Restoration of a Very Crusty Gum Ball Machine

Missing glass. Corroded body. Bent/broken rods. Layers of old paint. Caked with some kind of animal feed inside. This 1940s vending machine has seen better days.
This is an Oak Acorn gum ball machine from the 1940s. The glass and some other parts were broken at some point and someone replace the globe with a welded steel cylinder. The inside was crusted with what looks like some sort of "feed", so maybe this was used at a petting zoo. Most of the parts are cast aluminum. I tried to use all the original parts. Replaced the nasty springs though because they are next to impossible to clean, and they touch the gum balls. The high-heat body filler was used because the gum ball machine was powder-coated at 400F.
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Facebook: / acmeresto
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KZbin: / acmerestorations

[@ChakatNightspark]

Use to live by a petting zoo for number of years while growing up. They had gumball machines so can get animal feed to feed the animals. They didnt have glass globes on them. they were all metal globes.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Whoever made the cylinder did a pretty good job. Stainless steel too, so that makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks.

[@Cking880]

@@AcmeRestorations I think it sucks how do you know if the damn thing is empty...kid puts in a coin and gets screwed.

[@kermitdefrog.8332]

Ahh my local petting zoo has this same thing.

[@nickjanssens]

I really didn’t think this would turn out as well as it did, given the metals condition. A very enjoyable watch.

[@Silver_lad]

Agreed

[@GK5_]

It would have been better had he not sped the video up...

[@EVILBUNNY28]

When I was younger my parents took me with them to a car dealership while they bought a new car. I got bored and started exploring and found a bunch of these machines at the back of the show room. There were gumballs, mini eggs, minstrels, and a skittle one. Turned out if you shook the skittle machine the skittles would just fall out. Needless to say I ate half of the entire glass bowl they were stored in.

[@Skorpeonismyrealname]

One of my buddies would try the same. Then he discovered that one of the machines at Daycare had screws on the bottom that could be undone by a phillip's head. Wonderful day, nearly got sick off of all the skittles.

[@stevejohnson1685]

Not at a car dealership, but at a neighborhood grocery store in Chicago. If you rotated the dial to the left, it would dispense without putting any coins in. I suspect that someone ground down the detent on that machine as a prank. Fortunately, I discovered it!

[@lordfartquadbeanz2002]

@@stevejohnson1685 or it broke they're cast aluminum

[@Lizardfiz12]

9:39 - 9:49 sounds like first three notes in the theme for Space Odyssey (2001) 😆😆

[@rowietheweird4737]

I WAS WONDERING WHO ELSE NOTICED THAT!!!

[@everettliu5157]

I was also wondering if anyone else would notice!!!

[@Charlie-vq5xy]

It is in fact the exact notes haha

[@zrspangle]

Also Sprach Zarathustra

[@thesledgehammerblog]

I'm hearing "Take On Me" by Aha.

[@jaymarler]

When you mentioned a zoo the thought popped in my head about a zoo I visited when I was young. They had a coin machines near a pond and stocked fish food in the machines. Perhaps that was the caked on mess.

[@AcmeRestorations]

That's the best theory so far.

[@JDLarge]

Excellent restoration! You love what you do and it shows! This reminds me of something that happened when I was a child. Back in the day, all gumball machines were glass and there’d be a row of like five made together in a row at the exit of the supermarket. Well, my sister was a cashier at the “Atlantic” supermarket in North Reading Mass back then. My mother and I were shopping and as she checked out she handed me five pennies to go get some gumballs. The machine jammed open so I did what any seven year old would have and shook the machine. I started rocking it and every time it went forward another ball would drop out. I thought I had hit paydirt and was filling my pockets until a manager walked over and said “hey” which startled me causing the entire bank of machines to fall over. Three of them smashed and there were gumballs everywhere rolling into half of the checkout isles. My mother turned beet red with embarrassment as she grabbed my hand and dragged me out to the car with me still bending and grabbing all I could on the way out lol. Yep, the good ole days! I still get a chuckle when reminding sissy about that day because she was the one checking Ma out! No, she never lived it down either. To this day when she finds old friends on fb they remind her of that day her little brother broke the gumball machines😉✌🏼

[@unclejers]

At first I thought someone pulled this up from the bottom of a lake. Petting zoo started making sense with the steel tube and food pellets! Great job on the project. I was always dubious of the quick steel and thermo steel but I’m glad to see they actually work.

[@deathproofpony]

The Philadelphia Zoo had one of these in the petting zoo when I was a kid. Fond memories.

