O.D. Jennings Dixie Bell by Jenny Creekmore

O.D. Jennings Dixie Bell Restored By Nations Attic

Love it!

Don and I had the privilege to restore an O.D.  Jennings Dixie Bell for the nicest lady.   Yes, it was the first time I had ever seen one in person and of course I instantly fell in love with the machine. 

Oh dear…it is indeed another instance where I would just be thrilled to add a Dixie Bell to our personal collection.  Both Don and I truly are honored to work on such wonderful pieces of Americana.  The problem is our passion for these antique slot machines.  We just want to keep them all!  J

Not only does this antique slot machine have a stunning color of green, but look at the bells.  The bells are really just awesome.  Other than the obvious aesthetic beauty of this machine, let’s get to the interesting history of this vintage slot machine model. 

The O.D. Jennings Company manufactured this slot machine model for use in the southern parts of the United States, specifically Louisiana around 1937.  While it has not been proven, the story is that this model was a special order by gangster Frank Costello.  By having his own particular slot machine model, everyone knew who was in charge of and operated this ‘one armed bandit’.

The Dixie Bell is unique in that it has a false extra jackpot on the front.  The false jackpot was an attempt to attract more customers.  Customers would ‘think’ the machine had an extra-large jackpot, but they were really just being fooled.  The jackpot on the mechanism was really the same as other models being manufactured by O.D. Jennings at the time. 

Just a little bit of deception……gotta love our history!

For the before & after photos please go to: http://www.nationsattic.com/antique_jennings_slot_machine_restoration_repair_3.html

How To Turn Your Antique Slot Machine Mechanism Into A Dust Infested Monster! By Don Creekmore



Mills 25c Roman Head Restored by Nations Attic

 

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.

Mills Mechanism - Close-Up Of Stuck On Dust!

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!