Vic_Camp
Can't argue with that. I do the same with sizes, then decide on the color I want later. Do you stay with white rubbers for EM's generally?

Vic_Camp - I hear ya. I do the same - use the size that feels best. Do you generally stay with white rubbers on EM's?

All of my games have white rubbers and playfield white rubber post caps.
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I do like the clean-ness of the way white looks....but sometimes I've been playing around with color lately. I used dark green and yellow rubbers on "Flipper Pool", and I think it looks good. There are some pics of my machine in post #25 - I do like the shiny metal acorns on the posts as well. Just feel like changing it up sometimes.

Do you generally double up on the flipper rubbers too, on the 2" flippers? I like the cigarette ad front and center!

And do you know if the machines came with white rubber post caps or metal acorns originally?

Not all my 2" flippers have double rubbers. It works for me on my Bank a Ball. I do also have a white rebound rubber and like the look too.

The cigarette ad i have a connection to. I worked there at Coin Amusement in the late 1960's early 1970's. I restored a Bank a Ball for guy older man in my town for free and on his Bank a Ball was this sticker. After i completed the restoration he told i could swap my Bank a Ball card tray for his card tray.

Nice story about the cig ad...I like it! Gives it some character!

I recently got a Flipper Pool that had white posts and the newer flat top flippers. The game looks otherwise unhacked. Could some of these have been that way from the factory? The parts look appropriately yellowed for their age.

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It should have metal posts and the rounded flippers. Look at Vics above. Good luck finding the metal ones if you ever want to try and make it authentic. They are hard to find.

I do have a set of the metal ones (never miss a deal on ebay). Send me a PM and I'll count the ones I have. And there are a handful of tall, anyone have a count of thoses?

Why am I not surprised you have these?lol. There are 6. I just repopulated my game yesterday.
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and how many regular?

35. 10 for the upper corners, 8 for the middle rollovers, 6 for the lower stand up targets, 6 for the slings and 5 for the center stand up. There is also an old style plastic post in the middle of the center stand up target.

PM sent

sysprog do you have a different apron too? I caught a glimpse in the photo and it looks different.

Here's roughly 27 for $100... $4 each?

ebay.com link: Gottlieb Pinball Machine 60s Chrome Metal Playfield Posts pinball parts

heres my stash, 27 short tops 27 tall tops 50 bottoms. i do not know how i ended up with so many tall??? 3 short are reserved

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Nice stash.

The factory original flippers look nice.

It looks like flippers can be adjusted back towards the card tray a tiny bit more.

If you look closely at the flippers where they rest at the moment, you can see where to adjust them to by the lighter color shaded area where the factory original flippers use to be.

I have a complete Oos set I replaced with a pin rescue reproduction set. Would sell all for $60 or start parting out the set for $15 per plus shipping. The plastics on the game are the actual plastics before swap. The really were not bad but I went full Monty on this restore. My second BAB.

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Yes...a little lower.
Take a look at some of the other pictures in the posting of the Bank a Balls. Hopefully you can see that yours are slightly higher then the others.

Yup it’s different. If you look at others you can view which ball is in play through the apron. If you can’t find an original find one similar from the era and add the decal that’s available here: https://www.bestofpinball.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14614

You could check with hazmat7719 he bought out toomanypins parts business or maybe REM pinball.

I had no idea that it had a different apron. I’m an idiot.

I joined the club today. Picked up a Flipper Pool that had been sitting around unused for decades. It mostly works, but needs some TLC.

Welcome to the club, PSchwisow - if you have questions while you're getting it back in shape, we might be able to help.

I just picked up a lower cab to FP. Anybody got a spare head? Doubt I'd find one. Anybody want a 2nd pf to their game as a restoration candidate?

Will have the cab at Allentown flea, I primarily want the posts. Full set of plastics available and a lockdown bar.

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Got it cleaned up and worked out most of the major issues (with a lot of help from schwism). Still struggling to get the hundreds to reliably roll over to the thousands, but it’s playable (and fun)! Conveniently the one coil that is burnt out is the one that alternates which side “mystery score” is lit. Will order a new one, but until then, it can stay lit on the left side.

