Richmond, VA
I've never done that, and I'm not sure if anyone else has either, but it's certainly interesting!
(Topic ID: 194430)
Quoted from KYBingo:I went to Coos' site originally wondering about artwork and saw a video on how he cleans the inside of a bingo machine. Wow! Sorbo Blue Wonder, Magic Sprap, and hot water. Really?
Is this a recomended process...and if so, what is an equivalent all purpose cleaner available in the US?
IMO, cleaning the inside of a bingo in that is waaaaaaay overkill. But hey, it works for him, and that's great!
I can see doing this if I had a side business of high-end bingo restoration in which my clients expected a near-factory restoration. But for me and all other collectors that I have met, none have cleaned the inside of a bingo in this way.
Quoted from KYBingo:I went to Coos' site originally wondering about artwork and saw a video on how he cleans the inside of a bingo machine. Wow! Sorbo Blue Wonder, Magic Sprap, and hot water. Really?
Is this a recomended process...and if so, what is an equivalent all purpose cleaner available in the US?
here is a thread with the video linked where we discussed the merits 3 years ago of the Dutch guys bingo cleaning method verses what we will do in the States.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-do-you-clean-cloth-covered-wire-harnesses#post-1392482
Regarding the cleaning material
I contacted the guys in the Netherlands 'Frans and Coos' a few years ago. They both have different internet sites with English translations. I asked them what is the Magic spray and the Sorbo Blue Wonder made of?
Frans answered as follows;
"The problem with the magic stuff and the Sorbo is that the first product is no longer for sale as it was too aggressive and Sorbo is just an ordinary Dutch detergent, used for all kinds in the housekeeping. We bought the Magic Stuff in big cans and as far as we know the staple is a sodium hydroxide solution. So you can try to dissolve tablets of the dishwasher as those are pretty aggressive. But all you need is a strong degreaser which will do the job and I am sure there are a lot of those over in the USA."
Also Frans site is; http://ballybingo.nl/
Possibly use 'Purple power at a 50/50 strength instead of the magic spray which I suspect is a drain cleaner.
1 week later
I am back to lightbulbs.... 47s and 55s to begin with. The red 55s... has anyone tried coloring them with a red Sharpie? Acrylic paint has been suggested. I am also shopping for bulbs in quantities. Testing them has revealed that I don't think I need to replace them ALL.
What did you do on your Friday afternoon? Well I listened to a wise pinball restorer and decided I have asked enough (not all) questions and it was time to begin.
I started cleaning the exterior of the game. Tar from cigarette smoke is some nasty sticky stuff. Paint chipping away and I recognized that some sprucing up would help my enthusiasm. First I made a tool to help remove the bulbs in the light board. Some of the bulbs separated glass from brass requiring pliers to completely remove. As I went, I made a chart identifying bulb type and locations. Next I will test them all and clean them up to be reinstalled.
After wiping down and using a stiff bristled brush to flake off all loose paint, I applied two coats of a white primer. First coat looked yellow from tar residue. It was like painting 85 little rooms - walls and floors. I don't have spraying equipment so I did it with a brush. A small brush being careful not to get paint into the lightbulb sockets. What a difference a little paint can make.
I will trace the artwork (using old clothes patterns) that is on the machine and begin the search for the proper paint. Spray cans will be used. Stencils will be made from matboard (it would be ideal if the stuff came in 48 x whatever... 42 x is just a little short). The areas that are sand on the beach appear to be speckled. The other colors (red, white and blue) will be easier to match. The coin door pattern will be made up from images of Laguna Beach machines I have seen on the web.
Red bulbs - I was wanting to do the same thing & bought a small set of Americana gloss enamels. Label states that this is an opaque paint for glass & ceramics. Directions on the bottle show that you clean the surface with alcohol, paint, then let dry for 4 days, then bake in a 325-deg non pre-heated oven for 30 min, then let cool with oven door open.
My project got stalled & I have yet to try it, but it sounds like this would be just the ticket.
