Maruhon Single Shot Restoration Update

[OneBigTuna]

It's time for an update on my Single Shot Maruhon. This is the machine I picked up in Raleigh last month and had to put off for a few weeks. As shown in the pictures below, I have stripped the back of the machine, disassembled the frame, and cleaned/polished almost every individual piece.

I have taken the frame apart, along with every nail that had been added over the years for support, to sand and stain it. I hit it with 150gr and finished with 220 before coating it in a smooth layer of special walnut minwax stain. I will be matching the front of the machine with the same process to get rid of that old nicotine yellow paint (not a fan of that color on this machine).

The plastics and metals are ready to be put back together as soon as the main piece of the machine is finished. The main piece being, the central piece of plywood in the frame, that has the cell and playfield on one side while the levers and inner workings are on the other. I have some new corner brackets that I plan to add to the interior of the frame for more rigidity when I reassemble the machine. It was a bit wobbly when I picked it up, but what did I expect for 40+ years of wear and tear.

The first few pics below are before I began the restoration process right after I picked it up. I have chosen to paint the metal pieces before putting them back on the machine because of their discoloration and signs of early stages of rust. The only parts that are receiving paint are those on the back of the machine as they take away much of the mechanical appeal this machine has. I have chosen not to paint any metal visible from the front of the machine to preserve its vintage look. I have just shined the aluminum and removed the grit from the pot metal so it feels just as old as it is.

For the metal on the back of the machine that is painted, I chose to go with Rust-oleum’s light gray hammered finish metal spray paint….pwew a mouthful. It looks gray from a distance, but when in the light, the hammered texture shows. The way it forms as it dries makes the metal almost look galvanized, especially with the gray color. There were a few dents and dings that I could not get out with traditional methods; with this paint they are barely noticeable because of the light texture. At $6 a can, it’s totally worth it for the back of the machine to have one uniform protective barrier from future rust and abuse that looks great.

Before I sand the front and back of the machine I need to get the shooter lever mech off. It’s the last piece that is holding me up. There are 3 pics below that show the situation I’m in. I don’t want to twist as hard as possible for risk of breaking pieces so any help in this little piece of disassembly will help. There is a nut on the shaft but it appears that it doesn’t turn independently of the shaft that is connected to the lever.

Thanks in advance for your help, and I look forward to completing this machine and keeping the PT community updated with its progress.

[OneBigTuna]

Few More Pics

[pachinkojeff]

Wow! What an undertaking!!! Looks like it is coming along great!

[Bobesmo]

Thats a nice looking machine!! looking forward to seeing the completed project.

[thepachinkoman]

to remove the flat hammer from the shaft in back, I take two very large screw drivers and put them under both sides of the shaft and lift up. be careful for when it pops up it doesn't poke your eye out.

you can put something under the ends of the screwdrivers like a flat piece of wood or metal so they don't dig into the machine. you can also put some lubricant/rust remover down the shaft to help loosen the metal there.

no guarantees on success. I haven't broken anything yet but I haven't removed the flipper from a machine as old as yours.

good luck!

[OneBigTuna]

Thanks Bill!!

I was leery of taking a pry-bar or a hammer to such an old mechanism, but it worked. I put one screwdriver on one side of the shaft and one on the other and a small block of wood under their tips. I wedged up with the hand holding both screwdrivers and gave a firm hammer blow to the shaft with the other. The flat hammer popped off the shaft and slid right out.

I wanted these pieces off so I could more easily polish the lever and sand the frame. I went ahead last night and began sanding everywhere but around the lever. I will finish the sanding this afternoon and apply the walnut stain before this evening.

Thanks for your help, and if I run into any more issues, I will be sure to ask.

[dishpan]

Better than new!

[yose]

You sure know what you're doing with these mahines.I am very impressed.

[OneBigTuna]

Okay it has been about a week or so since an update, so I know I am overdue.

Before I began the long process of cleaning and sanding and putting everything back, I had made the trip to the local hardware store to get brass nails, brackets, tacks and screws. I bought all of the one type of screw he had and ordered some more. That was 3 weeks ago and they have still not arrived. I am being patient as he had to special order them and with the holidays, I knew there would be a delay. So at this time the machine is not completed.

So where I am now is, I reassembled the back of the machine as far as I could with the brass screws that I was able to purchase. That got me about 63% complete with putting the machine back together. I didn't think that was enough merit to post some pics, but in that I got an idea. Instead of replacing all the screws, I could temporarily(sp) reuse the old screws to mock everything in place until the new ones arrived. this would allow me to formally "test" the machine with the new polished mechanics and the new paint job…unfortunately, I couldn’t afford both new rims and a stereo for this machine.

Since last post I sanded and stained the remaining wood on the front of the machine after bill gave the advice about removing the shooter hammer. I reassembled the frame with larger stainless steel screws rather than 5 different sized nails per corner joint. I placed the playfield into the frame and re mounted all possible pieces and mechs that I could on the back. I polished the aluminum flat pieces on the front and renailed them to the wood with shiny brass nails. I wanted to keep the front with the “old” look so I did not choose to paint those pieces and leave them bare aluminum. I kept the single feed surround original because I think the wear around the ball hole is part of the machines own personal history.

