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Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:34 pm
by gameswat
Just unpacked this cabinet that arrived today. My folks have been holidaying in Queensland for several weeks and my father stumbled onto this mid 1920's Mutoscope cabinet. Found in a second hand shop, asking $100 but haggled down to $70 = 40 pounds!! :o :HaHa: Very happy with how many original parts are with it. Both doors with original locks and keys, the coin box anti theft shroud that I usually have to have recast, nice coin entry and even one of the brass gears! I have a spare marquee frame and art laying around but will need to track down the rest. dirtdog

I notice that all the side to side cross struts have been bolted on, so the original rivets were either removed or never fitted and the base was flat packed to send to Australia, a long time ago.

One of my parrots is very inquisitive and as excited by machines as I am, so i placed it close to their perch and Punky was inside in less than a minute!

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 7:31 am
by bryans fan
I have long suspected that you had help with your restorations, the truth is now out. Didn`t take Punky long to get cracking on the rust!

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 8:42 am
by badpenny
Is Punky any good with Bryans Bullions?

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 11:10 am
by gameswat
Punky really does love machines! Seems he likes looking for coins the best from these photos? Any new machine arrives in the house and he gets excited and then just has to investigate. I left these cashboxes on the floor while looking for a suitable size and on returning a few mins later he was having a great time. Found him right inside this box of allwin parts one day. And notice Rocky is the little brother who always gets the job of lookout.

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:07 pm
by ddstoys
That's a pretty good find Mate and what a bargain.

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 6:40 am
by ddstoys
So how are you going with my mutoscope mate? Let me know when your ready for me arrange payment ;)

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 12:19 pm
by gameswat
ddstoys wrote:So how are you going with my mutoscope mate
Well, I have been honing my skills at being underbidder on Muto parts and reels. :dammit:

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:06 am
by ddstoys
Keep trying mate I've got faith in you ;)

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 3:08 pm
by badpenny
Punky alright? :byee:

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:29 pm
by gameswat
badpenny wrote:Punky alright?
Sadly Punky got sick in November and died quite quickly. :( Otherwise he'd have been inside the Magic Finger machine like a shot. The house has not been the same since. His great buddy Rocky is doing fine though and slowly coming into his own, but no interest in machines. He does enjoy talking and whistling to anybody that phones here.

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:45 pm
by treefrog
I also have a muto project, which is missing a few bits.Bought at auction a year or so back, but has a mechanism, but not sure it is for this machine, also missing glass.

Question, mine does not have the box hanging from the bottom, some do and do not, what is it for?

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 7:26 pm
by badpenny
Gameswat wrote:
badpenny wrote:Punky alright?
Sadly Punky got sick in November and died quite quickly.
Sad news that .... pets just don't live long enough.

Have you seen this one? It 's like me when I can't find my car keys ...........You need the sound on.


Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:54 am
by gameswat
Tree, the missing casting below is the cashbox which had a locking door to the front. I seem to remember seeing a friends that was like yours without it, and from memory might have been made that way? There's a hole in the cast iron base below the coin mech for the coins to drop into that cashbox, so if the hole is there then it once had the cashbox. But if there isn't a hole in the floor then it never had the cashbox and would be early I think.

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2016 7:21 pm
by jimmycowman
Just repairing a mutoscope. Does anyone know what sort of lock they used on the main door

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2016 12:26 pm
by gameswat
Hey......what.......woah?! I wasn't asleep!.......Just resting my eyes for a minute I swear. Now where were we? The original US locks are VERY hard to find as I've needed them before for a few other machines of the same period and even living in the states for extended periods I think I only found maybe one. As you can see though Yale UK made a similiar shaped version with offset entry stem, though tongue is slightly thicker. These are also hard for me to find but I did manage to "liberate" a few from the cashbox doors of 1950's era Avery chemist scales.

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:54 am
by john t peterson
"Liberate" indeed, my fast fingered friend. Is that your picture I see each day on the wall of my Post Office? (For the uninitiated, the FBI distributes the "Top 10 Wanted" on posters, usually posted at US Post Offices.) SkEpTiCaL

J Peterson
FBI-nvestigating in America

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 11:36 am
by jimmycowman
OK. Thanks for the info !!THUMBSX2!!

Re: Tin Mutoscope glass lense compatibility?

Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 1:04 pm
by gameswat
Hey all, just wondering if anybody has managed to swap the glass magnifying lenses around on the two different sized tin mutoscope models? The large head was first using recycled Clamshell mechanisms and when they ran out of those they started making new smaller mechanisms and smaller cabinets, with a smaller eyepiece castings too. But I'm not sure if the lenses are interchangeable? I'm asking as just purchased a small model eyepiece casting with lense in the US. I need the lense for a large head model. Looking at the back of the eyepiece in the sellers photo and comparing with my large model (but badly chipped) lense at the same angle they seem to match up exactly, but they might be a little different? !PUZZLED!

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 5:52 pm
by gameswat
OK, so I finally have the answer, my friend in the US who stores my purchases on the west coast just got back from holiday. I had him measure the lense for me:

Small model lense = 3 & 7/8" wide x 1 & 9/16" high.
Large model lense = 4 & 1/4" wide x 2 & 1/8" high.

The smaller lense would literally fall through the aperture in the large model, so not interchangeable sadly.

Re: Tin Mutoscope project

Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2019 5:29 pm
by stevem
I too am looking for a replacement lens for my tin Mutoscope....the old one was cracked and sadly got thrown away! I am also looking for the 'framing' box that fits behind the lens...anyone out there know where I could source these?