I tried coating the bulb with a red sharpie & it worked, but the light was too intense. You really want a painted bulb.
https://www.amazon.com/DecoArt-Americana-Gloss-Enamel-2-Ounce/dp/B001JSQY1Q
Please let us know if you try it & how well it works!
... so I was facing the task of checking 100 + little light bulb that were in various states of decay and corrosion. How can this be done the cleanest (easiest) way? Each bulb needed to have contact surfaces cleaned to insure good contact both by the multi-meter probes and when re-installed into the games light sockets. These bulbs look old and worn but are not necessarily bad.
First thought was to use a soft wire wheel and turn each bulb over its spinning surface. Before I tried it I counted my fingers and thought ....no.
Here is what I did: I am a horologist (not whorologist) and use a ultrasonic cleaner to clean watch and clock parts. A water based ammonia cleaning solution in the tank and I gathered a few of each bulb. After testing them to insure that they were good, I dropped them into the ultrasonic cleaner for five minutes. Interesting thing...47s sink, 55s float. Just enough gas in the larger bulb. After I removed them from the cleaner I re-tested them. All were still good. After a warm water rinse they were set aside looking all shiny and new. When I do the remainder or the bulbs I will know good from bad. I know I will be purchasing new bulbs for those that were missing or came apart when I removed them from their sockets. This process will give me some confidence that the bulbs I am reusing are good. Those little bulbs can add up ($) if I were to replace them all.
Am I the first to try this trick? Remember, this is my first restoration project and I don't really know how EVERYONE does it. I am listening, reading, and figuring it out as I go. Hope this helps others.
How I made the #55s into RED #55s;
1. After cleaning and checking to insure that the bulbs were good, I wiped them down with alcohol (not my good bourbon, just some 91% rubbing).
2. I had some Folkart Enamels (WalMart)- lipstick red - acrylic paint. Good color but too thick. I thinned the paint with water (60/40) and dipped the bulbs.
3. Fabricated a stand to hold the dipped bulbs from an scrap of wood (3/8" holes). Allowed the bulbs to dry two hours (twice the recommendation on the label)
4. Placed holder and bulbs in the oven. When the temperature reached 350 degrees, I set the timer for 30 minutes. At the bell I turned the oven off and the bulbs slowly cooled as the oven cooled.
5. Paint on the brass of the bulbs easily scrapped off.
6. All bulbs tested good.
Not too thick - not too thin. I believe they will be just right.
Moncton, NB
Terry1,
This paint is a water based acrylic. In the craft department at the "Evil Empire" (Walmart) there are a variety of 2 oz products. If you need an oil base maybe you can find one. I have done the baking of this product and it seems to hold up well.
Making note to self: Remember you have this when you get to the left and right buttons.
1 week later
1 month later
After much searching and questioning...I have still more to do before I repaint my Laguna Beach. The latest is I figure that I will need 15 stencils. I have checked with Coos and he has never done a Laguna Beach. I talked with a guy in a shop that makes (cut) vinyl signs. He has done logos for street clock faces for me in the past. He said if I take a straight on picture (jpeg) and tell him the dimensions of the areas the stencil will cover, he can make the stencils. I have a piece of the vinyl to test to see if it could be peeled off after painting. He suggested peeling right after painting (spray or roller) and that a heat gun might help the vinyl release without damaging what has already been painted. I will do some testing. I also investigated several products available from a art supply store. They seems to release well; however, I would have to do the cutting. Nice thing is that they are clear which would help when lining things up. The search goes on....
While I am scratching my head over the painting project, I have decided to begin work on the play field. My plan is to take the play field out of the cabinet, remove everything from the top surface, remove old wax etc. with Naphtha, polish with Novus 2, wax and then clean all the items and reinstall them onto the play field. I have new rubber rings to install and I have all the springs. I have new balls (my wife has made a BIG joke about that).
Has anyone ever used Bowling Alley wax on their play field? I have been researching Carnauba waxes. Some are "enriched with", some contain cleaners, some have a additives. In searching this forum, it seems that folks are spraying automotive clear coat on their play fields. Me. I am just looking for the hardest wax I can find to reduce the time between reapplications.
