Hello and good evening!
Well, I've been told by a few people that I've gotten into this hobby at the wrong time......well, my daughter and I have that kind of luck. She is 14, and I took her to a pinball arcade. It was my first time as well. She absolutely fell in love with it. So much I wanted to find a macofor us. But financially, I can't. So I started to look for local auctions. I knew I was going to have to buy a project. A broken machine. Maybe even junk. Just to have a chance to work on it with her, and so she has something to look forward to when she comes over to my house. Well, a few days later I see one at an auction. I go there and did a bit of research, knowing that a broken machine is worth about 400 to 600 for the machine of Time Warp by Williams 1979. My daughter was with me and liked it. Saw the potential like I did. And our only shot. So I won it at a little over $500.
As soon as I won, a guy comes up to me and says you just bought a really big project, pretty much telling me and my daughter that we bought junk more or less. I was devastated. Still am a bit...... regretful maybe still? Made me sick the whole drive home. Did I just waste my money????
Well, even if I did, I kept telling myself, I have the base to a machine that could work. Even if I can only afford to put in a part every few months or years. She took the boards out herself, and cleaned it up a bit before she had to leave for the weekend. So so proud of her and surprised at how involved she was!!!
I wish there was a way to find a network of people that enjoy pins in my area, but how do you do that? How can I find a "friend" to come look at my machine, or learn from???
Fast forward a few weeks, and I've scrubbed, vaccumed, and scrubbed some more but the machine was sitting in a barn for years I think. Looks damn good since I cleaned it.
We are just both at the mercy of Google for information...... especially me. I need things fixed but who do you trust?
I also called a local pinball shop, I asked about board repair, they said it's not worth it, and can't get the parts in a timely fashion even if I wanted to. Also felt like since I was new, they wanted me to just drop off the machine with them and have them do all the work to make sure it's nothing else. I felt a bit pushed into thinking no matter what I do to try and fix it, only they can. I don't know.....maybe I'm reading into things to much. But he threw out a number for going through the machine and getting just operational at $1400!!!!
I'd be in close to $2k for a machine that is not worth it according to what I've seen.
Oh well, that's my first timer story so I'll take any advice! Both of us will!!!
sstellenberg
Pinside member
Round Rock, TX
2y 13,900 4
Hey Tristan!
I hope you're doing alright tonight. I am new to Pinside but know enough by way of my husband. I happened upon your story while looking for a post from him and wanted to see if I could help you out a little!
Sadly, I think stories are an overlooked part of Pinside. You should definitely check into the Forums part of this site. If you have a Time Warp (not too shabby!), there are a few specific subforums that might help. You should definitely look into the Bally/Williams subforum. There's also Restoration Questions. They might be able to provide you guidance when you come across a stubborn issue or help get you pointed in the right direction. You can perform searches and stuff too. It's pretty active, so it's definitely worth popping into. Just click the Forum button at the top to get in on the action.
If you have Facebook, you should also search for Pinball groups on there. There's bound to be a few groups for pinheads that are in your area. Some might be technicians with infinite knowledge, some are just people who enjoy pinball. There's also active general pinball groups and restoration groups that you could join. It might be your best bet for finding a pinball "buddy" that's close enough to provide real assistance.
E-bay and Pinball Life can be great resources for aftermarket replacements. Pinball Life has an awesome assortment of rubbers and coils and all the things you might find yourself needing. If you know for sure that you are having board issues, you might be better off posting a gig on Craigslist for repairs. I would definitely acquire a multi-meter if you suspect PCB issues and watch Youtube to learn how to use it. They don't have to cost a fortune. I believe Harbor Freight sells them.
How exciting it is for you and daughter to have a shared hobby! Some of my fondest memories are tinkering around on cars and things with my dad. This kind of sounds like a lot more fun than that though! I wish you both the best of luck and hopefully you can get it up and running in no time!
- Sarah