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I picked up a QT Firebird with a metal stand. I have a couple questions on the case and casting.
Was the wood case on these originally painted black or stained light? I have seen many pictures both ways. Mine is black and so is the metal stand.
Someone chrome plated the casting. I was going to have the chrome stripped off and repaint it. Any advice or things I should be concerned about doing this?

I'm restoring a very early QT Firebirds, and looked in to the same issue.

My machine has been subject to what they sometimes in the antique business call "enhancing", or the application of an overcoat short of full refinishing. But mine looks like it either had a lightly applied black paint or a very dark black stain originally.

I tried to find as many pictures as I could of machines in original or as-found condition (Reed slot machines has pictures like that for most of his machines, including various QTs - I think one of the ones below, is one of his).

As for colors, mine turned out to have been originally been painted yellow under the jackpot but with red painted over that, maybe even very early on. I think it may have varied as to whether they painted the sides of the jackpot the main blue color, or the bright color (yellow or red) under the jackpot, but I'm not certain about that.

There's currently something of a "barn find" QT on ebay, apparently with the remains of the original paint job and the un-retouched black wood case:

- http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Mills-Q-T-Thu ... 1897029884

I still don't know whether to categorize that original black wood finish as paint or stain, it almost looks like something in between, at least after having worn for years. It occurs to me that they may have thinned paint a lot to spray it on, perhaps something particular to the black color they were using, and thus gotten that effect where it penetrated the wood and did not leave a heavy surface coat. From what I remember of the painted sides of the couple of early Silent Bell machines of that same era that I've had and worked on, they had more of what you would expect of a spray paint job, with a consistent surface - but those were lighter colors, and perhaps they went on differently.

Thanks JP,
I does look just like mine, I'm going to leave it as is. Next I will be taking it in to remove the chrome plating someone did to the front casting.

I finished it. I went with the blue and yellow. I had to strip off the chrome someone put on the front casting. Thanks to everyone for the help on how to break in the locked machine without damaging it and for all the pictures of original machines. I had the locks re-keyed. I left the wood case alone. The black paint look good and it had the original Mills name plant and decal on it. Original reel strips and award card. I striped and repainted the metal stand. It was black except the lock bar, it was painted some kind of wild pink/purple color? SN/3099 is on the wood case and inside on the front casting. Should is see it anywhere else? Of course the wife pulled the handle around 10 times and hit a jackpot. She is now in love with it. Its a keeper. A happy wife is a happy life
Thanks to everyone for all the help and great advice

Great job!!! Nice to see you now have it on the stand the correct way.
A nice "restoration"