Enough rambling for one morning...any more and I will have to start a blog.
Comments and assistance please.
Stencils - sticky vinyl will give you a non-factory straight line appearance. Will look sharp with no overspray.
I have heard from a few different restoration guys of different ways to approximate the overspray effect - I like posterboard, as it is -cheap- and you can weigh it down more or less exactly the way that you want. Another tool is thick foamcore - it is supposed to absorb exactly enough of the overspray, leaving you with that slight mist outside of the stenciled area. Easier to weigh down, too. I've seen results of the latter and they are very impressive. I used posterboard as it was easier to work with on the cutting side. (Fresh blades, xacto). You get a little more overspray with posterboard.
Playfield - your plan sounds just fine - wax is really a matter of personal preference. I've tried several different types and nothing made an appreciable difference. Johnson's paste wax does great and lasts for a long time with no ill effects. A severely planked playfield will grab little bits of whatever wax, but Millwax seems to do better on that type of surface.
Clearcoat - I am not a fan on a game that did not have automotive-style clear from the factory (like any EM). On a bingo, I think it would be a nightmare. The ball basically skates across the surface and is impossible to control. Your mileage (and skill at playing) may vary there. 
Bowling Allex wax? Interesting thought - never tried!
Bowling Alley wax (carnauba) works just fine. If you have it, use it.
But if you have no wax at all and need to buy some then get regular old Johnson's paste wax.
I seal my poster-board stencils with spray shellac after cutting them (helps them to not absorb paint which can curl them at the edges).
I also strategically use Krylon East Tack lightly on the under side to help the stencil stay put (along with fishing weights) as spraying can can lift them a bit too much sometimes (mostly narrow strips seem to really want to lift when sprayed around).
My daughter makes those vinyl stencils .. the stick-em seamed very strong. (I'm going to ask if her cutter will work on poster-board ... hmm).
I'm a huge fan of Gel-Gloss for cleaning a playfield. I first wipe the playfield with a lightly dampened terrycloth rag, then I apply the Gel-Gloss. I follow that with two coats of Mother's California Gold Brazilian Carnauba Cleaner Wax. I learned about Gel-Gloss through an article I read on Phil Hooper's web site:
http://bingo.cdyn.com/techno/overhaul/playfield/
Gel-Gloss has major cleaning power with minimal risk of cutting through the inks. It's good on the lacquered wood parts as well as the paints. I deviate from the author's approach by applying Gel-Gloss to a terrycloth rag (rather than directly to the playfield) and then working it in a circular motion while it's still wet. That way I can tell when I've got the level of clean I'm after.
For metal parts I use Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish, sometimes applied with a felt tip on my Dremel tool. When I tumble metal parts, I use crushed walnut media with the Flitz additive. I usually finish with a hand applied coat of Mother's when I use the Dremel; it just gives a smoother, more even shine.
Evaporust is an essential rust remover and frequently the second stop for my metal parts - the first stop usually is the heated ultrasonic cleaner that Harbor Freight sells.
For playfield plastics I use Novus #2 followed up by #1. It really makes the colors pop.
I'd like to hear about your experience removing and cleaning the playfield light post springs. I've always been too chicken to try removing any playfield object that isn't held down by a screw or held on by friction, such as the light posts. I know other guys do it, but I've never tried.
I use Mill Wax on the playfield and spit on playfield plastics. Saliva is what professional art restorers use to clean paintings.
I used Mothers, California Gold,
Carnauba Cleaner wax
Nice finish.
To me, a well finished play field covered with a
good fitting glass, should last almost forever;
especially since it probably would not get the play it
would have seen in the past!!
Terry K
BTW, Merry Christmas to all and have a great New Year!!!
I had some time between ...shopping (phew) and I started taking the playfield apart. At this point, being my first restoration, I have a few questions:
1. Some of the plastic posts that hold the o-rings (bumpers?) are red and some are yellow. From what I can tell, they are the same size. Does it matter?
