Trade Stimulator Restoration

[TheFatman]

I use mineral spirits. Cleans very well.
Dave F

[nvmos2]

Robb;

That MU-102-A is not a serial number;
it is a casting part number;
you'll notice similar numbers on the other castings.

The serial number should be right below it in large hand-written letter-numbers;
I know it looks funny and does not seem like a professional way of serial numbering, but that's the way they did it.

I know Bill never tires of helping guys out, but I'll save him the trouble of repeating what he has provided elsewhere by quoting him:
"Not all Trade Stimulator manufacturers put serial numbers on their machines...........
Groetchen also did serials, but they had a different system.
They didn't die-stamp numbers, but instead, painted a letter and number combination on the inside of the case, and the same number on the mechanism platform,
just under the reel bundle.........."
He would appreciate it if you supply him your serial number.

The Liberty is written up in "100 Most collectible Trade Stimulators" Vol 1;
not an extensive history, but some good info;
if you don't have access to the book, send me a PM with address and I'll mail you a copy of that 1 page.

Bill;
You may already have this;
My Liberty (1 cent, fruit symbols, NO gumball) is serial number C-195.
No trace of serial on the mechanism platform, but there is a very small (about 1/4 inch) D-188 painted/marker near the top of the left side of the mech.
Additionally, there is W.NCO 313H painted on the bottom of the case base (operator added? Perhaps a military NCO club somewhere?).

[nvmos2]

Robb;

I forgot to mention;
that's a great/interesting tax receipt on the bottom of your machine.
Looks like it has been there since 1946, but is in good shape.
I hope you protect it/keep it intact as you clean up your machine!

[RobereRulez]

Well OK then, that is interesting. My machine has M802 handwritten on both the case and mechanism platform.

i love the tax receipt in this machine. Does anyone know what the deal is with the number "59" printed in the tape?

[SLOT DYNASTY]

Robb:
By all means, DO NOT submerge your entire mechanism in anything, with the reel bundle attached.
From what I can see in the window of your machine, they look very good. You do not want to replace
reel strips, when they are in decent legible condition. Take the reel bundle out, if you are going to
engage in heavy cleaning.
Thank you to nvmos2, for filling Robb in, on the serial number info. You were 'spot-on'.
Also thanks for the serials.
Bill

[RobereRulez]

Here is a better picture of the reel strips in my machine. My instinct is to try and clean them first, but they are oily so we shall see how they come out. I assume they are supposed to be white?
Someone really screwed this thing up by using liberal amounts of some kind of lubricant. Most of the tokens were stuck together in the chute and when I got them out they were coated in oil. And the whole thing is sticky...

Robb

[RobereRulez]

So I was able to clean up my Liberty this past weekend and have a few questions:

- Are all three reels supposed to spin freely? I would think so, but the reel at the end of the "axle" would not spin freely like the other 2 after cleaning. It would spin with the axle and I was afraid to put too much force into trying to free it.
- Are these machines meant to run "dry", or should certain parts be lubed.
- Should I be able to test this in it's current state? If so, how?

All in all it was fun cleaning this thing up. The main issue I had was getting the one or two springs back on. I took a ton of pictures, but still was not 100% sure about the placement of one of the springs...

Thanks,
Robb

[SLOT DYNASTY]

Robb:
From your description, it sounds to me, that some 'Happy-Herkimer' oil can mechanic, had smothered the entire mechanism,
with an undue amount of heavy oil. If the tokens were all stuck together like glue, and nothing was moving freely, that's not
a good thing. I will assume you removed the reel bundle when you gave the mech. a bath. The reel bundle should have been
taken apart, and the axle & hubs cleaned as well. Upon reassembly, you will want to coat the axle with a minimal coat of
light oil. All reels should free-spin the same, and the axle is not supposed to spin. If one reel is binding, there may be a slight
tweak in the axle.
Some factory reel strips had a white background, but not stark-white. They were more eggshell or cream. Many turned the
coloring that is on your strips, from over-oiling. They look good the way they are. Just make sure to lightly clean any oil off
the surface, so that they don't get any darker.
You can run these mechanisms out of the case, but it is a bit tricky. Not as easy as a slot machine. You will have to clamp
the mech. to a board, or steel plate, then clamp that in a vise, so that both hands are free. DO NOT clamp the mech. itself
in the vise, as you could easily bend or distort the framework, so that it will not operate properly.
Good luck, and let us know the outcome.
Bill

[RobereRulez]

Awesome info, thanks!
I did get the reel bundle off, but could not remove the reels themselves. I was wary of putting too much force on them, but now that I know they are supposed to come off I'll give it another go. The attached picture shows how far I got with the reel removal. I assume the metal sleeve seen on the axle can be worked loose and removed?

Huh, I just noticed you can see some oil pooled inside the reel in that pic...
You can also see the discoloring on the reel strips.

[klam]

Hello,

I have a liberty desktop slot machine as well. It does not release the wheels. I place a nickel on the slot and it allows me to pull the lever down but does not drop the nickle and spin the wheel . I noticed a spring is missing on the lever part the pushes down. Any help is greatly appreciated to fix the issue and contact information for replacement of the spring. Attached are photos of my machine. I have attached photos of the slot .

Thank you