R& W All win Restoration
By Mark Monroe
Having recently purchased a Rujjler & Walker Fill Em Up allwin at a bargain price,
the restoration project started without a problem. The usual stripping of the workings,
and in my case, removal of a horrible yellow paintjob from the entire all win cabinet.
When I start any project I find the digital camera an essential part of my toolkit. I
snap every angle of the outer casing and interior for later reference. I can't tell you
how many times I've stripped down a machine only to forget where a certain 'slidey
thingy with a nut on the end' came from, until I look back at the many close up photos
on the computer and zoom in and see it hidden at the rear of a payout chute. Ahh,
relief! No longer do I end up with those ever increasing spare bits thrown in an old
Quality Street tin.
I enjoy the taking apart of any mechanical slot, as it's where you begin to see
how everything bolts together and get an idea as to how the thing works. Always take
care when breaking apart these machines. As a newcomer to the allwin type, no one
told me that the glass front just slides in from the top, so while recently cleaning an
Elevenses the glass slid up and came down like a guillotine on my fingertips. Ouch!
Even more embarrassing when your 9 year old son is watching his clever dad and you
have to make up the usual excuse, "I knew that's what would happen!" while
pretending it didn't hurt!
Once everything has been stripped from the case I begin the messy task of paint
stripping. Modern chemicals make the job easier, but still messy! This I always do
outdoors with plenty of newspaper placed upon the driveway. Always use newspaper,
not for any other reason than while the chemicals are stripping the paint, you have
something to read!
The paint stripper usually takes about 40 minutes to lift the paint, then I use a
wallpaper scraper to scrape off the paint. I apply a second coat of stripper making sure
it reaches all those creases and cracks in the wooden mouldings. I ditch the scraper for
this final part and use fine wire wool to remove the last traces of paint. Gloves are
essential unless you have warts that need removing, as some paint stripper chemicals
start to burn the skin if left in contact too long, (now how would I know that)?
My allwin had two other complaints, apart from the yellow paint job now
removed. The first was my wooden cabinet frame became the local restaurant for
hungry woodworm. Many holes were scattered around the inside, so I used Sikagard
Woodworm Killer treatment. Completely soaked the wood by liberally brushing the
whole can on every piece of wood, there was no escape for those suckers. I left the
wood to dry for a day or two. Woodworm cured, the last complaint was the top panel
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