670 of these units were made by the Mills Novelty Company. I was very excited/nervous to work on such a historic unique piece. This one came to us from a collector in Calgary who inherited it from his father.
This skyscraper slot came to us with a broken neck. Fully paralyzed. The main operating frame had a large lateral crack separating the coin acceptor from the body. I believe it’s largely made of cast iron. If slots could talk eh?
Step one was acquiring parts. Big shout out to Larry @ antique slots (https://antiqueslotsandparts.com/) who was able to supply all of the parts we needed to get this unit up and running again.
The part needing replacement was of course the main body that everything else was built up onto. After careful removal of all the parts, I replaced the body and put it back together to test. Success! Using the old screwdriver trick to activate the machine, the slot machine was accepting nickels and spinning the reels!
Next was to figure out why the reserve coin tube wasn’t filling up properly. The timing seemed completely off and coins were being shunted into the jackpot/coinbox instead of the cointube. In the end, I ultimately removed the coin diverter as these parts were continually a source of problems for operators and usually removed.
While the unit was out of the wooden frame, I took the opportunity to clean the viewing lens, and replace the front jackpot window (had a big crack in the 9mm laminated glass). Also was a good time to clean and test the jackpot feature! When a lucky player hits the jackpot, the lower window of coins will drop into the coin retrieval area. On the subsequent pull, the lower jackpot door will close and the reserve jackpot will drop into the now empty lower primary jackpot. On the next pull, the reserve jackpot door will close and begin to fill up. Once full, it will divert coins to the coin box below. This keeps the front of the machine looking very enticing for new players!
Next was the testing of all the slot machine payouts. By manipulating the fan at the back, I was able to set the reels to the different winning combinations to ensure the payouts were accurate. These holes in this steel plate correspond with the three different reels. When a payout is landed on, sprung metal fingers will enter into the hole activating the appropriate payout.
Some strategic lubrication of the moving parts and replacement spring installed. Brakes adjusted, and final testing!
As for aesthetic improvements, I installed some new reel papers, overall cleaning polishing and and did wood work repairs on the footer of the machine. It is ridiculous heavy by the way!
All done!
