/ The machine is different, but your mechanism should be the same. I have not seen the Daniel Mead book, but I really think you will need some type of guide.
Also, Squires and Corrie, http://squiresandcorrie.com/ is also another great place for parts.

Good luck,

Phil