Knowledge & restoration
Learn the machine.
Keep it running.
Identification help, original service literature, practical restoration guidance, and more than three decades of shared soda-machine knowledge.
Start here
Choose a starting point
What do you need to do?
Begin with the machine, the problem, or the factory literature.
Find your machine
Search manufacturers, model numbers, production dates, dimensions, capacities, and surviving photographs.
Search 724 records → 02 · UnderstandPlan the work
Use practical guides to evaluate condition, decode clues, and approach restoration thoughtfully.
Browse the guides ↓ 03 · ServiceFind the manual
Put original service information, wiring, refrigeration, and parts references on your workbench.
Browse service manuals →From the workshop
Practical guides
Vendo serial numbers
Read the plate, choose the correct dating method, and use Vendo’s model-specific factory ranges.
Read the guide → IdentificationWestinghouse serial numbers
Examine the proposed date pattern, its limitations, and the other codes that can strengthen a date.
Read the guide → MetalworkRust removal and conversion
Understand common approaches to stabilizing corrosion and preparing metal for the work ahead.
Read the guide → FinishingPaint codes 101
A starting reference for researching period colors and planning a sympathetic finish.
Read the guide → DetailsApplying water-slide decals
Learn the basic process for positioning and applying reproduction graphics cleanly.
Read the guide →
Inside the machine · Archive photographFactory information matters
Start with the book written for the machine.
Original service manuals can answer questions that photographs and guesswork cannot. They preserve factory procedures, wiring diagrams, refrigeration information, adjustments, parts illustrations, and model-specific details.
Research the evidence
Look beyond the model name
Follow the companies, production eras, and surviving model records behind the machines.
87 manufacturers →Collector photographsStudy cabinets, mechanisms, identification plates, interiors, and restoration details.
Open the photo archive →Video archiveWatch restoration techniques, complete projects, finish work, decals, chrome, and preservation examples.
Watch 18 videos →Ask the archiveUse the site’s collected information to begin a question about identification or research.
Ask a question →Preserve what you learn
Good information is part of the machine’s history.
Photograph labels before they fade. Keep removed original parts. Save model and serial numbers. Record what was repaired and why. The notes you make today may answer an important question for the machine’s next caretaker.