2. There are steel pins in the play field. Some are bent and some are missing (matching right side to left, I found the holes they belong in. I want to remove and reinstall them in the process. Are these just pressed into and can be pulled out the play field?
3. The posts that hold the springs along the sides and bottom of the play field should be removed and replaced in the process. Are they pressed in and pulled out?
4. The fender springs in front of the lamps, pressed in and pulled out? ( I figured out how to get the plastic shields off the lamps)
Once the play field has had ALL the stuff removed from it I will vacuum and then clean with naphtha. There are places where the paint has been worn to the wood. The ball track is bare. Should I consider a clear coat of poly or some other protective clear finish or just wax?
Some images:
Look on Phil's site, you will see the four red posts with black rubbers.
All the rest are yellow with white rubbers.
Be careful pulling out the spring posts, and light shield bounce spring posts.
The wood can splinter.
The things that look like nails are, on can be finish nails with the hammer ends
clipped off.
Make sure when putting the nails back in that you don't hammer them in
to far. The shutter/ball board, that releases the balls, is close to the underneath if the
play field.
I used chrome/stainless finish nails.
I made a little spacer so I couldn't hammer them in to far!!
The rebound spring(s) in front of the light shields are fixed(sort of) to the posts.
If you are going the clean up the above mentioned spring/posts with a wire brush on a
grinding wheel, be very careful.I am still looking for one of the rebound springs 
Terry K
To remove the spring posts, you can wrap a towel around and pull straight up with a heavy set of pliers (towel prevents marring).
Or you can just do it with the spring posts as those require you to use a punch to get them out (from underneath). You can do the same for the spring posts if you choose. Keep in mind that it is very easy to tap too hard and splinter the wood on top. Go slowly. You'll get the hang of it quickly.
Terry is totally right about the finish nails with heads clipped and not hammering in too far. I use a rubber mallet for reinstallation of spring posts and lamp springs to prevent marring.
Terry is also correct about the colored posts. Red is in an inverted triangle towards the bottom (valuable) holes. Instead of black rubber, Bally outfitted with dead rubber, which is much harder in comparison to the white rubber (less bouncy). You can purchase dead rubber from Marco Specialties. 5/16" rubber rings and two 1" rubber rings are needed.
when pounding in the curly spring posts, make sure you don't go in so far that the bottom of the post exits the wood.
a couple of the posts are near/under the bare wires that are stapled to the bottom of the playfield. If the post pokes thru, you can short the bare wires together. As usual, don't ask why I know that....
And the adventure goes on.... Hey, I found the "For Amusement Only" label!
I removed all the posts, pins and springs from the top side of the play field by first removing everything from the bottom and then using just undersized punches. No additional damage to the play field. Wow what a difference a little warm water on a rag wipe down makes. Next I will wipe down the play field with naphtha, detail clean and ready it for a coat or two of Varathane diamond wood finish ( I read about this at http://www.pinrepair.com under play field touch up). There are places where the original finish has been worn through to the wood. Still debating between semi and gloss. After days of drying I will be waxing. Meanwhile I will be shopping for replacement inserts and roll over buttons (red and yellow) and making sure I have the correct rubber. While I am at it, I will be rebuilding the shooter.
While removing everything from the bottom of the play field, I came across something that didn't look 'original'. It appears to be a resister added to the switch that is where the ball is first pushed into the shooting lane. You know where the little wire comes through the play field !?! (my nomenclature is improving but still lacking). I will post an image.
Thanks for the tip about the rubber replacement rings and reassembly.
One final question for today: What is the little tab (#147) glued to the top of the play field? Is this a serial number or maybe a tax tag? (oops, that was two questions)
The resistor is factory. In speaking with Jeffrey Lawton - it's purpose is to bleed enough current to prevent residual magnetism on the ball lift relay if I recall that conversation correctly.
It does appear on the schematic. The switch is called the lane switch or shooter lane switch.
The tag is something the operator put there - asset or tax tag. Also, looks like they put laminate over the exposed wooden areas. Who knows what you'll find underneath.
Cool metal score card! I've not seen one of those before.
