The Governor

[topfmine]

Hi, a friend of mine has a vintage slot machine, a Governor by Jennings, with the head of an Indian on the front of the machine. He took the machine apart, just the casing, to get it re-chromed but can't remember how the parts fitted back. Anyone have any information on this machine i.e. parts diagram, pictures etc., etc.

[badpenny]

Hi topfmine welcome to the site.

I understand you're saying your friend needs to know how to put the castings back onto the wooden carcass?

First remove the mechanism in order to bolt on the bottom front half with the gap for the payout and above is the window for the jackpot, and the Indian Head.
If he removed the baseplate the mech sits on now is the time to replace it so he can see that the jackpot on the front of the mech sits snuggly into the window on the casting. Also that the handle connects.
That leaves the top front casting to replace. You'll know when they are both in place as the lugs which the bolts go through will line up with the holes in the wooden side.

images.jpg (12.01 KiB) Viewed 4740 times

It is possible to buy a manual from USA you'll find links on this site, try Resources and/or Library. In the meantime there is a free one to download at http://rwatts.cdyn.com/download/Jenning ... Manual.pdf
It's for a Chief not Governor but it's basically the same. Not brilliant quality however it's free.

How did the re-chroming go? They don't tend to come up very well and is costly.

Badpenny

[topfmine]

Hi Badpenny many thanks for the information. I will let you know how we get on putting it back together. Also thanks for the info on the download manual.
As for chroming things these days, I usually encounter plating firms who charge a minimum order, usually about a couple of hundred quid but if you look a bit harder there are small firms that will plate things in small quantities for a packet of fags or a pint, depends which day you catch them on.
By the way great site and graphics.

Topfmine

[coppinpr]

Everything BP says is ,ofcourse, correct, and you should not have any problems, the metal base plate is the one you must get right or nothing will fit. Will be interested in how the chrome worked out, almost everyone on the forum has machines re-chromed at one time or another and we are always on the lookout for good places, Jennings machine are a good test because as BP says they are hard to re-chrome due to poor quality original chrome and base metal. If you need replacement art work we can point you in the right direction

[raj]

As you have successfully dismantled it, without breaking anything, it should be fairly easy to put back. The front lower casting needs securing to the base with the 2 lower lugs, otherwise if the machine is lifted by the payout hole, then it may pull apart and damage the casting, which is quite fragile. If you drop it on anything hard, or hit it, then expect something to break! Don't be tempted to bend the cast coin entry to get it to line up with the mechanism, it will surely break in two. The cast is very poor. Washers under the fixing screws is a better way to adjust the alignment. It is not uncommon for the alignment to slip once the back bonnet and door are fitted and locked.

[pennymachines]

I usually encounter plating firms who charge a minimum order, usually about a couple of hundred quid but, if you look a bit harder, there are small firms that will plate things in small quantities for a packet of fags or a pint, depends which day you catch them on.

If you can find one that will plate Jennings Governor castings for a pint, we'll all want to know about it! Many electroplaters won't touch aluminium because it cannot be processed in the same bath as other metals.

http://core.materials.ac.uk/repository/ ... t/5205.pdf

The front and back bonnet are problematic because they're especially light and porous. Polishing cuts through the thin, relatively dense, outer skin to reveal greater porosity beneath, which has to be copper filled to create a smoother surface. I was recently charged £95 a piece which was probably quite reasonable given the skill, material and time required.

[topfmine]

I popped around to see this machine for the first time before it was taken apart and found that the casing was not re-chromed but had a special paint applied to it that simulated chrome. Personally I would have got it done properly. As with re-chroming bad base metals like monkey metal like Mazak, it's usually copper plated first as a key for the chrome to hold but I am not an expert in this field. I have seen plastic products chromed or plated on bathroom products so I wonder what these chrome platers do when they can't achieve a good finish on these penny machines. Maybe they should try a different approach or method.
It seems that my friend would like to get this machine restored properly by an expert, someone who knows what they are doing, so do any of you guys know or recommend any restorers out there who can offer such services and any to avoid. I have seen the Terrance Powell Group, under services offered section but would prefer some one closer down South if possible. Any suggestions.
Many thanks for all your help and suggestions, much appreciated.

[badpenny]

If your friend wants to strip down a set of Jennings castings, then have them professionally prepared and subsequently chromed his best bet is to search the net for vintage car restorers etc. They exist through their reputations and are in most parts of the country.

This probably isn't relevant to your friend's machine, as he may have owned it a long while and its original cost is now irrelevant. However when I'm asked about how far to go restoring a machine I point out the following.
By the time you've paid for the machine and then the chroming etc. You could end up paying more than the machine is worth.
Very altruistic and I expect most of us collectors at some time have gone the whole hog on restoring a machine either because we wanted to be the one that saved it or accidentally because we ended up with an unexpectedly massive bill.

If it's the former reason, I would go to the limit for a machine that was really rare and only if research showed it was complete in the first place, matching serial numbers, no repro parts, original locks/keys, contemporary light unit, original denomination, oak sides versus formica?
Otherwise I'd probably spend less buying one that had at least the above as I feel that is more important than shininess.
Fifty or sixty year old machines that look better than the day they trundled out of the factory may initially catch my eye, but then my suspicion gene kicks in.

Tricky one to give advice or an opinion on as it comes right down to the individual and what flicks their switch....... or pulls their handle...... how deep the pockets are ....... blah blah blah

[onearm]

Topic merged - site admin.

HI EVERY ONE SORRY BUT I AM NEW TO THIS I HAVE A GOVERNOR WHICH WAS IN A BIT OF A SORRY STATE SO I STRIPPED IT DOWN - NOT THE ACTUAL WORKINGS JUST THE CASE AND BITS WOULD LIKE SOME PHOTOS OF THE INSIDE SO I CAN SEE WHERE THE BITS GO SO IF ANY ONE CAN HELP ME I WOULD BE GRATEFUL THANK YOU ONEARM.

This thread has been edited and pruned to keep it on topic. Unedited thread: CAPITAL LETTERS kerfuffle... Site Admin.

[badpenny]

Let me say welcome to Pennymachines...

As we say to everyone who presents your kind of question .....

Curiously we had a very similar request from a newcomer last weekend who was writing on behalf of his friend, is this related?

(Merged above - site admin.)

Badpenny

[andydotp]

Welcome onearm,
A great first machine The Governor. This model was my first too since I moved to upsidedownland.
They're easy to work on - like Mills High Tops, but mine's never had so much as a coin jam.
Buy the Jennings manual perhaps and tinker away. Whilst they're complex, there's a simplicity to the mechs also.
Best regs,
andydotp

[topfmine]

Onearm is the friend I was talking about. We need some good reference photos of the inside of the casing, how the lighting is fitted and how the top and front casing is put together. Also photos and measurements of the coin box that sits under the cast tray that the workings sits on or if anyone has a spare box for sale.

[coppinpr]

Cash boxes are available from Mr slot in the US. Photos to follow.