Something other than a slot machine....

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Something other than a slot machine....

Postby gamblingman » Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:13 pm

I have had 2 Buckley Digger projects underway for several months now. Today I finished the Treasure Island version (with the exception of background artwork I have yet to add). The Jewel Box version will be coming along in a few weeks.
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby clubconsoles » Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:00 pm

That's Beautiful, Gamblingman!
I am slowly getting there with my Buckley too!
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby gamblingman » Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:10 pm

Awesome. Did you buy the Deluxe here in Chicago at the last show? Let me know if you need anything or have any questions. I am doing a Jewel Box Buckley Digger next. The cabinet was pretty rotten, but the mechanics are great. I already have everything back from the plate shop, and am working on a custom cabinet and base. I will be glad when it is done, these things have pretty much consumed my life for the last year.
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby clubconsoles » Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:29 am

Hi Gamblingman
I know exactly what you mean!
I have done a straightforward restoration on an Electric Travelling crane, an easy restoration on a Streamline Merchantman, but these Buckley Cranes are challenging, to say the least!
I have had to repair one of the chain spools with liquid metal as a piece of the aging pot metal broke off while polishing!
I had to have the locator piece that looks like a "tuning fork" entirely remade from stainless
The mechanism that stops you turning the locator once the crane is in play was also missing in its entirety so I had that made in stainless from pictures, as well!
Plating bill was equivalent of $1500+ (I went for nickel as Chrome was even more expensive)

There is something about the ebony case with the Stark Chrome trim and the general bold Art Deco design of these cranes that looks truly magnificent to me and I do enjoy a challenge, hence my love affair with these cranes!
I have read somewhere that the Buckley Chicago Digger I have is "art deco at its most formidable" and it is true that there is not a single curve in the diggers design.
My Digger is pretty good, case wise and came from a chap called Todd Weiss in Caifornia.
I had it shipped to the UK in pieces as it had already been stripped for restration.
Most of the key pieces were there although a corner piece of the glass frame was missing , so had to have that made as well!
I had more than one made so if you ever do a Chicago Deluxe with these missing, I have a spare set!
These pieces proved impossible too source as there don't seem to be many parts for these diggers "out in the wild" anymore.

all the best

Nigel
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby clubconsoles » Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:06 am

diggers on display in gamesroom
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby gamblingman » Sun Feb 09, 2014 7:52 am

Wow, nice work! I know what you mean about scarcity of parts. I had to "borrow" several parts from a fellow collector and have then re-cast. The case I had to scrap is a Deluxe upper, so I have a full set of trim. I am re-building the case keeping the trim, as I think those chrome rails and fans set things off. Fortunately, here was a little cheaper. There is a small plating/polishing shop here outside of Chicago that many restorers use. They are just a couple of miles from my work, so I visit them regularly! Lol. I had several of the "fan" trim pieces made out if aluminum, so I have spares. I also have some extra brass cogs from the electrical switch if you need one. Just love these old diggers, and you are so right how the Buckleys can be daunting. I learned on the first one never to go near the chain wheels with anything electric! I had the same experience you did....fortunately Jim Roller bailed me out with a replacement. Beautiful pic, keep me updated on the progress!
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby clubconsoles » Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:01 am

Thanks for that, my coin switch is complete!
The coinbox was missing, so I had one remade.
Did yours have a fusebox where the mains voltage comes in?
Mine had no fusebox so I am using the type fitted to a classic car (Bakelite)
do you have a pic of the fuses if they fitted one, is it under the top stepped casting?
I believe I am quite lucky to have the top casting with its peaked top hat, most come missing these parts.
On the deluxe front window surround, do you know if the glass is framed by a rubber channel before it is held in place by the chrome strips?
I have some rubber channel supplied with machine but the glass would have to be quite thin to go into the channel, is this the same as yours?
Finally, mine is missing artwork behind boom, or was it a mirror?
I would prefer original looking industrial artwork if you know this is avaliable in the correct size?
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby gamblingman » Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:17 pm

I've worked on a few so far, and I have never seen a fuse box in one. Some diggers use a box in the base with the screw in round fuses, but I have never seen any in a Buckley. I will check the parts list in the coin slots guide to see if there is one listed. There is a terminal strip mounted up under the top of the cabinet behind the cam, but that is just for power sharing. I wire mine a little different. I install a double switch box in the base so you can turn the lights on separately from the motor. That means I have to run an extra wire up to the top, but the small cloth covered wire us easy to hide.

You are right on the top piece....they are very rare. I know Jim Roller told me he had one made, and it was extremely expensive.

The window on the deluxe is held into place with thin wooden shims. The glass fits in the recess on the cabinet, and just sits inside the bolts that come through for the trim. The wood shims that go on the outside of the window and under the metal trim strips, has a very slight shoulder on it that makes the window fit tight. If you don't have the wood strips, let me know and I will take a picture of them for you. They have holes for the bolts to go through. I have never seen any rubber parts on a Buckley....Bakelite yes, rubber, no.

Background on a Deluxe was a mirror in a frame. The Deluxe has two extra little square pieces of nickel plated tin that fill the voids on each side of the digger tower. They have a l shaped bend on the upper edge that fits into a groove on the bottom of the mirror frame. Any simple frame will do, I can also take a pic of that if you need to see what one looks like.

Hope that helps......

Joe
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby gamblingman » Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:20 pm

By the way, as soon as I get the next one finished, the Treasure Island will be for sale if anyone is interested.
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Re: Something other than a slot machine....

Postby gamblingman » Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:54 am

Clubconsoles..... If you would like the original frame (with new mirror) that is the background for your deluxe, let me know. I decided on a different mirrored background for the Jewel Box I am working on, so the original frame is up for grabs. It is pretty simple, and you can have it for what I have in the mirror + shipping if you want it.
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