Just one little item I would like the original OP to know about. I do not know if your storing your BG in the garage during this restoration, and I don't know if you have read this already, but changes in temperature is not good for the BG artwork. could cause further delamination if there is some already there.
I have searched my schematic and found the resistor ...helps to know the switch name too.
There is laminate over the exposed wooden area. Think it needs to be removed? If I remove it.... I guess I can fabricate any new pieces that I find trashed.
All the score cards are metal. Know where I can find a new "For Amusement Only" file?
The garage is where I am working. It is half underground and never sees temps below maybe 40 degrees. This is the only place I have to work. When there I do run a heater that keeps the worker in long sleeves and comfortable. the back glass (BG?)is stored in a closet inside. I haven't removed it from the double layered cardboard sleeve that it was transported in. Just trust that it is in good shape.
You can print a new FAO card from Phil's site: bingo.cdyn.com - if I recall, it is under misc. Paperwork.
1 year later
Well it was a year..and maybe more. A project that I enjoyed. Everyone at Pinside was a big help (cause the new guy had a lot of questions). Recommended suppliers were right on time.
So, last night I was dropping nickels and thought that I hadn't posted an image of the end results. Here it is. Still bothered by a few bulbs that won't stay lit. I really enjoy sharing this machine with friends and anyone that has a nickel.
20190620_104037 (resized).jpgyou having issues with the flat lamp sockets? Easiest thing when the power to that socket is off is remove lamp and from the front "hook" behind the center tab with a flat screwdriver. Bend it towards you/up so the tip is almost touching the socket side … it'll spring back most of the way when you release it. If it breaks, it wasn't much good anyway,
reshape the lamp tip to remove the divot by swirling on something flat. An anvil is ideal, but the center of linesman's pliers is good enough.
when you reinsert the lamp, it wont flop around anymore and shouldn't have issues with dimming/flickering.
wife and I were in NULU a couple weeks ago … if we wind up there again I'll buy ya some drinks at rabbit hole.
Thanks for the tip.. and the offer for a drink. The trouble I am having is that the bulb pop..get blown out.
While playing last night, the ball lifter began lifting two balls. I figure it is the switch under where the balls pop up. The wire poking through the playfield seems to be ok...so I guess I will slide the class off, lift the playfield and check that the switch is doing it's thing.
As Rosanna Dana use to say, "If it isn't one thing, it is something else."
Working through this project has given me the confidence to keep at it.
Bulbs popping is a short of some kind. One thing I would try: remove the clamp holding the wire trunk on the back door, and see if you still have the problem. Examine those wires and ensure the insulation is still present on them. Run it with the door open for a bit.
You're definitely looking in the right spot for lifter trouble - the lane switch. If that's ok, then you might have a stuck trough switch, especially if it does it consistently on ball #4 or so.
which lamp(s) are blowing? In addition to where bcp said, look everywhere that a wiring harness is routing next to the edge of a unit.
a common place for short in screen games is where the wiring goes up past the replay counters to the units at the top of the lamp panel. Typically the harness is cut into by the top replay counter unit frame.
Hunting for a short...Thanks for the directions.
The ball lifting issue went like this: Turn the game on, drop a nickel, two balls lift. If you were to shoot those balls into the play field, no other balls lift. To proceed drop another nickel and the game begins again. Two balls up.
Recovered from a concert on Tuesday night...Folk Uke opened for X. When your older your recovery time is longer.
Quoted from KYBingo:Hunting for a short...Thanks for the directions.
The ball lifting issue went like this: Turn the game on, drop a nickel, two balls lift. If you were to shoot those balls into the play field, no other balls lift. To proceed drop another nickel and the game begins again. Two balls up.
*********************************************************************************
It sounds like your 'timer stepping unit' is stuck at the 2nd ball position.
Verify your Timer stepping unit is moving freely. The fingers on the wiper may be stuck on that particular rivet.
Remove the wiper assy. Clean rivets, and insure the fingers do not bind on any rivets.
ScreenHunter_144 Jun. 30 16.30 (resized).jpgReply
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