[@Timmothy2012]

They work if you know how to correctly use them

[@olstar18]

Not just petting zoos that do it. I know of a fish farm that has a similar setup in its public section.

[@chkn_boy]

this guy was probably that kid who could put the sticker on the legos the first try

[@iii_marshmellowisisiowo7704]

Frl tho 😂

[@BenjaminGoose]

Lagos?

[@trouble12208]

He isnt speeding up the footage that's just his natural work speed

[@lexshia]

Nope, definitely no timelapse involved

[@gunter4155]

Are we not gonna talk about how he can put everything back together correctly Like dang he could take apart a car and put it back together

[@AcmeRestorations]

I'll let you in on the secret... I've got video of it being taken apart :)

[@CrisperPoet]

0:55 *removes the top of the mechanism assembly* "Hey! The part underneath that is pristine! Wait.. no that's the table underneath it, it's just hollow."

[@williamcarboni2614]

Well Done. That pitting didn't seem like it could be recovered but you did a fantastic job. Made to look brand new. Thanks and stay safe.

[@janineharrison5186]

The sticker on glass still said .01.

[@nokiot9]

“Daddy, this gum tastes like goat-“ 🐐 🍬

[@redeemedfollower2851]

My thoughts exactly. With how bad those parts were, if it were me, I would have swallowed my pride (and ignored the crying from my wallet) and bought all new parts.

[@DocIdaho]

It would, if anything, taste like goat food, which is basically cereal grains....

[@AcmeRestorations]

@@DocIdaho Maybe it was fish food! Everything got sand blasted and scrubbed with isopropyl. I've been eating those gum balls for a few days with no ill effects! :)

[@bearlissa]

ACME Restorations Do you feel fishy?

[@mikenelson6630]

New parts should still be available for Oak machines - and they now make them in plastic, at least for the Northwestern model 60's that I had. A set of vend wheel and brush housing could probably be bought for as little as $20 to $25, iI would estimate.

[@deniseboldea1624]

You were not kidding when you said crusty. But you did a great job of restoring it for it's original purpose.

[@albertdeloach1382]

Nicely done, and the subscribe gumball at the end was a nice touch.😆

[@Bendarr2]

I used to work in a pet store a few years back and you could buy fish food to feed the koi in the inside pond. That also came in a pellet form.

[@shedmanx3640]

That was amazing work mate. You’re getting better with each restoration. Love your work. I also love gum ball machines. Was thinking of getting one for the grandchildren. Now I can see how they work. 👍🇦🇺

[@laurencekelly5081]

I clapped when I saw you open the box with the brand new glass bowl brilliant job well done.

[@lorrainewilliams7896]

Oh my gosh so extremely clever. Not only your solutions to the problems, but the sneaky way you worked in thanks and subscribe. Extra points for the part from ACME.

[@rickoshea9351]

Very methodical in your approach. Really appeals to the OCD in me.

[@milanfanas]

I guess when metal is in contact with "food" it should undergo some surface treatment. Probably nickeling would have been enough.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Nah. Get a look inside any food vending machine and what you'll see is plastic on newer machines, cast aluminum, glass, and galvanized steel.

[@romeohodges8593]

I believe up to 20% of people are allergic to nickel, so nickeling would not be the best option.

[@damxgopak457]

When I was a little kid I bought one at a fireworks stand I loved that cannon.

[@debiagrue7752]

I've always wanted one of these old fashioned gumball machine. It was enjoyable to watch you work on this one Thanks for the memory

[@feedingmymakermonkey246]

Damn, dude -- another epic amount of work -- great job!

[@texas6065]

That was So dang Cool. It was so bad but you had it cleaned just right. Awesome Job. Thank you so much for sharing. I loved it.

[@Flatlegs]

As soon as I saw the ACME box I couldn't stop imagining Wile E. Coyote 🤓😋💥

[@laurahelenaxou1834]

Ok, I bet the coyote would be very proud of you!!! 💗💗💗 As I already said, you are getting better and better, soon you will surpass all of your "rivals", and you have something they don't, it's your humble, your charisma and your regard to your subscribers/fans, this is a gem that few people are willing to demonstrate 💗💗💗 You ALWAYS answer my (sometimes critical and rigorous) comments, and I just make them to help you to improve your skills!!! 💗💗💗 May your channel continue to grow forever and become the first on YT 💗💗💗 Best regards 💗💗💗

[@sirsteele]

Another remarkable restoration... but what really sets it apart is your attention to detail, and your very nice camera work! Thanks for sharing with us... and folks: remember to click on the "Like" thumbs up! It matters!

