Slot Machine Restoration

After researching the vintage slot machine, I determined that it was a 1928 Mills Novelty 5 cent Slot Machine. I then learned how to take it apart without damaging anything to be able to clean all the different parts to it. I found it very interesting all the different mechanisms in place that would stop the player from trying to cheat and how unlikely it was for them to actually win.

After I had cleaned the entire machine, I tested it, and saw it did all function how it should, but when I did win, it wouldn’t pay out. I then went through an iterative process slowly trying different things to see which would result in the machine fully working as intended. After a while, I figured it out that four springs were missing on the payout arms and when I replaced them, it all worked as it was supposed to.

I then made a custom backplate out of plexiglass so the internal mechanisms are always on display and I can show others how it all works. This was the first time I had attempted something like this and I had a lot of fun doing so and sharing it with my family once it was all completed.

Image Gallery