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Ok, have been digging deep into my project Jewel Bell Hi Top, soaking everything rusted, getting everything moving freely, replaced a broken spring, few missing ones etc. Have gone from boat anchor to basically working.

First question:. So, I have the mech "working" but the reels are not spinning fast. I tore the reels down, cleaned, oiled, etc..they spin fast by hand. It appears to me (antique slot newb) that the kicker is not "kicking" with enough force. I pulled it, cleaned etc, no change. It looks damaged? Is it? Or am I missing something?

Thanks..

On the back of mech do you have this spring that I am pointing to? If so you may need to increase tension it so the main fork comes down faster. This should speed your reels up.

ADIDASLOTS wrote:On the back of mech do you have this spring that I am pointing to? If so you may need to increase tension it so the main fork comes down faster. This should speed your reels up.

Thanks, sped them up some, but still seem a tad slow(that spring wasn't even tightened), even with brakes taken off. Maybe that's just how it is...

Next question....How do I determine which reel strips I need buy, and where is the best place to buy them? (I see mrslot1's site is down, but I have a catalog from a few years ago).

Interesting. You don’t have the factory installed spring on the back of your mech, you should be able to keep going around spring spiral to increase tension or ask Dave for a new spring at mrslot1@aol.com

He should have the correct reel strips you need as well. On the very bottom of the two reel strips you have present should be a number that identifies what they are.

ADIDASLOTS wrote:Interesting. You don’t have the factory installed spring on the back of your mech, you should be able to keep going around spring spiral to increase tension or ask Dave for a new spring at mrslot1@aol.com

He should have the correct reel strips you need as well. On the very bottom of the two reel strips you have present should be a number that identifies what they are.

Thank You

Just looking around online, it looks like it is the original spring, just a different setup than yours. (Mine held with cotter pin, yours has a hook)

I see another possible problem where the plates in the back do not rest close enough to the backspin release lever. I can only see the two. The third one is probably in the proper position. If they are not aligned the reel kicker will not grab all three plates .This will cause only one reel to spin fast while the other two spin lazy like. Check plate alignmnt. Good Luck

mechanic wrote:I see another possible problem where the plates in the back do not rest close enough to the backspin release lever. I can only see the two. The third one is probably in the proper position. If they are not aligned the reel kicker will not grab all three plates .This will cause only one reel to spin fast while the other two spin lazy like. Check plate alignmnt. Good Luck

Ahh.... Stupid question, how do I align the plates? Was just looking at it and I got no where. (I'd buy the complete guide to these slots, but it appears the publisher is no more)

Questions are never stupid. Look between the reels on the hubs there are two screws on each hub loosen both then hold the reel tins with one hand and back up the payout plates till they just about touch the backspin lever. Do one at a time and be sure the reel tins do not move from the position they are in. Once the plates have been adjusted retighten the screws. Make sure they have a little spacing between the hubs or they will bind up. Some hubs have jam nuts on the opposite sides that need to be removed before loosening the screws.

mechanic wrote:Questions are never stupid. Look between the reels on the hubs there are two screws on each hub loosen both then hold the reel tins with one hand and back up the payout plates till they just about touch the backspin lever. Do one at a time and be sure the reel tins do not move from the position they are in. Once the plates have been adjusted retighten the screws. Make sure they have a little spacing between the hubs or they will bind up. Some hubs have jam nuts on the opposite sides that need to be removed before loosening the screws.

Thanks, lined up now (may need to replace one wheel, think it's bent slightly). Now trying to figure out payout issues (pays 2 for one cherry here and there, but that's it. Also paid only 2 for two cherries), so I should probably buy reel strips first. I was looking around online and noticed when I find the 537 strips like I have, the set includes five strips? Why is that?