[@kelvinaston1367]

Attention to detail is excellent. Great project

[@hassanriyadh88]

You always have smart solutions for terrible situation, i like what you did

[@thomasthompson6799]

WOW you restored a great old gumball machine and created a new revenue stream. Excellent business plan!

[@SewFrancine6120]

Thank you for another great relic brought back to life. Enjoy. Stay Safe 👍

[@blacknight1003]

Lovely restoration - thoroughly enjoyed every part of it. Thank You for sharing.

[@PLuMUK54]

I found that surprisingly relaxing.

[@bgdavenport]

It's a shame there was so much corrosion on some of the parts. The only way I know of dealing with that is to copper plate the part, sand as if its a filler, replate and polish, then nickle plate....all very laborious. I like the little adjustable vane that allows you to select the amount of product the machine will drop. Excellent resto!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Also, copper plating is not something I can do in my shop. I could have replaced the parts with new plastic parts, but since you never see them, I just cleaned them up. Seeing that adjustable vane was an "A HA" moment. Now I get why some machines when I was a kid were stingy and others weren't. Thanks for watching.

[@TheDimsml]

@@AcmeRestorations You should also look into brazing, but I think that you need a machine shop with a good ventilation system or do it outside. In short, brazing is a useful technique, but I am not sure you can do it indoors.

[@virginiasingler3985]

Restoration seems like it would be therapeutic. It's definitely an art form.

[@heavensangel1310]

Super Cool very nicely done

[@carurachan0]

That's a cute gumball machine! Watching it restored was very relaxing

[@Megaderpus_Maximus]

Petting zoo Penny machines are the worst to restore. Good job lad!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Be very thankful KZbin isn't available in Smell-O-Vision!

[@jacindastevick3574]

My Dad had a barbershop in the 70s-80s. He had 3 different types. The one I remember the most was a large base with gold veneer. It had a rounded out fishbowl type globe. It took nickels. When he retired, they sold the shop with all the contents. I can't find another like it.

[@udorechner6846]

Very nice restoration, but wha not rustprotecting the inner metalparts with putty to fill the pitting and then anti corrosion coating and paint?

[@wcares8062]

Steel stick is so handy.

[@bergarteric5713]

Class only one word : perfect restoration !!! a beautiful item !!! thanks for the share ...Eric from France ...

[@Awen_newA]

If you think this was perfect. Then you should definitely check the channel 'mymechanics'. That's beyond perfection. That guy smooths every single piece. No blemishes nothing. He makes them brand new looking.

[@valmonta3647]

This one was awesome, well done

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Awesome restoration !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@martinvikstrom1639]

The sandblasting is always so satisfying to watch!

[@goldengogoat6881]

This dude when he doesnt feel like hand sanding smthn: so I started blastin'-

[@alexanderalbach468]

I really love seeing such item being brought back to live

[@rirkc]

That's a sweet restoration.

[@mick.5382]

That was good,really enjoyed it.great work.

[@christopherdunn6464]

Looks new! Well done.

[@alexanderalbach468]

Even with all tools in place, still a bunch of work

[@Granddad92]

Awesome job.

[@01arron]

WOW. That is absolutely amazing. Looks fantastic. Well done to you I say

[@RetroRestoration]

Very nicely done work

[@michaelskinner896]

Great job and nice restoration!

[@VeradonaRestoration]

Wow, very nice job ! Thanks

[@RestorationModels]

Cool guy. Well done!

[@magovenor]

Great array of tools

[@petrescuework-difficultcas6581]

This is amazing! Love that you actually got you a gumball out of the machine at the end 😊 Subbed 👍

[@ElizabethFranquiEsq]

Wow! Amazing job!

[@kimcaldwell6084]

Wow! This turned out beautiful!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you so much!

[@nikki13t]

Great job..looks new..Thanks for the video

[@coreyneshiem8505]

Awesome work!

[@sebastianlinardi]

Hermosa restauracion! Me encanto esa maquina de dulces! Quedo hermosa! Gracias por el vídeo!

[@easyybreezeyy]

Amazing!

[@bennycolburn1341]

Great job

[@MrResellit]

I remember my first time using channel-locks too! Try turning them around, they work way better!

[@RestorationAustralia]

Lovely object nicely done.

