Green Ray Television restoration

[tim575]

Post copied from The Green Ray Site Admin.

A museum restoration of a Green Ray was documented in detail and is a wealth of information for the machine mechanics as well as the fortunes it dispensed. Over 53 Mbyte of info in the PDF on it. Very good reference for anyone doing a restoration or re-creation of one. PDF at link below.
The restoration of a Green Ray Television Wonder, a 1930s Fortune-Teller slot machine from the Deutsches Technik museum Berlin PDF

[pennymachines]

Thank you. That's an excellent document.
Here are full res. images of the one which sold for $7,000 few hours ago at Morphy auctions.
Looks like the side window graphic has been hand-painted on this one.

[scorpa163]

Very interesting document.
But very concerning regarding the asbestos found in the machine!

[tim575]

Many machines from the '30s have asbestos in the electrical for parts that can get hot. I have come across it before in coin op machines and it needs to be replaced with safer alternative or sealed. The part with it in this case was the rheostat which many working models have (hopefully without the asbestos).

I like that the PDF also has the text printed on 30 different original cards listed. It makes it possible to have reprints produced, although they didn't document the exact card dimension and thickness. This same exact Green Ray was sold before in a Preston Evans Auction Sep 17, 2011 lot 663 for $5250 hammer. With inflation that would have been $6900 in today's currency. In the 2011 auction it was noted as working and converted to US quarter, so likely also converted to 120VAC. The PDF photos of other machines included this one auctioned today. That photo and the one from 2011 auction are identical and all have it missing the top globe with only the socket present, so it may not have had any further work done on it in a long time. Once I get shipping setup and done this one will be sitting in my collection.

[tim575]

Now that it has been delivered this week I can provide more details and some photos of the mech. Morphy auction did not include interior top mechanics photos. The keys provided initially did not allow the top sides to open. It seems someone tried to modify vintage locks to make some mismatched keys fit. The locks do not work reliably but I was able to eventually open it without damage.

Comparing to the PDF museum restoration document it does seem to have mostly original mechanics with some repairs and modifications. The original mechanical coin mech. mercury switch is replaced with start/stop switch contacts and relay. All lamp sockets replaced with screw (US) vs original bayonet (UK) type, and battery replaced with a transformer (that was an old change). The card dispenser appears original, but with addition of a metal strip to allow very thin cards to be used. Based on the dispenser I would say it was intended to use 1&3/4” by 2&5/8” 1/16” thick cards, which looks similar to ones in the PDF. The reprinted cards in it are just graphics on one side, and blank on the other, on thick paper 72lb weight and were 1&5/8” by 2&5/8”. Out of some 1000+ cards in it, only 2 dozen had a handwritten saying on them which were set to be the first ones dispensed, likely as example to prospective buyers. The sides had hand painted paper between 2 layers of glass which is crinkled from moisture and does not do well for backlighting as it shows the brush marks. It also has a large asbestos heat protection pad behind the rheostat (fibers are dangerous). Several parts were in it loose that appear to be due to shipping being a bit rough on it.

Before testing with power, I will need to make some electrical checks and repairs. Carefully remove the asbestos pad (respirator, vacuum air flow, plastic around all etc.) and replace with safer material. Then I will restore the card dispenser back to 1/16” thick cards, and have ones printed up using available known fortunes for this machine (from the PDF doc). Cosmetic work will be done as needed for damaged areas, and I will have custom glass panels made with the graphics to look proper when back lighted, and repair/replace the locks with ones correct to this machine. I expect this will be a long term project...

[bryans fan]

Sounds like a plan!
Keep us informed. As you say, a long project, but so worth it.

[tim575]

The asbestos pad was removed (wet method with precautions), under it was a significant burn area on wood ceiling so the pad was a later addition and location a bad choice. The rheostat may also have been replaced at that time of the burn (looks more like 40's-50's vintage than 30's type. I am relocating the rheostat to the back (metal) panel as seen on at least one other machine to avoid that issue. Electrical testing found the metal cabinet was shorted to one of the high voltage mains. That unsafe condition was not due to original design, but due to a modification of the coin switch that used a trip wire with live high voltage contacting the coin tube and metal front. I suspect some of the mods for quarter play were due to not enough weight for original mech. I am restoring it back to old english penny, using a 3-terminal dual position mercury tilt switch as I found one pretty similar to what these machines originally used. This week I will be taking the faded and damaged side panel paper hand painted art to be flat bed scanned, then will have the scan cleaned up and made into silkscreen glass. Paper art seems a later restoration, I don't know for sure what was original to these machines as all examples appear to have some level of restoration/replacement of the side art. All wire is being replaced with more period correct type (I use cloth covered vinyl reproduction wire), someone had used thin speaker wire in it.

[tim575]

Taking it apart for further repairs I discovered one original card wedged under a board in the ceiling of it. The fortune on it matches one of the original ones in the museums PDF reference, and the exact dimensions were 1.800" x 2.658" x 0.043". Based on measurements of the mechanics for card storage and dispenser it confirms a 1 3/4 x 2 5/8 card 1/16" thick should work good in it. I plan to have ones with different but original script fortunes printed up. One difference is this card was printed by a different amusement supply company than the ones in the PDF. I will match the cards except I will substitute the printer name/address so it is clear they are reproduction vs original cards. First I need to find someone in the US who does custom die cut cards as 1/16" is extremely thick compared to what is used today, I think it may need to be printed on an old fashioned press or printed on paper and laminated cardboard which looks like how the original cards were made.

[tim575]

All Electromechanical restoration is complete, complete rewire using replica cloth covered wire, fused and grounded. Coin mech. restored back to large English Penny with 2-way mercury switch (NOS 1980 vintage Magnetrol 75098801 SPDT mercury tilt).

HgSPDTa.jpg

Side locks replaced with NOS vintage Eagle Nickel half mortise A9WQ series which had the same dimensions of original hardware.

NOS-Locka.jpg

Restored mechanics:
The crescent wrench in the card dispenser is a temporary card stack weight for testing, not just a wrench in the works.

Leftya.jpg

Rightya.jpg

Currently the 4 front instruction cards are removed and are being stabilized and repaired before re-installing them, and new silkscreen glass is being prepared for the side panels. Until I have cards printed I have some hand cut to size from 1/16” matt board which confirmed proper operation as seen in this Youtube video:

[bryans fan]

FABULOUS. I can't remember seeing one working. Thanks for sharing.