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Re: First Mills Machine HELP

Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:47 pm
by treefrog
Looking at the mechanism, it just needs a good clean and lube. For a novice probably a few hours work, I do them these days in about 40 mins.....

So many people use different things like tank degreasers through to specialist products. I just use cheap old white spirit, wire wool, lots of cheap workshop tissue and light oil for lubrication. I would remove the reel bundle for easy access to key parts like kicker and clock. The clock should removed and taken apart (very easy) and cleaned and lubed... Check if running smoothly and not too worn on spindles or cogs... clean the rest of what you can see, wipe down and rebuild. I would take the kicker off and clean/lube. Also slides, give a good clean and not lube......about it really.

I wonder if Firmans may have had something to do with this, as I think the reel strips look by them, unless the mech came from a Firmans machine...

Re: First Mills Machine HELP

Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 10:02 pm
by pauljt71
badpenny wrote: Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:31 pm Some greedy operator has at some point altered the pay out odds by adding (at least one) blank to the pay out disc for reel number one. By blocking off that hole the vertical finger can't enter and then pay out. That particular one will relate to a cherry. It needs pulling out (H shaped piece of metal) and then look for a stick-on symbol on the first reel which will probably be a lemon with a cherry underneath it.
Exactly right!

Re: First Mills Machine HELP

Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:53 pm
by coppinpr
Fully agree with Tom: clock, slides, kicker and reel bundle and clean everything else you can get at while the reel bundle is out. I also always remove the two main operating bar clamps at the back (one each side), clean the clamps and ease the shaft forward and clean all round it and lightly oil (sewing machine oil only, no grease and no oil on any part that comes in contact with a coin).
There is a good walk through for removing the reel bundle (you need to part load the cycle to remove it with ease) and a good walk through for dismantling the clock (cleaning yours will I think improve the running dramatically).
My advice would be remove the reel bundle, and remove and clean the slides as your first job. This will teach you how the machine pays out and is very easy to do (remember to keep the slides in the correct order and not to oil them).

Just a question: how many "bar" symbols are there on the first reel?

Re: First Mills Machine HELP

Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2019 8:36 pm
by pauljt71
Only two.

Re: First Mills Machine HELP

Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:46 am
by coppinpr
I thought there might be two (usually only one), as it's a ten stop mech it means one of them can never come up (the one in your photo of the lemon being changed), but the player thinks it can. :lol: