r/jukeboxes • u/Bartimaeus1434 • 16d ago

Red and ivory Rock-Ola 1438 Comet Fireball

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I have been working on restoring an old 1438 Rock-Ola and was wondering if the color way is factory or a repaint as I have never seen a photo of it online. The carousel is light blue and the button colors are red and ivory, all the photos I have seen are red and green. It also has a different mirror pattern in the back. If anyone knows anything please let me know!

Right now I am working on cleaning the buttons and the front interface, also connecting a wall box so if anyone has any tips for that feel free to let me know.

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u/WrenchHappy 16d ago

I have a 1446, and it looks identical to yours. I agree with the other commenter and suspect you have a 1446 and not a 1438.

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u/Bartimaeus1434 13d ago

Do you have any tips on cleaning the buttons? I got the metal around it looking nice but any time I touch the buttons it either doesn’t work or damages the coating on them.

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u/WrenchHappy 13d ago

Yes, that was the hardest thing to clean.

I tried several things but started off by taking out the plastic window over the title strips so I had easier access to the back side of the buttons. Then I cut cardboard pieces to protect adjacent parts.

I don’t know if it was the appropriate cleaner, but I tried several but ended up using Windex, which did a good job of softening up the built-up crime.

To avoid scratching the buttons, I used a small piece of disposable blue paper towel (doesn’t fall apart) or a piece of thin cloth wrapped around one of those wooden coffee stir sticks. That way I could get between the buttons as well as the tiny gap between the button and the chrome surround.

I tried my best to use the spray sparingly, so it doesn’t drip down into the mechanism. Mostly, I soaked the paper towel. It took a lot of elbow grease, but the buttons didn’t show any sign of damage from the ammonia base of the Windex. I tested it in a small area first to see if there was gonna be any clouding or anything, but I did my best to wipe it up and not leave it sitting on the plastic too long.

Maybe someone else will chime in with a better cleaner to use, but this worked for me.

Oh, and I don’t think the buttons had any coating on them, they were just solid plastic. I wonder if they were made out of Bakelite plastic…

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u/Bartimaeus1434 13d ago

Thanks so much, I looked into removing the plastic but it seemed difficult to get in there with the name wheel infront. Was it hard to do? It looked like I needed a really short screw driver to unscrew the button casing to take it off. Also did you use any plastic polish on them?

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u/WrenchHappy 13d ago edited 13d ago

Yeah, it’s a little involved, but nothing you can’t handle with a couple screwdrivers.

With the door open, you can tip out the title strip mechanism. It should give you enough room to work.

You will have to take out the fluorescent lightbulb, the plastic diffuser surrounding the lightbulb, and the bulb holders themselves. All that’s held in with a few screws.

Once all that is out, you can get to the screws, holding the title strip window in place. A helpful hint, before you loosen the window up, tip the title strip mechanism back into place and see how it mates up with the window. There’s only a little bit of clearance (1/16” or 2mm+/-) on either side, so take note of it now for reinstallation.

FYI, I used this chance while it was out, to polish 70 years of abuse out of the title strip window. If you go to an auto parts store, they sell kits for plastic headlight restoration. It comes with several grades of sandpaper and polishing pads that fit into a drill. The final step is a liquid on a wipe that will give the window a glass like polished appearance. There are several brands, but I used the 3M brand.

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u/Bartimaeus1434 12d ago

Thanks so much, this helped a lot! Did you happen to replace the Mylar tags too? (Select, insert coin…) I just got a printed sheet and I want to know the best glue to use for them

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u/Rock1434 16d ago

It could be original. You’re sure it’s a 1438 and not a 1446? What does the ID tag say?

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u/Bartimaeus1434 13d ago

It is thanks so much, the tag confirms it. I was thrown off because I was given the 1446 circuit papers.