Bradley/Shefras Salectric shocker

[bryans fan]

OUTSTANDING as always!

I wish you lived near me!!

[ddstoys]

Finally had time to look this up and WOW! Love your work mate - from a write off to a work of art. Top effort.

[arrgee]

Absolute pure craftsmanship, well done Gameswat.

[gameswat]

Cheers for the compliments. Always rewarding to save another machine from the scrap heap. Picture of the finished mech wired up correctly. After testing I realised I'd forgotten to add in a switch to cut the current to the coil until you turn the handle ever so slightly, which saves battery life if players walk away. But really there was the problem of dropping the Penny, pushing in the button to start, then grabbing live handles!

[john t peterson]

Well then, let's get cracking, SlackerBoy. We have no room for sloppy workmanship.

J Peterson
Setting the standards (low) in America

[gameswat]

Finally I'm ahead of the game for once JP Wired up correctly in the last photo as original testing was weeks ago. Well down the road of other basket cases now JP. But a lot of bloody big potholes on this road I'll tell you!

[maestro66uk]

WOW!!!! I'm absolutely blown away with this restoration!
FANTASTIC!!

I love to see restoration jobs like this - going from absolute useless junk to a fully working new item again.

Keep up the good work, sir.

[gameswat]

OK, well I just discovered the only vintage image I've been able to find of this Bradley shock machine, small but good enough. Image is from the Fred Bailey book and is of the Chicago Automatics Supply Co booth at the London Trade Show in the 1950's. And thankfully I don't need to scrap the oak cabinet I made as it seems my educated guess was spot on. As shown in earlier posts the only other machine image I'd found before starting had a cabinet too goofy to help in any way.

[pennymachines]

That image is from the back of the Bollands Amusement Supply Catalogue I think - can't find my copy at the moment.

Great to have your restoration decision verified like that.

Some interesting games in that picture - I'd like to walk up to that trade stand and make some purchases.

[pennymachines]

OK, well I just discovered the only vintage image I've been able to find of this Bradley shock machine

Sweetmeats just emailed me this postcard. The colours are faded and it only shows a glimpse of the case. It looks like the whole cabinet, base included, was recessed behind the front casting. Is it called "Salectric"?

[gameswat]

Is it called "Salectric"?

Yes PM, can't see it on the photo Sweetmeat posted but shown on the face of my machine.

[arrgee]

Little more tonic needed GM (or are you a beer man?)

[gameswat]

To be clearer, the game in the Sweetmeat photo is only named by someone with a pen on the bottom of the photo, but nowhere on the faceplate of that game, which is why PM was asking if that's its actual name. Because I've never called the game that in any of the previous posts since Bradley shocker made more sense.

[pennymachines]

I've rechristened the topic to celebrate the discovery.

[pennymachines]

Lot 197 at the last EH auction was a Salectric. Unfortunately, with the two auctions on the same day I didn't have time to inspect it closely. I was curious to know if the wooden cabinet was original.

[treefrog]

I ran out of time as well, but did have a quick look. Only took one other angle and did not open up, so not much help. Perhaps the buyer is on here.

[burrows]

Gameswat, I know I'm about twelve months behind on this topic but having just read it, I can't agree more with everyone else's praise for you and your work on this machine.
You have brought something of beauty back to life that had previously, well and truly expired.
Despite not knowing how it all worked or even how it was presented originally, you set about work and turned it around.
'ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT'. Well done Gameswat..!!

WOW!!!! I'm absolutely blown away with this restoration!
FANTASTIC!!

I love to see restoration jobs like this - going from absolute useless junk to a fully working new item again.

Keep up the good work, sir.

[gameswat]

Cheers Burrows. I looked back at this thread and see the complete machine recently auctioned at EH is the same example as once shown on Simon's website many years ago, and the only other surviving machine I ever came across.

I was curious to know if the wooden cabinet was original.

PM, that cabinet has some age but I still believe this was a later conversion or restoration as the internal design of the front casting was definitely designed to fit over a cabinet and not into it, as shown by both period photos.

[pennymachines]

I agree, this seems likely, based upon those two extant pictures, and the style of the front casting. The extra width and fluting give a heavy, disproportionately wide appearance. I hadn't twigged that this was the same one Simon owned.

[gameswat]

Somebody recently asked for plans on this cabinet. I looked but no luck, then after re-reading these posts realised my plans were actually the pine mock-up case, which went into the bin afterward, not into my filing cabinet where the drawn plans go! This is about the only photo I can add that might be of help. Construction was based on exactly the same way the Bradley Challenger was built.