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Is there anyone around remaking the pool ball plastics? (Or has anyone ventured to created a 3d print model?) I just got one in that's in truly phenomenal unrestored condition and the only thing wrong is one missing and one wrong ball

Steve Young has them at PBR. They're expensive - about $35 per ball, I think. But they're very nice - come with the rivets you'll need to install them. It's money well-spent.

Damn, I totally forgot to ask him and just got an order in on Saturday! Well... Adding to my list for next order. Thanks!!

Which one did you get?
I found a rough "Bank A Ball" once which needed five or six of the pool balls. I made replacements using wooden hemispheres from a craft store, and the metal arms used in "King of Diamonds" and "Diamond Jack". Once painted and labeled, it's difficult to tell which ones are the handmade ones versus the original ones when viewed from the players perspective.
This was before PBR had replacements, but at $35 each, it would have been expensive to replace that many.
A friend once acquired a very nice "Flipper Pool", but the number one ball was broken off.
He found a round plastic measuring spoon which was just the right size. He then dipped it in yellow "tool dip", labeled it, and epoxied it on the remaining arm.
Again, you'd never have known it wasn't original when you play the game.

What happened to all of these pool balls? How often are they laying in the bottom of the cabinets?

Souvenirs?

They break off if you're not careful when tipping trip bank assembly back and the balls are down. It's usually the #1 or #15 ball, but sometimes others as well. For some reason, you never seem to find the broken off ones in the game.

Yup. Before tipping the Bank back, it's always best to reset it (manually if needed).
I've gotten them in already broken, but I haven't broken any myself, but it wouldn't
surprise me when they break, many fling and end up on the floor..

I have a couple extra blank F.P./B.a.B balls, so I haven't tried it, but I have no
reason to believe it wouldn't work.
If you'd like to grind the backside of one of these full circular balls down, and then
epoxy, you're welcome to have one for the price of shipping. They are pretty much
exact in diameter, and I can also send the number that you can apply afterwards that
more resembles the original..

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Which numbers? I still have a couple nos balls around here somewhere.

Any suggestions on reinforcing them at the opposite end? My two ball has a crack where the arm is riveted on. The bottom rivet is fine, so the whole thing tends to stay half-way down when it resets.

JBWeld tends to be the solution

Dang, you guys were fast! Iooks like I'm looking for a 10 and a 3 (which is a two that was sharpied red somewhere along the line!) And on closer look, I could use a 1 as well I guess!

For reference, here's the game I brought in (and the fresh from the evaporust legs that came with them!). This one is going in the collection and not leaving anytime soon... I just need to figure what's leaving to make room! (Unfortunately I have about 6 games too many .. haha). I got a MIBS from the same house in even better shape too.

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If you are lucky enough to find a spare ball mech they are easy to repaint. I did that years back for my BaB. I remember I needed a 1 ball. bought a can of Krylon Short Cuts (like $3) sprayed it yellow then replaced the number.

re: Balls Breaking -- they also can break off when they reset at the start of a game when the large coil slams them back -- if they are not tightened all the way up. As others have mentioned the wing nuts are the key -- they have to be TIGHT at both ends and work loose over time due to vibration etc from play. I routinely retighten mine if I'm in the backbox. Preventative maintenance is the key.

there is a hack to mount turnbuckles from the bank up to eyelets screwed into the top wood piece, one at each end, ensures the bank stays in place.

This is a perfect application for blue Locktite threadlocker.

The pictures show is what is left of the backbox 15 ball in my game. The 1 ball has started to crack in a similar way. I plan to replace both.

For those of you who changed a pool ball in the backbox , how did you do it?

Removing the old rivets is straight forward easy.

My concern is the brass shaft that is peened/swedged over the washer over the plastic of the ball arm. How did you undo and redo this?

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I’d recommend cutting a small slot in the arm of the new ball and slide it into place

Mike V

File off the peened end. Remove the pin and sleeve. File off the small rivets.
Use a small bolt and nut when reassembling the sleeve
I believe PBR has the small brass rivets. Gently peen them with an appropriate punch and tack hammer.