I only had one washer that would fit appropriately, so I used a c-ring+washer combination and it seems to be working well. Thank you all for the fix!

STLE Pop Washer Fix.JPG

That is a good suggestion. I think I will change mine. A brass screw and washers will be much softer on the ball. It will be interesting to see if the Mohs scale works in action here.

In the end I elected to keep the original screw and just use some brass washers from Home Depot. So far the fix is working perfectly, although I thought a few times the ball still might hang as it rolled slowed onto the screw and looked like it was going to stop but it kept on going.

I do agree that the brass is softer than steel thus it should work well, although by my keeping the original Stern screw that issue is moot.

STLE Brass Washer Fix.JPG

I will keep an eye out for that. I suppose it is a tough spot in that you have the chance of some brass coming off (although I am more inclined to think the brass will bend) or even more steel to ding the ball and maybe hurt the playfield that way. Yet if Stern thought that a steel screw was okay, then maybe all steel is okay.

Hello!

I bought the flat washers from Home Depot and matched the size of the washer to the screw, which I took with me. However, the flat washer bag only says:

#6
Brass
19981

Doing a search for model 19981, I get:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-6S-Brass-Flat-Washers-12-Pack-19981/202704558?keyword=19981#

Since I installed the washers, I have played my STLE quite a bit and only recall the ball becoming stuck one time. All-in-all, then, I am quite happy with the fix.

I hope this helps! If you have any further questions, please let me know.