As you might notice in the pics of the shooter mech, I had to do some modifications. During disassembly I happen to have broken the tabs on the plastic housing that covers the shooter ball bearing. In ruining this piece, I also broke the bearing….never will I ever break a ball bearing again (on purpose). After making such a goof I was challenged with getting all 6 little balls back into the little metal holder in the little metal ring. After 20 or so frustrating minutes, I had successfully put the bearing back together, and made a very smooth shooter lever assembly. I dremel-ed off the rivets that held the plastic bearing housing in place to the shooter bracket, and replaced them with stainless screws and washers for a snug fit.

As the machine sits right now, I'd say overall it is 86% complete. From the pics as you can see, the 3 items that require attention are mounting the ball dump chute, mounting the top ball hopper, and the ever so daunting task of polishing the nails…every individual one…. That's it right?

Hope you like the pics!

[OneBigTuna]

I also think I have dated this machine to a year of manufacture of around 1967 or so. I found a sticker that had in bold font a 42 and beside it, a small 6. Doing the math, it looks like summer of '67.

I found this thread earlier when attempting to date the machine: http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/vint...-pachinko.html Though mine may be earlier because of being a single shot, although the back mechanics look almost identical.

Also, I forgot to mention the Rustoleum paint again, I just think it really made a difference on the back of the machine. The texture looks great in person!!

[emmadog]

Very well done.

[JACKSJE4]

Excellent job on the restoration!!! That machine is looking AWESOME!!

I also think I have dated this machine to a year of manufacture of around 1967 or so. I found a sticker that had in bold font a 42 and beside it, a small 6. Doing the math, it looks like summer of '67.

I found this thread earlier when attempting to date the machine: http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/vint...-pachinko.html Though mine may be earlier because of being a single shot, although the back mechanics look almost identical.

In my experience, different models of machines were manufactured in tandem, possibly because the manufacturer wasn't sure how the new model would be received by the public, or because of a continued demand by the public. There has also been some discussion here about the validity of using the stickers to accurately date machine manufacture vs in-service date. As an example, I restored a Model A once that had a date sticker indicating it was manufactured in 1974 - a period when Model B's ruled the parlors. Was it truly manufactured then, or was it built earlier and then placed into service in 1974? Were there parlors that still preferred the model A style machine during a time that most parlors converted to Model B's?

My theory is that some parlors found a model of machine their customers liked, so they kept requesting/buying them from the manufacture until the model was officially discontinued and could no longer be purchased. If this theory is true, then it would have created "overlap" of machine models at any given time. Perhaps there were single ball and Model A machines in use together at the same parlour at the same time your machine was placed into service?

I also think there would be an expense to the parlour to convert the ball recovery/cleaning systems when switching to a new style of machine, so perhaps that was also a factor.

Just my two cents worth.

[yose]

Very nice craftsmanship.

[OneBigTuna]

My theory is that some parlors found a model of machine their customers liked, so they kept requesting/buying them from the manufacture until the model was officially discontinued and could no longer be purchased. If this theory is true, then it would have created "overlap" of machine models at any given time. Perhaps there were single ball and Model A machines in use together at the same parlour at the same time your machine was placed into service?

I also think there would be an expense to the parlour to convert the ball recovery/cleaning systems when switching to a new style of machine, so perhaps that was also a factor.

Just my two cents worth.

In my opinion this is a great theory, it makes sense about parlors keeping machines their customers like. We can all relate to the cost of switching to a new system. Local restaurants, retail stores, and even the grocery stores deal with this. You can tell which parts of town have money to "upgrade" stores with new registers, scanners, online information, and everything of the sort. Many places I have been show signs of not changing due to the added cost, yet on the other hand, there are those places that always have the latest and greatest things.

I like the theory of there being multiple "generations" of machines in the same parlor, because I know even in arcades now, there can be new games, but they are "old". It's similar to new backstock, like last years model but never used.

Similar to something I found on the website of Micosoft a while back that read, "We will no longer support the OS of Windows 2000, 98, or Windows 95". The parlors would most likely reach the point of the manufacturs to stop selling a particular style which would force the change of machine styles if a parlor wanted to upgrade. With these theory's, the in service stickers and other regulation stickers being used a a dating tool may be totally off. As you have mentioned above, a sticker can be much newer than the actual machine.

Thanks for the extra info and getting me curious about determining age of machines. I know this is not a new idea on this site, I'm sure there have been many before me that have raised this concern as well. I enjoy hearing the theories of others on this subject.

[Moparformances]

great looking machine.. it is really coming together...

one more point about date stickers is.. i dont think we have considered (much) that machines were used again and again.. posably they were resertified to be used for another 12 to 18 months