I have a socket cleaner from pinball resource. Its a sand paper like stick with a rounded end. Works great.

Is it only the general illumination sockets or the switched lamps or both?

I replaced all of the lamp sockets on my old Xenon, the only way to avoid the hassle of constantly bending, tweaking and cleaning the crappy old sockets, it was a bit of work, but worth it IMO if you're going to hang on to the machine. It goes fast after you do a few, just make sure to detach them from the PF before de-soldering, it makes removal a lot easier. Good luck!

My order (for Xenon) was:
12) #A1363 staple lamp bracket 0.66
2) #A2913 laydown bracket 0.70
#A2915 3/4 playfield lamp bracket 0.70
40) #A2916 1 1/8 lamp Bracket 0.79

To clean bulb sockets I take a green scrubbie (scotchbrite pad) and cut a strip off the end about 3/4"-1" wide. Roll it up like a doobie and tightly wrap electrical tape around it leaving the last half inch or so sticking out on each end.

alot of the time it's not the dirt, it's that the socket has a bad ground through the bracket to the ground wire on the back of the playfield.

http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index2.htm#connect -Scroll down past the jones plugs section.

gtblamp1.jpg

EDIT: Don and I must have posted at the same time. The picture above is exactly what he is describing. I wish there was a tool to just re-press the socket back onto the bracket, I think that would solve most of the issues with old sockets.

This job can be a pain or a pretty easy job. The difference is all in the quality of the tools you use and your preparation. Done well, this modification does not look like a hack and works brilliantly.
Tool List: Safety glasses, lights, Dremel, wire wheel, paste flux, flux brush, wire cutters, soldering gun and one hand wire stripper.
Pull the playfield out and place on bench or rotisserie, or at least lean it back against the head. Set up some good bright lights.
You can do a handful of sockets all in the same area, to minimize picking up/ putting down the tools.
PUT ON SAFETY GLASSES!
Dremel w/ wire wheel: clean a spot low down on the barrel and the adjacent area on the bracket. Takes 5 seconds or less. You don't have to be too careful here.
Dremel w/ wire wheel to clean the 'tit' on the bottom of the barrel. About 2 seconds. Do both areas on about 5 sockets.
Put down the Dremel.
Brush a near invisible layer of paste flux on the cleaned spots on the barrels and bracket, and on the center connection 'tits'. Basically, get a fluxing brush loaded w/ flux (the brush will still look pretty much dry) and you only need to reload the flux brush every 10-20 sockets or so. A little excess flux is not an issue, just looks sloppy. Fluxing a socket barrel and tit takes 5 seconds a socket or less.
Snip off wires at lug on each socket, then strip the wires. This is the slowest part of the job. Get a good, one hand 'squeeze the handles type' stripper. You will never regret this, and never strip a wire any other way again. You will think you are a genius and you will annoy all your friends and family talking about your wire stripper. Maybe the best pinball tool ever. (Non-corrosive paste flux is a close second. Get it, use it, enjoy life without solder problems. Think you can't solder? You haven't used paste flux.) If the stripped wires are copper colored, not silver colored, then you must pre-tin the bare wire. Flux the stripped wire, heat it with gun and flow on a bit of solder.
Fire up your soldering gun. Not an iron like for board work, the big Weller gun. No gun? Stop, go to the store, purchase gun.
Grab the 60/40 rosin core 1/16" dia solder.
Pull trigger and wait to get tip hot on gun, then touch the gun tip to the bracket and barrel AT THE SAME TIME in the area you cleaned and fluxed. Allow them to get hot. Flux melts. Maybe 5 seconds, probably less.
Touch solder to barrel/bracket fluxed area, NOT the gun tip. Solder should melt instantly, if it does not, you are not heating the parts long enough. Bridge the barrel to the bracket with solder. The flux will do the work; when you do it right it's like the solder has a brain and knows where to go. Will look way better than the picture above. Do all the prepped sockets.
Melt some solder on the tip of the gun, put the solder down, grab a wire and 'tack solder' the wire to the tit. This move takes some practice. Do all the prepped sockets. When you get good, you can grab the wire with a couple of fingers and solder it without putting down the solder. Or put the roll of solder down with the end of the solder sticking up, so you can touch the gun tip to it.
THE TRICK: Do not release the trigger of the gun after you start- just move from socket to socket, bam, bam, bam. Once you get the rhythm, you will move like lightning. Remember to stand up and stretch your back once in a while.
Hate soldering? Freshly brushed metal, flux and the proper heat act together like a miracle. If you are having problems: more flux, more heat. You will figure it out. If you are not going to wire brush, flux and use a gun, DON'T EVEN START.
Cleaning the inside of the socket is your option. I do it with the Dremel, it's super fast with a tiny cup-shaped wire wheel.

Don C.

Kleins, on Amazon, $42. Expensive, but they are Kleins.

You won't be daunted, and you are going to need good tools.

Don C.5093956-21.jpg5093956-21.jpg

Thirty bucks and Prime.

http://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-11063-Katapult-Stripper/dp/B00BC39YFQ

I had to replace a number of sockets on my Xenon, but I also had a lot of success with a tip I found on Pinside. Take a piece of braided wire and put it in a figure of eight around the socket and socket post. Twist the ends with pliers until the wire is tight around the post and socket. I've used this with a number of sockets I was having problems with and where it worked I haven't had a problem with that socket since. It might look a little untidy, but as a quick fix it often seems to work very well.

This bit in the Dremel kit works wonders on corroded sockets:

408099a7-424b-467d-9bc6-088d4532b6b8_400.jpg

A cheap Chinese "dremel" kit is $9.99 in the USA (maybe Canadian Tire?):

69451_zzz_500.jpg

http://www.harborfreight.com/rotary-tool-kit-80-pc-69451.html

Is this one of the sandpaper drum bits, or something else?

No, it's like a bunch of sand glued together in a cylinder.

That way the face edge cleans the spring (unlike a sanding drum that has a screw on the face).

better pic

New-Rotary-Polishing-Kit-Set-Mini-Grinder-Tools-Drill-Dremel-Engraver_320x320.jpg

This kit goes on sale for $13 all the time......

http://www.harborfreight.com/276-Pc-Rotary-Tool-Accessory-Set-62440.html

Don't wanna interrupt the shopping spree here, but I had the same issue with my Paragon which was stored in a barn for a number of years. the sockets were crap to begin with. It's so much quicker and easier to just replace all non working sockets and keep a few spares on hand for others. It's way easier to replace a socket then to hack it. If it was a few sockets, fine whatever, but when a majority aren't working right, just go ahead and replace em. Get em from one of the websites that has bulk discounts.

Also a good pair of wire strippers makes the job easier, but you don't need the fancy ones posted above, I use a klein version of these, but I'm a Journeyman Electrician, if you just need em for pinball I can guarantee these will work perfectly for you. also you'll notice there are some built in screw cutters that come in really handy
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-7-in-Wire-Stripper-and-Cutter-06010/202039360

Try Marcos......... If you buy 3 or more, you get a good price!
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/PFLD-LSOCKET?VIEW_SIZE=12&VIEW_INDEX=1&view=card&sortOrder=SortProductField:totalTimesViewed

If you are going to be replacing a bunch of sockets I'd recommend getting the Hakko FR300 desoldering kit. It's a little expensive but it works great and it's so fun you'll be looking for things to desolder. the proper tools make any job easier and more professional looking.

I try to repair them when I can, usually rust is my determining factor as to whether or not I repair or replace. You can clean that flux up with a q-tip and some naptha.