1940's Mills Nickel Slot Question

[Slots5$]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and the world of antique slot machines. I'm working on a 1940's vintage nickel slot machine. The machine is in great working order with one exception, you don't have to put a nickel in to play the the machine! Looking at the two arms on the back of the escalator, the lower arm should be engaged with an arm coming up from the bottom of the slot mechanism. It appears in normal operation, if there is a coin ready to play, the arm is pushed forward and senses a coin and allows the band it arm to be pulled all down and spin the wheels. If there is no coin, a pin engages and locks the bandit arm from being pulled. On my machine, the arm coming up from the bottom of the main mechanism doesn't engage with the arm to check if a coin is in place or not. So the lower arm is never moved. Is there any adjustment to either raise the mechanism arm up about an 1/8 an inch or lower the coin sensing arm down an 1/8"? I see the problem, just not sure how to fix it.

Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help,

Tom

[TheFatman]

We are blind when it comes to this machine .... but we wont be if you take a few pics and post them.
Dave F

[Slots5$]

Hello,

To better show the problem, attached is a picture of the trouble spot. The picture is from a working slot machine. On mine, this lower arm is sitting just below the upper arm. If there is an adjustment to be made, or a shim to be installed to engage the arms, I'd appreciate the advice.

Thanks for the time and help.

Tom

[oldslotman]

The problem maybe with the escalator. The guide that holds the two levers maybe bent up alittle no allowing the bottom lever to meet the vertical lever.

[SLOT DYNASTY]

Tom:
The problem that you seem to be having, is a very common one, and should be a simple-fix. There could be more than one reason
that started this. Either someone got aggressive with a screwdriver, prying on the levers that they knew nothing about, or more
likely, the escalator was later swapped with one that wasn't properly adjusted for this machine.
Both of the vertical and the horizontal arms on these machines have a good amount of 'wiggle-room', meaning they can be tweaked
a bit for proper alignment. Your problem should not be in the vertical arms, as they would have to be bent very noticeably, to not
engage with the horizontal arms. The slots that the horiz. arms ride in, have enough room for the arm to be bent slightly, without
binding. Being as your problem lies in the lower horiz. arm, it is best to remove the arm, clamp it in a vice, and either tap the end
'lightly', with a small hammer, or put a tightened crescent wrench on the end, for an 'ever-so-slight' downward bend. This trick can
also be performed with two crescent wrenches, while the arm is in the machine, but very gingerly. The arm has to be free in the
slot, and not bind. Another problem could be that the part of the escalator that has the slots in it, could be bent upward a little,
but that should be tackled with the escalator out of the case.
If you are mechanically inclined at all, this will be a very easy fix for you. Hopefully I have been of some help. Keep us informed.
Bill