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| Mills 25c Roman Head Restored by Nations Attic |
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| Roman Head Mechanism Coated In Fine Sticky Dust |
Recently we just finished up restoring one of my favorite
slot machines, a Mills Roman Head from the 1930’s. This model epitomizes the
early style of the Golden Age of Slot Machines which lasted from the early 1930’s
till the start of World War 2.
One of the biggest jobs involved with a restoration is
working on the internal mechanism. This particular Roman Head had some internal
parts missing and broken, but it also had another nasty surprise inside –
blanketing layers of fine dust, lint and hair on every square inch! Shown below are a few close-up photos of just what I'm talking about.
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| Mills Mechanism - Close-Up Of Stuck On Dust! |
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| Nasty Mills Mechanism! - Click To Enlarge Photo |
Most machines are going to have there fair share of grease
and dirt inside but this one was different. So how in the world did this particular
mechanism turn into a dust magnet? The reason is simple, someone sprayed liberal
amounts of a product know as Water Displacement 40 or WD-40 on the mechanism.
WD-40 will indeed lubricate antique slot machine mechanisms;
it will also attract dust like mosquitos in a nudist colony! This is why many
old machines simple get bogged down with dust after they have been sprayed over
and over with WD-40.
Originally slot machine manufactures would recommend cleaning
and lubricating the mechanism with gasoline. With the safety hazards associated
with that and the fact gas is $4+ per gallon now, the best product to use
is good old 3in1 oil. It does a great job of lubricating the small areas of a
slot machine and will not attract the dust like WD-40 does.
As for the Roman Head mechanism that looked like it was
evolving into a small furry dirt creature, after hours of hand cleaning each
part and a little light media blasting it was resurrected and is now taking
quarters as fast as they can be put into the machine!
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