1934 Stoner Super-8 Restoration: Removing 80 years of build up

I have begun the process of cleaning the metal work on the machine. When I restored the Signal it had lots of dust and dirt from sitting with no glass in a basement for 40 years. Compared to the Super-8 however it was quite clean. I believe the Super-8 was kept in a barn or shed for many, many years. It also looks like it was not maintained well in the years it was in use.

The outside ball track was in such bad shape that I started looking for a replacement right away. I did not have any luck finding a replacement so decided to see what I could do with it. There was a groove down the center which is common on these machines, but this one was very deep, dirty and rough. The previous owners must have never cleaned or replaced the games balls. The balls would pick up dirt and grind it into the playfield and outside ball track which made it rough. The rough metal would then damage the balls, which would then damage the metal, etc, etc.

You can see here how bad it was when I got it.

Severe damage to outside ball track

I started out with a Dremel and sanded out the groove to smooth it out. Then I followed by using various grades of steel wool. Lastly I polished it with Brasso. It now has a brushed look but the groove is gone, it is smooth and will no longer cause more damage.

Track after sanding and polishing

Next I started to clean and polish the metalwork on the playfield itself. I just gave it a bath with dish soap and warm water with a toothbrush and then followed with metal polish. It is amazing how much nicer it looks. There are some stains I cannot remove but still very happy with how it looks for something 80 years old. The metal castings are really beautiful. I am still in the process of finishing but have some pics of one of the runways done and the other as it was when I got it to show the difference.

I also started to wax the center of the playfield which you can see in the last picture. I had toyed with clear coating it, but was advised against it and so am just waxing it.