Watling Cherry Front, Rol-A-Top, Rol-A-Tor or Bird of Paradise Restoration by Jenny Creekmore



Before & After Restoration Of a Classic 5c Watling Rol-A-Top Coin Front Slot Machine by Nations Attic 

I am always ecstatic to restore a Watling Cherry front, a Watling Rol-A-Top, a Watling Rol-A-Tor, or a Watling Bird of Paradise back to its original brilliance.  A lot of the Watling machines are no longer in good original condition.  When the antique slot machine is too far from being in original condition, I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work on the machine. 

I have personally restored numerous Watling slot machines.  Once the castings are stripped of all the old paint and buffed to a high shine, the castings then need to be cleaned of all buffing material.  It truly is necessary to take your time in doing an excellent cleaning job, before any painting can occur. 

Close-Up Of Rare Cherry Front Rol-A-Top Before & After Restoration By Nations Attic

Back in the day, Watling used a paint that was iridescent or somewhat see through.  The castings need to be very clean and buffed to a high shine, for the iridescent paint to really reveal the beauty of the castings.  The Watling Cherry front would have had a red iridescent paint on the cherries, while the coins on a Watling Rol-A-Tor, Watling Rol-A-Top or Watling Bird of Paradise would have had a gold iridescent paint. 



Close-Up Of A Watling Rol-A-Top Bird of Paradise With Original Factory Gold Paint

We have the capability to reproduce both the red and gold iridescent paint.  We are proud to say that we specialize in factory correct restorations.  We strive to make the machines as perfect as they were when they left the factory back in time. 

Don teases me at times, because I want every machine to be as perfect as it possibly can be.  I almost obsess over each and every detail that goes into making a machine as perfect as possible.  I know that our customers treasure their machines and I treat them as I would treat my own machines.  I care for all of the machines that we ever handle and sometimes I begin to feel attached to them.  That is why he teases me!



Example Of A US Coin Front Rol-A-Top Lower Casting Before & After Detailed Restoration by Nations Attic

I really wish I could go back in time to speak with the people working in the Watling manufacturing facility.  I would want to speak with the designers, mechanics, wood workers, painters, hand painters, operators, sales team, marketing personnel and so forth.   

Often, we will get in a machine and the paint is not perfectly straight or a decal may have been slapped on the side of the wood in a crooked position.  Basically, the machine would show some kind of ‘rush’ action during the building of the machine.  It always makes me wonder why.  If only we could hear stories about these machines being built and the need to get them out as fast as possible. 

Don reminds me that when these machines were being manufactured they were a device to make money, not a family heirloom, family story or a collectible.  Yes, that does put things into perspective.

However, I do know how to properly restore a Watling machine.  Once the iridescent paint is on the castings, I hand paint everything else.  This is important, because when a casting has been buffed to a high shine, sometimes it is difficult for paint to adhere.  Plus, they hand painted the machines back in the day!  I have my method down (which is a secret) and I take lots and lots of time carefully hand painting.  It is crucial to take your time to have straight lines and NO brush strokes. 



The Oak Cabinet, Back Bonnet and Other Parts Get The Same First Classic Treatment As The Front On This Rol-A-Top

I also have my secrets on properly finishing the wood cabinet.  You definitely cannot rush!

At this time, Don and I do not own a Watling Cherry front, Watling Rol-A-Tor, Watling Rol-A-Top or Watling Bird of Paradise in our personal collection.  I truly would love to own one of these wonderful machines.  If you happen to have one, I am definitely a buyer.  Or if you have a machine that needs to be restored or repaired, I am more than happy to send you some photos of the work we have completed on some other machines.    

Oh, and if you or anyone in your family worked for the Watling company, we would be beyond thrilled to hear your stories and see any photos you might have available! Please call us at 316-371-1828 or email slots@nationsattic.com

Also, please click on any of the photos in this blog to view the photos in more detail.

Thank you!

Unusual Rol-A-Top Slot Machine Bug Sighting

Unusual Weighted Percentage Device Found On A Watling Rol-A-Top Mechanism

Earlier this year I posted some information about antique slot machine percentage devices or more commonly known as “bugs”.  The article was titled Bugs In My Antique Slot Machine. I followed that up with a short update on a Mills Novelty slot machine bug we found in a machine a few days after writing that article.

Since that time, we have found numerous other bugs in machines we have gotten in for repair and restoration. Most of them are a similar configuration and do the same job – preventing one of the reels from stopping on the jackpot symbol.

Watling Rol-A-Top Restored By Nations Attic

Last week I did run across a rather unusual percentage device on a Watling Rol-A-Top we were restoring. As shown in the photo above, this device bolted to the outer ring of the reel. While this did not prevent the reel from stopping on the jackpot symbol, it did add quite a bit of weight to one section of the reel. This weight would cause the reel to want to stop in an area where the jackpot symbols were not located. This sly device was not fool proof but it still did the job of throwing off the number of times it would land on a jackpot symbol.

It should also be noted that it appears Watling went out of their way to provide pre-drilled spots on both the reel tins and inner reel stops. These pre drilled holes made it very easy to install a bug in seconds . Generally the other slot machine manufactures would never put these on their machines but Watling seems to have rolled out the red carpet for percentage device installation. Watling slot machines, specifically Rol-A-Top’s, are notorious for having hundreds of different small and large changes to the inside and outside of their machines. While these “bug holes” may not be in your Rol-A-Top, I’m sure others out there have some equally interestingly unique features!  Don - Nations Attic

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!

Why is that glass so NASTY? by Jenny Creekmore

1933 Mills Novelty Roman Head Jackpot With Original Laminated Glass

When I was first learning how to repair and restore antique slot machines I asked Don “Why in the world is that glass so NASTY?”    I am referring to the various areas of the slot machine that utilize glass, such as the reel window, escalator and jackpot.  This can be seen in the slot machines manufactured during the 1930’s to 1950’s.

The glass may look very dirty and in most cases cannot be seen through.  It may look yellow or brown and could even have a flaking appearance.  No matter how many times it is cleaned externally, it will not come clean.  

1937 O.D. Jennings 4 Star Chief Reel Window Glass Obscured By Delamination

Don explained to me what happened to the glass and why this was occurring.  I was surprised by the answer and it is something we do get asked frequently.  

So here is the answer!

The glass used was an early form of laminated safety glass.  Over time, the early form of plastic used to make the laminated safety glass would deteriorate or break down leaving the nasty appearance described above.  Sometimes the fused glass can be separated and cleaned with lots and lots of elbow grease.  However, in most cases, the glass simply needs to be replaced and cannot be salvaged. 

We are only aware of one other form of safety glass being used during those times.  It is the jackpot wire glass used by Watling, which is prized by collectors today.

Original 1937 Watling Rol-A-Top Jackpot Wire Glass

I hope you find this bit of trivia to be as interesting as I do.
Jenny Creekmore