Hi John,

I pay $35 per door. Don't tell me you're coming over to the dark side

Here's a pic of the door on the cabinet (sorry the lighting wasn't agreeable):

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Here's another close up pic under better lighting:

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Well, can't put a coin door on without the bolts right.....

I always spruce up the cabinet bolts prior to reinstalling them. A rusty/corroded bolt stands out like a sore thumb on a nice new cabinet First, I remove the existing paint. This can be done numerous ways, but I usually just clean the bolts on a wire wheel. It only takes a few seconds per bolt, so it's quick and easy. After I've remove the original paint I degrease the bolts and get them setup for painting.

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Here's a close up look at a finished bolt:

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I use gloss black Rustolem 2X painters touch for the base coat. I then follow that up with a gloss clear top coat.

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Now it's time to start rebuilding the cabinet. Personally, I'm not crazy about the look of galvanized metal, so I typically have the original power boxes chromed or nickle plated. It's an unnecessary expense, but man it does make a big difference aesthetically.

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The transformer base plate was powder coated in a "metallic silver." Again, I'm not a big fan of the galvanized look. Remember, powder coating is an insulator so you'll need to tape (using heat tape) off any areas you want grounded prior to having the powder applied. For example, the rear section of the base plate that the ground braid touches in the picture above needs to provide a grounding point for the transformer - hence this is an area where I'd use heat tape.

Buffing is an addiction

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I know it's silly, but it does look nice for the first 6 months.

Lets talk about coils......

First, no solenoid looks complete without a nice "fresh" coil wrapper. So, where do you get new coil wrappers from? Well, you can buy them from Planetary Pinball; they sell complete replacement kits for games. The average price per kit is usually around $30, just depends on the game.

News flash - restorations aren't cheap, so I'm happy to save $$$ when I can. That's why I make my own coil wrappers. Ok, I don't actually make them, but I have a good friend that does

Here's my stash:

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Photoshop is your friend and it's only a couple hundred bucks. I'd recommend getting the full Abobe Creative Suit for around $500. This gives you Illustrator as well.

The wrappers in the pictures above were printed using a LaserJet printer. Actually, it was this one right here:

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Alright, lets look at a typical coil. The one on the left is a finished product and the one on the right needs a bath.

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For starters, I'll throw the used coil sleeve in the trash (they're cheap - just replace them). Then using a new sleeve, I'll verify that the coil has not swelled as a result of overheating. If the sleeve slides freely inside the coil then you're most likely good to go. However, I always test the resistance of each solenoid to ensure the coil is still within spec.

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Here's a good link for those that haven't found it yet (tons of coil info here):

http://www.pinballmedic.net/coil_chart.html

Alright, the coil is still good - time to start cleaning.

I've been experimenting with new chemicals and ZEP seems to have a decent citrus degreaser that works pretty well.

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You can clean your coils in an Ultrasonic, but don't use the heat setting as it might cause your coils to swell.

Honestly, I find it easier to just clean the coils by hand. Either way you'll get the job done.

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After I'm happy with my cleaning efforts I use an air compressor to dry the coil off (a pancake style unit will do).

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I like to clean the lugs on the coils as well. This is done with a brass brush. Don't go crazy brushing the plastic, just the lugs.

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Ok, here's the coil all cleaned up:

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Now it's time to apply a new wrapper. To do this I use 3M tape (the same stuff PinRestore sells).

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I put a one inch strip of the double sided tape on both ends of the wrapper.

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Finally, here's what the finished product looks like:

Before:

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After:

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Now I'll put this guy with my other coils.

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Here are a few pics of coil assemblies with fresh clean coils installed:

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FYI - the flipper bracket and slingshot bracket were buffed while the saucer coil bracket was simply tumbled. Can you see a difference? More on tumbling later.

Everybody's a critic

For the sake of being thorough, here are a few pics of the finished MM coin door.

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After all the powdered parts are reassembled I install new reproduction decals, even the "inspection by" stick. One door down 5 more to go

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WPC - Just regular 11" x 8" stock white paper. I've experimented with colored paper, but could never get the colors factory originial. My buddy just tweaked the wrapper colors in Photoshop to get them the way we wanted.

Older Bally - These are printed on masking tape to help reproduce the original textured look.

Why not buy a set directly from Planetary, scan them, and make your own wrapper in the future?

They are printed on standard stock paper and then laminated to give a glossy appearance. Yes, I use the 3M tape to apply the labels.

For paint to properly adhere to a metal surface you’d need to remove all the rust and contaminates. I suspect you could get that transformer looking much better with a little elbow grease and a metal wire brush. FYI - I’d only attempt to clean that guy by hand. I’d use a welding brush to scrap the rust away and then blow the whole thing off with an air compressor.

This tool: http://www.amazon.com/US-Forge-Welding-Stainless-00303/dp/B0000DD6JI

It’s hard to say how nice your transformer will clean up, but it can’t look much worse

I guess it’s up to you to decide if you want to try it. Good luck - hope this helps.

What would a nice garage work shop be without an insulated garage door, especially here in the "humidity state" I mean "sunshine state"

Here are some pics of my original (builder grade) overhead door:

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Of course my home has a westward facing garage door, so those windows make my mini-split system work overtime in the afternoons. Plus, the door is basically just sheet metal, so it's like having a big hole in the wall.

