Aristocrat Arcadian Mk1

[malcymal]

Does anybody own the square boxed (I dunno if it's ugly or cool) Aristocrat mk1 Arcadian? I'm wondering if somebody would be willing to photograph the coin entry mech, the side of mech where payout fingers are? I have a mk1 which I picked up nearly 2 years ago and done nothing with it. One of those ebay purchases that looks good in the photo but awful in the flesh. I have noticed that there is a break in a component attached to the mech and I can get this welded by a friend who says it will work out, but I need the photo to look at the lines of the part as it has been bent through the handle being pulled. Secondly, handle is constantly playing without penny inserted. Apart from this, the reel spin is lovely and payouts work. Not gonna chrome it up but go for a two-tone paint job.
p.s. if anybody has a mk1 Arcadian badge kicking about loose, or even one saying Starline, can you PM me if you want to part company with it. Thanks.

[slotalot]

Hi malcymal, sorry can't help with the badge, but why don't you put a wanted in the pennymachines Market now it's up and running?

[treefrog]

Ping me a picture of the broken bit, as I have spare Aristocrat mechs and parts. I will look for badges, might have a Sheerline version.

[treefrog]

Hi malcymal, sorry can't help with the badge, but why don't you put a wanted in the pennymachines Market now it's up and running?

Good point, having had a look, this is getting quite busy again, both wanted and sales items.........

[malcymal]

Thanks tree frog and slotalot. I will post in the wanted section for the badge and photo the arcadian for the part i need. Be easier to replace the part then weld it and reshape it. If you identify what i need i can ask for that in the wanted section also to keep things hunky dory. Your help, as always, much appreciated. Will drag machine out of cupboard and take some pictures soon. Malc

[malcymal]

As you can see in this pic, a major component broken in two on left side of photo. Machine will still actuate although a few springs are off. Incidentally, i note inside the case there is no handle return pump, its a spring linkage, is this normal for a mark 1 ?
Thanks in advance. If anybody has these parts, please say, yep and i will post into the wanted section to keep things cool. Thanks Malc
p.s. also, if the part is available for the mech, if you have a reasonable condition handle or the front surround plate around reel window, please let me know.

[treefrog]

OK, the bad news is, all my spare mechs I've got to so far are the older Aristocrat unit. You may ask, 'is there is a difference?' and yes there is.

I have been meaning to document the difference and try and work out if it is tied to a period of manufacture, but from what I can tell, approx after the Nevada and Regal, the mechanisms changed, so this part of your machine looks like it is a later item, so your mechanism probably came from a later MKII or Kingsway/Grosvenor etc. I have yet to put science to this, but will go through each of my machines to confirm this theory when I have time. I reckon after, say 1964, maybe.

All my spare mechanisms I have or can access tonight are early, two from the same machine as yours. All my MKI machine have the early mechanism, so around 8 of them. Also things like the rotary escalator does not fit the A frames from later machines for example... so for now I cannot help, but will dig further to see if I have a later machine spare at the weekend...

In terms of the hardware/chrome stuff, can't help as these are a problem for all and have more poor examples than good examples...

Someone used a lot of force on that machine, I assume after a jam of some kind and kept pulling the handle....

[malcymal]

Thank you so much for your help tree frog, very kind of you. I think the mech hasnt been put into the case very well and somebody has forced the handle down as you say. Although the base plate of mech matches the case and slides in, the actual bolts used to secure mech to case are missing. Bit of a shame, ok its tattty but with a lick of paint and a clean up would be ok. just need that part. Worked out it does take pennies and coin detector will work but there are some missing springs which i will try and work out later once i get that broken part sourced, heres fingers crossed and thanks again for taking the effort to assist me, much appreciated. Malc

[raj]

Hi there, in my view, these early Aristo's are now 'cool', at least by the number I can sell quickly, and you don't need to spend much on them to make them look nice as long as the case A frames and handle parts are removed before painting etc. I use 2 coats of hammer finish on the case which gives an acceptable result if applied with a synthetic brush. Spray painting is too easily damaged, and the prep time is not worth the trouble.
The A frames can be swapped side to side if the bottom has any plating left on it, more likely to be scratched though
The front can be dismantled by drilling out the 4 pop rivets in the plated surround. The coin surround is held by 3 tabs twisted through the mesh front. Take great care not to use too much force to straighten them, as they will snap, and there will be little to hold the piece in place. The same applied to the little window on the side. The mesh can then be cleaned and sprayed to freshen up
Not really worth plating, but a flap wheel sander or emery cloth and polishing wheel can transform rusty handles.
The base welds often crack at the front, but the base can be drilled into the case sides and bolted or self tapped behind the A frame.
Your mech and reels strips look later than the case, the original would probably had the Pokie playing card symbols stuck onto the reel tins and then covered with fruit strips, probably on a white background, on conversion to UK coins.
The damage suggests the base slides are not quite in the right place, some adjustment can be made sideways, but the securing screw is a must to ensure the handle contacts the mech straight and true. The original knurled screw has an odd thread, but a metric bolt can be cut down to give a couple of turns to secure, or use a new bolt and wing nut if nothing exists.
Have fun