[@alexisloco7784]

what a good video I love bubble gum machines

[@markneo1]

Excelente trabalho. Parabéns 🇧🇷

[@MrDarnawi]

It was great to watching your job 🥇👏👏

[@therestoraddicted9082]

Very nice work! :)

[@subramaniamk.mathvan623]

Gumball machine, long time ago... in Malaysia. I use to get it during school days.

[@eyecan8]

Awesome recovery 😱🎉

[@KaWouter_]

This video was sponsored by Yucko! The number one brand in goat food

[@lolcec81]

Комментарий в поддержку канала и ролика, а также труда мастера отреставрировавшего этот старинный автомат.

[@zoinksxscooby]

That's really impressive

[@rodrigoadrianrodriguezaedo4477]

Good job!

[@eneasreginaldo6036]

Parabéns amigo, ótimo trabalho!

[@mattbannan637]

NICE RESULTS!!!

[@thejunkman]

Nice job! Welcome to the restoration community.

[@alfredoduque8852]

Great job...!!

[@scrapperdscrapperj3948]

Awesome 😎

[@user-ss7dk1kh1d]

Очень красиво. Шикарно восстановили))). Удачи

[@guataco]

Nice job

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks!

[@shirleyannconfer9651]

I love this video!

[@RoyShouriMustango]

Damn satisfying!!!!

[@PaulGrahamRetroPaul]

Got to the end. That wee ball dropped out and I thought "you know what? Yes, I will subscribe" ❤️

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you!

[@williamtheconqueror4563]

Very cool.

[@ptitgnu]

9:37 B♭2 F3 B♭3 - 2001: A Space Odyssey :p

[@BigBoAnimates]

D♭ C ;p

[@rowietheweird4737]

oH MY GOD YES I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE NOTICED THIS!!

[@mikenelson6630]

Nice job of restoration on that Oak machine - the only issue that I see is the internal wheel is an adjustable wheel, and not really made for gumballs. I could be wrong of course, I had a route of machines like this for 20 years right out of high school, mostly Northwestern Model 60's, never really worked with Oak machines. They make a bottom wheel that has a round hole to vend gumballs with. Good decision on replacing the springs in the brush housing, they were my weekly nemesis for the whole 20 years. I never had the resources to completely rework the machines like you did though, as I started out with 88 machines, all placed in local businesses.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yeah the big gumballs only work if you turn the crank r-e-a-l s-l-o-w-l-y. :). And then once in while... no gumball. Thanks for the tip on the gumball wheel; I am going to look for one on ebay and maybe swap it out.

[@Frankestein01nl]

Great work, subbed!

[@LexingtonPigPenny]

Great overall restoration. Just a few problems... The Brush Wheel Housing is installed backwards. (The piece you replaced the springs on.) To prevent the product from falling through, the solid part has to be covering the chute hole. The 1" gumballs you put in the machine will not work with that wheel. That wheel and brush housing are for small candy type product. The chute is also the original small chute and often a 1" gumball will get caught in there, pinched between the chute cover and the chute and not fall through. I have seen hundreds of these type machine corroded like this. It’s usually from people putting salted peanuts in the machines. The salt and moisture from the air causes the problems in the long run. But, like I said, great overall restoration, with a beautiful result.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks for the info. I went with the big gumballs because they look good in the video, but most likely will use this for Hot Tamales, so I didn't swap out the wheel. I'm fairly certain that the was used at a petting zoo. I think the gunk I cleaned out was old goat/farm feed. Pretty gross. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!

[@vickiefowler1429]

So pretty!

[@rangelerick015]

Parabéns pelo vídeo! Excelente restauração.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Gracias!

[@laurahelenaxou1834]

@@AcmeRestorations His comment is written in portuguese, in portuguese we say "obrigado" instead of the vulgar spanish word "gracias" 😉

[@laurahelenaxou1834]

@wargent99 Who said I'm Brazilian?? Do you have a crystal ball??? There are several countries that speak portuguese!!! 😉 Caught you hehehehehhh 😝😝😝 Sucker hahahehehhh LOL 😝😝😝

[@ultimatemomo]

@@laurahelenaxou1834 lol

[@lewiskemp8937]

Those are great machines and tools to restore this. Lol I’m jealous

[@ianfriswell7301]

20:03 The Gumball came out of the machine and it said: "Subscribe" That's interesting.

[@sanderpostma1216]

je maakt mooie video’s 😊en ze zijn ook leerzaam voor iedereen

[@HardwayRanch]

I think it came from a public access fish farm and dispensed 'pellet' style fish food for visitors to toss out for the fish.