10 replies to this topic

[anolan13]

Hello,

As of two hours ago I am the proud owner of a vintage vending machine. It appears to be from the 80's or early 90's.

The previous owner said it opens by turning "the locking mechanism" but I can't figure it out.

It has a rectangular metal piece on the door which will come out and twist. Fully extended it goes maybe 180 degrees. Pushed in slightly (but not vertically all the way) it will turn 360.

What am I missing? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[vend1ng]

Hello,

As of two hours ago I am the proud owner of a vintage vending machine. It appears to be from the 80's or early 90's.

The previous owner said it opens by turning "the locking mechanism" but I can't figure it out.

It has a rectangular metal piece on the door which will come out and twist. Fully extended it goes maybe 180 degrees. Pushed in slightly (but not vertically all the way) it will turn 360.

What am I missing? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Need more info ....... pop, snack, coffee, sandwich, big, little, model ,type something?? ........ 90% of "vintage" vending machines came with "a rectangular metal piece on the door which will come out and twist" I'm going to guess pull it out and keep turning until it unscrews. If it turns 360 slightly pushed in it will turn 360 out it was probably just tightened to much. Just a thought.
Vend1ng

[anolan13]

Thanks for the response

My apologies for not being more clear.

Unfortunately, I am not sure of any of those things, however I do have pictures. Maybe you would know. It is a soda machine.

[Steve Fischer]

Yea. Looks to me like a typical t-handle. Just keep unscrewing counter-clockwise.

[NewToVending]

Hello,

I am anolan13's associate that has taken a look at this vending machine as well. It seems that the lock and key portion of the mechanism have been removed and the only portion remaining is the " rectangular metal piece on the door which will come out and twist." We can twist the handle end over end without stopping when slightly pushed inward, however it never catches anything to unlock it. In the picture provided in the previous post, you can see the rectangular piece currently in the horizontal position just under the coin slot. Let me know if I can provide any more information to better assist in resolving our issue.

Thank you,

NewToVending

[NewToVending]

Steve Fischer,

Do we need to turn it while all the way extended out or while slightly pushed in? It catches when fully extended out, however we can continuously turn it without end when slightly pushed in. Either way it doesn't seem to unlock anything. The previous owner said he was able to open it just by turning it, but it seems we are not as advanced in turning things as the previous owner. I apologize for the lack of knowledge in this field, but as my name shows, I am new to the vending profession.

Thank you for your help again!

[Steve Fischer]

"it seems we are not as advanced in turning things as the previous owner" lol

The door may be sticking. If you've spun the t-handle counter clockwise ad nauseum, then try giving the t-handle a good pull. Sometimes the door will stick giving the impression that it's still locked. If that doesn't work, you may need to get the previous owner to show you any tricks he may have.

[NewToVending]

Haha, I was hoping you'd get a kick out of that. Thank you for your help. I will try out these tactics as soon as I get back to working on the vending machine tonight and keep you all update.

[cvending]

The t-handle should be fully extended when trying to open. By pushing in slightly you are compressing the spring and disengaging the threaded part of the handle. Try pulling out on the handle as you turn it counter clockwise.

[Steve Fischer]

I was going to suggest you might need to hire a professional thing turner but was afraid it'd be taken the wrong way.

[bucketheadben]

I was going to suggest you might need to hire a professional thing turner but was afraid it'd be taken the wrong way.

lol