CoinOpCollectorForum.com

Hello all
Longtime reader, first time poster. I appreciate all of the knowledge available here and feel like I've learned a lot just by reading other's posts. I was wondering about the Chicago show coming up. It seems that leading up to the fall show there was a fair amount of discussion and attention paid to the show, while not much seems to be made about the upcoming show. Is the April show different, smaller, or for whatever reason less enjoyable ? I plan on attending, but might not if it is a lessor / different type of event. Now for the inevitable dumb question.
I have a Castlefront that someone apparently used "EP" grease on the handle/hub. Naturally the grease has run down onto the wood. Any recommendations for cleaning / removing this mess without ruining the wood ?
Thanks in advance
Don

Hi Don,
I live only about 45 minutes away so I attend both shows. Some people say the fall show is better than the spring show. I think they are equal. There are a few dealers that only setup in the fall. Their booths are readily taken by others. There are two rooms. Most of the good stuff is in the main hall. Slots, trade stimulators, gumball machines & other coin operated items. The other smaller room has pinball, gasoline advertising and some additional coinop items.
On Friday at sunrise the east parking lot is loaded with sellers. Again you can find many of the items that I mentioned above in the parking lot. There is a $50.00 admission on Friday that covers all three days. That will get you in at 7:00 am.

Don there is no admission or parking fee to walk around the east parking lot.
Ron

Don:
If you are new to the hobby, don't pass up the opportunity to read as much as you can about all the Reproduction, Phoney, Bogus, Fantasy, and other names
that we put on the Crap Slot Machines & Trade Stimulators, that are NOT Original. It is very easy to be fooled by some. You can read much about them, in
this Forum, as well as posts by Dave Burritt on YouTube, whom has done extensive coverage of several Slots. There are also dealers at the show, that fail to
tell you if a machine is not correct & original. One case in point, is the booth of the "Las Vegas Butcher", aka 'thebentcoin'. I doubt if he ever has more than
one or two original anything in his booth, at all shows. He has taken more people to the cleaners than we can count. His Junk is also sold on eBay, and at
every annual VCA Live Auctions. Therefore, two of the areas to read in this Forum, is "Tips on Identifying Fradulant Machines", and "E-Bay". If you have any
other questions, feel free to throw them out here. That's what we are here for.

In regards to your grease problem on the "Castle Front", you can use a light cleaning solvent, or even WD-40, but try just soap & water to begin with. By all
means, DO NOT use Paint or lacquer thinners. If the grease has eaten into the finish, there might be some touch-up staining to do. It all depends on how far
you want to go. If the case has other areas with issues, you might want to consider refinishing the entire case. After all, we're just talking two sides, and the
outer portion of the base. Good luck.
Bill

I ve been going to the Chicagoland show since 1986 and have not missed one yet .....spring or fall......it is probably one of the last great shows left that has such a cool variety of items available......and definitely get there Friday before sunrise for the parking lot action...people start setting up at 3or4 in morning......no one knows what will show up there. Bill

Hello again and thanks for the feedback.
I've been in the vending industry for nearly 40 years, mostly in repair & refurb. A while back i picked up an Ideal 55 pepsi cooler, which i have basically restored mechanically. The body is in really good shape so it didn't need too much attention. Then i ran across a Daval American Eagle trade stimulator dirt cheap at an antique shop. I've gotten it running with a good cleaning & lube. That trade stimulator sort of got me going. At last year's Chicagoland show i picked up a Mills Poinsettia. Then recently a Mills Castle Front. The first thing required is info, so a couple of manuals later, I have disassembled, cleaned & lubed the Poinsettia mech. I purchased Dave's dvd's and am studying them now, before restoring the Castle Front. I've been following the info here and on Dave's website and You Tube. Once again - thanks to all for the help & information you all share with the rest of us.

Don