Now here's the new door:

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No more windows I insulated the walls when our house was built, so now I just need to get the attic done.

Windows in garage doors allow unnecessary heat to enter your "Mancave", but more importantly they pose a security threat as well. Checkout how easy it is to break into a garage with windows:

A couple of more notes on the garage door (in case some of you might be in the market for a new one):

I purchased a CHI door. The panels fit together via tongue and groove and are 2 inches thick. Each panel is constructed of steel, both front and back. The inner section of each panel is filled with spray foam insulation, giving the door an R17 rating.

Here are some more before and after pics:

(Before)

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I hate crappy wiring jobs. Why have all that excess photo eye wiring exposed?

(After)

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The new motor is belt driven, so it's much less nosiey. I went with a LiftMaster unit that can be controlled via a smart phone, so that's pretty cool. I also opted for the upgraded mounting hardware; gives it a cleaner look (no more angle).

(Before)

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(After)

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You know you have a powder coating addiction when you get your garage door hardware powder coated

Hey, it looks better right?

Well, I know this thread has become more focused on my "garage remodel" rather than restoration tips, but you gotta have a nice work space right So, I picked up a bunch of Gladiator cabinets from Sears this weekend. I really like the look and construction of these cabinets (they are reasonably priced as well). If you're looking at tool boxes and cabinets, I highly recommend these:

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Everything in my work area is on wheels, so it's easy to move stuff around, even my Rotisserie.

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I hate WPC95 circuit board mounting plates - you know, that fugly thing in the backbox that all the circuit boards are mounted on

Man, those things look awful. I've buffed them, polished them, you name it, they just never look quite right. Then one day I decided to try spray painting one, hell why not? What a difference that made. Here are a few pics:

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No real reason, just wanted to try painting it first. The only drawback to powdering larger flat objects is that powder naturally orange peels. Typically powder looks better on metals parts with curves (like pinball legs). I’ve found metallic powder look best on flat surfaces; it hides the orange peel better than a solid color does.

Didn't paint the back

Well, haven't posted here in awhile

So, here's an update on the workshop:

(1) I decided to replace the rubber floor mat with Gladiator titles. These are substantially better. A little pricey, but well worth it IMO.

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(2) I also finally got around to installing the Gladiator trackwall system. Big thanks to Mike W. and Biker Bob for helping me install these.

Before:

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In Process:

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Everything was going well until we ran into these damn electrical panels:

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After some creative (and very time consuming) jigsaw work, here's the finished product:

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Now I've just got to buy a 100 drywall screws and spray paint them white. Then I'll permanently mount the trackwall panels.

I had some free time this weekend to work on the garage. So, here's a quick update:

One of the biggest issues with converting your garage into a workshop is the lack of electrical outlets present. Generally speaking, home builders only do what they absolutely have to and installing a ton of service outlets in the garage isn't a code requirement. In addition, 120VAC circuits, like your wall outlets, are only run on 15 amp circuits. So, I have one 15 amp circuit powering all of my garage lighting as well as all the service receptacles. This creates a problem if you want to run power hungry tools like a compressor for example. So, I added the following circuits to my new 100 amp sub-panel:

1) 20 Amp Plugmold circuit - (this is run behind my work benches, with one outlet every foot)

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2) 20 Amp 30' chord reel - (I hate untangling knotted up extension chords, so this is a must have IMO)

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3) 30 Amp 240 single phase circuit - (for big toys )

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4) Finally, I added two Ethernet cables routed from my home office. I still need to finish up the wall plate connections. This will make it convenient to view teardown pictures when reassembling pinball machines.

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I still have some more work to do on the electrical, but at least I'm better off than I was yesterday

I can relate; I've restored many machines in a 10'x11' spare bedroom = insanity........

I'll post more on the track system once I get everything finished.

I've received a few emails recently regarding air compressors - "Which one would you recommend Mike?" I'm certainly no expert on air compressors, but since a few of you've asked here's my 2 cents:

For starters, unless you are running die grinders or sand blasting for hours on end, I don't see the need to purchase a huge air compressor for a home workshop. I'm fortunate that my real job allows me access to this:

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Unless you want to spend $60k on an air compressor the size of your car you might want to consider something a little smaller, like this:

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This is a simple 5 gallon Kobalt air compressor you can purchase at Lowes. Supposedly it can provide 5 cfm at 90 psi, which is plenty for just about anything other than a handful of tools (air sanders, sandblasters, die grinders, etc.). I use Festool sanders, so that eliminates the need for an air actuated sander. I use my dremel for die grinding type applications at home, so that eliminates the need for a die grinder. Well, I do use the one at work from time to time

Anyway,before you go crazy buying a huge air compressor you might want to consider whether or not you really need one.

FYI - I do recommend investing in a hose reel though, it's just easier to work with and makes cleaning up easier.

Anyway, hope this helps.

It's a work in progress

Unfortunately, building an air conditioned workshop and buying good quality tools isn’t cheap. However, selling 4 pinball machines (MB, TOTAN, WH2O, and STLE) has certainly helped fund this ongoing project. The reality is I’d rather work on pinball machines than play them, so I guess I made the right decision - selling all my restored BW titles.