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Just bought my new restoration piece a couple of days ago. Condition is solid, odd bit missing which I have, no glass but now replaced and works we seized and rusty and tracking and chrome not rusty but heavy black from 40 or so years garage storage. I have started a full strip down of all the works and enjoying doing it.
I looked on google on tips to clean really bad tarnished chrome and one was using car brake and clutch cleaner and a cloth...they did suggest real fine wire wool but I hadn't any fine.

So I took the chrome direction win arrow off and tried it and the chrome is beautiful on that now, so will do the other chrome later. With a cloth it buffed up a treat!
Started cleaning the internal parts with a set of them small brass brushes but today I am going to start hand sanding the case with sand paper to get all that horrible dark colour off before wiping over with a cloth with white spirit to remove dust ready for varnishing.

I am going to use yacht varnish weakened down with some white spirit to give a good finish, then fine sandpaper to remove any little bumps then a second coat the same!

I will try post a picture of the eventual result. The tracking I will not take off as I don't want to upset the lovely unusual backflash... but will try shield the blackflash and use little amounts of brake cleaner and a cloth to reveal the bright chrome again!
Does anyone know what the cartoon characters on it are?... Also I presume it's an Oliver Whales machine any knowledge of one of the same as this?

Tammy, please don't sand the wood as you'll do more harm than good! Get some #0000 steel wool and some lacquer thinners and try cleaning that way. A coarse cloth dipped in thinners inbetween scrubs will remove all the old finish and much of the dirt. And you'll be left with every bit of character that the wood has earnt over 70 years! If there is thicker varnish left on the wood that needs to come off then I usually have to start with paint stripper. Rarely will I touch the wood with sandpaper, unless I'm rebuilding a basket case and having to match old with new.

Already spent an hour with the sandpaper... will do another hour a different day before varnishing.
I personally find hand sanding best as I used to use paint stripper years ago with a bad finished effect... Often on washing off the paint stripper from the wood with water it left stained patches in places as though the water never dried out of the wood!
I seem to like the way I do it now as a couple of the last items I did looked just like the colour and finish of the 1960s allwins. Also I don't use any wood stain now and definitely no coloured varnish. Just them little tins of yacht varnish from the pound shop, weaken them down with some white spirits and apply in warm conditions with a brush... You don't need to spend pounds of restoring materials!!

Did a little more sand papering then wiped all dust off with a clean cloth that had been dampened with white spirits.
First coat of clear yacht varnish has now gone on (that's been weakened down by mixing some white spirits with it). I am keeping the heating on in the house so it dries with a nice finish and then in a couple of days time I will very very lightly sandpaper down with a fine paper. Tthe only reason is to remove the odd little bump and give it a fine adhesive surface. I will then wipe down again with a dampened cloth with white spirits on to remove sanding dust then apply the last coat of weakened down varnish in a couple of days. I have cut a back board ready for latter assembly out of some ply wood.
Hope this encourages one or two new people to have a go at restoring as it can be great fun seeing a distressed old penny machine come back to life. You might even get the bug like those on Repair Shop!!

What are your plans for the top glass?

The top flash is the same as the top part of the back flash, which unfortunately is missing, and seems to be showing an earlier flash underneath.
Is the machine actually a Whales '5 Results', or is it some sort of later conversion?

Thinking of putting Pot Luck topflash artwork as I think it would look good. Cartoon centre artwork is all original but were the corners are I have some bits that came with it of some oliver whales backflash cut ups..should look quite good I think!

Can anyone identify the existing backflash, hidden under the partial '9 results' baseballing cats?

This what it would have looked like if it had been a 9 Results:



The only Whales machines I can find with that fancy ball gallery surround, 7 cups and paid out coins are Playball and Strato Play, but I guess they would have used any to hand so that means nothing, or perhaps all 7 cup machines had the fancy surround.
The other backflash showing at the top and covering the words "9 Results" is from Win a Gift, a prize paying machine that also used the fancy ball gallery surround and 7 cups

Thank you for replies, especially from coppinpr with pictures and notes. You always have some good advice and knowledge on vintage amusement machines.
I think you have found the backflash. Seems like it's 9 Results in the centre and top surround off a Win a Gift! Don't know how it got on a 5 win 2 lost gallery but it's possible even when it was made? It doesn't have the multi 1 - 2 -3 turns of win knob.

My son was down yesterday helping me get the tapered pins out of the hammer and 2 on the win ratchets. With 40 or so years they just didn't want to come out for me but my son got heat on them with his gas torch and that did the trick.

While my son was down he was telling me of something that is being used a lot on rusty items esp in America. Seems they are filling a tank with it and items coming out shiny. It's supposed to be non toxic and you keep using the stuff. They seem to be putting all sorts in it. I have sent for 1 liter to try the rusty bits off the machine as it's on ebay and amazon called Evapo-rust. Has anyone tried it and if so what did you think of it?

Interesting comparison for rust removal of a few liquids here:

And Krud Kutter rust remover was the winner, but not sold in the UK.

Krud Kutter..... sounds like a nom de plume for a second rate author of third rate wild western novels.

Second coat of clear yacht varnish gone on case and door after sanding has its first coat on... looking good I think!

A busy time of year so will take a break for a number of days before cleaning up the dirty chrome and tackling the rusty insides. They have had a light brass wire bushing a number of days ago but should be fun!!

It's well worth remembering to knock off and spend time with your wife, husband or partner... as when I get lost in restoring time then seems to just fly by, and when they ask you questions it's worse as they remind you later and you don't remember them even asking?? They become penny machine widows for a while!!

It's well worth remembering to knock off and spend time with your wife, husband or partner... as when I get lost in restoring time then seems to just fly by, and when they ask you questions it's worse as they remind you later and you don't remember them even asking?? They become penny machine widows for a while!!

Tell us something we dont know !

Years of bad tarnish and older history?

The ball gallery being a 7 and not a 9 is, of course, a problem, but how about making a new top part of the backflash to match the bottom half along with a new "9 results" top flash?

I'm not convinced that this is, or ever has been, a '9 Results'.
The cabinet may have been, but the door, or rather just the mechanism, looks to have been from something else; possibly 'Win a Gift'.
Is there evidence of the gift-box payout rack on the back?

I was going to comment earlier in the thread as I too noticed the hole for the pay cup was once square cut probably for a gift or sweetie payout, probably a long time ago in its history. You can see from front and back the marks....unless me eyes really have finally gone.





Also it looks like the track may have been in a different position from the tie holes, maybe for a different layout.