Really, Magic Eraser? Never would have thought.

I suppose the trick is knowing when to stop.

My 8BD has a similar look but, running your finger of the paint can remove chips of paint. Its sad that the majority was covered by mylar from the factory except the lower portion of the PF. I think it could be almost stripped clean with a mild Magic Eraser scrub.

On a Playboy I'm working on for a friend there are a lot of areas that seem like the topcoat is cracking a lot or there are tons of ball swirl. I started going slow with ME on this and it handled heavy pressure fairly well. You might see come color from PF paint but, you'll notice that before you do any damage.

I actually ended up using a drill and a buffing wheel with pre-wax compound to clean up a large part of the pf. It went a lot faster and the results were better than what I was getting with ME.There is a huge risk of taking up loose flecks of paint etc, but I planned on doing touch up so I wasn't really that concerned.

I gave the ME a shot last night with some 90% Isopropyl Alcohol. What came up was a lot yellow-looking crap. The cracking is very slightly improved, but I didn't want to scrub too hard.I kept checking the ME, and didn't see any paint.

What were these playfields coated with? What is the best product to seal it with?

Also, I need to remove the wooden side rails. I removed the screws from the underside, but it looks like they are also stapled in. Any trick to removing them with no damage? I was going to just gently wiggle them back and forth, until the staples pulled out of the wood, cut the staples off, paint the wood, and then reinstall using the same screws. I don't have a stapler that would shoot staples back in.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/19#post-1762257

Stiff putty knife between the rail and playfield, pry it off then tap the staples out the back. Don't staple them back in, just use the screws.

This.

Also, clamp the wood together as you install the screws, or there will be gaps.

Use screws with a smooth shoulder at the top, so it will pull the rail and playfield together

highpoint.jpg

Geez VID. I just checked out page 16 of your guide on restoring playfields.

You have me thinking twice about trying to clear coat my playfield, myself. The amount of personal saftey equipment along, looks daunting. I wonder if I can find a local autobody shop to do it, or if they will screw it up.

Chem Respirator $26
Swim goggles $5
Tyvek Suit $9
Box of 100 Nitrol gloves $7
==========================
Total------------------------------> $47

This is all the same stuff you need to sand a cabinet (they are painted with lead paint) or to spray rattle-can paint (cans contain Toluene ), so you need all that stuff anyway.

That is an option.

It's hard to screw up because you shoot with the playfield flat on it's back.

Is EBD painted with lead? Most lead paint went away in 1978, I figured that most manufacturers were also using lead free after that time.

Lead paint for HOUSEHOLD USE went away in 1978.

Lead paint for commercial equipment tapered down in the 2000s, but is still used even today.

-

Never sand a cab in your garage or **gasp** your basement. You will never get the lead out. (yes, as you can probably tell, I have my Lead Certs....lol).

Are you 100% sure they're painted with lead paint? I bought a 3M LeadCheck kit today and tried it twice on Blackout and Eight Ball Deluxe, both came back negative.

All you can do is sand a little section of white under the legs and test the freshly exposed paint.

I've tested 90's Williams with XRF at work and they still had lead.

Xenon had lead, so did Comet and F14.

Tron LE did not have lead, but that does not mean that there was some magical cut off date. It's commercial equipment, so anything goes (especially if the paints/pigments come from Overseas).

Mercury was still being added to latex paint into the 1990s, so don't sand that indoors either.

Children's toy paints still test positive for lead, even in 2014......test rather than trust....

Here's a random thought, is the lead content because of the red paint on those particular games? I've read that lead content was especially used with reds and oranges, and all three of those games have one of those on the cabinet. My Blackout I'm unable to test the red because it literally just rubs off with anything wet, so the test kit in useless on it...the black tests negative but maybe it's just on a color basis. EBD has neither color (red or orange) so maybe it actually doesn't have any?

I guess the next question is, since you're a trained lead removal expert, how would you recommend restoring an early 80's cab? Chemical stripper + scraper? Wet sand? Dry sand? I just want to be safe when doing it. I tried searching on the web for info on pinball and arcade cabinets but the only posts that mentioned lead other than early EM's were yours, all other posts said that the paint was lacquer based and didn't contain lead because of drying times (although I think lacquer can still contain lead?).

It seems white, yellow and red often have lead, black less likely.

Cabs were painted by a few different contractors, so my EBD may have some lead colors and yours none.

As long as you don't sand or chip the lead paint, it's fine where it is. You can touch it safely, you just can't eat chips or breath the dust.

I sand cabs outside. Don't let the dust blow into your garden.

Chem strip won't make dust, nor will just taking the whole cab to a Dip and Strip.

If a cab needs a lot of work, it's cheaper ($200-250 ) just to buy a new one (let alone that the new one has a thin layer of pre primed MDF overlay on the face that needs no sanding, priming or filling.

I've thought about building one (as that seems like it would be a pretty good option) but does anyone have the dimensions and patterns needed in order to actually build said cabinet? I have the original cabinet available and could probably work from that, but honestly it would be 10x easier if there were some sort of plans available so I could just cut all the wood at once and then assemble rather than doing a bunch of measuring for every single piece. Too bad cnc routers that can do this size of work are so expensive. Thanks

I've put the drawings up before, but I can't find the link on my phone.

I just have a local CNC cab shop cut mine ($200 a cab).

Less than $4k if you build a 5x8' Mechmate:

http://mechmate.com/

Or have someone local who already has a Shopbot or Mechmate make it for you:

http://www.100kgarages.com/

Absolutely love this game. I only have room for a couple of games in my basement. I have 3 now with 2 more I have to wedge in somehow on the way. I only have room by the bar for 1, and no other game fits the part quite like this one. Its always with my friends, "hey just one more game, and how bout another cold one too"

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DSC01754.JPG

Wow, I never realized the plastics in the back were clear. Also, what's up with all the white, as opposed to the yellow on mine, in front of the seven drop target bank.

I must have an early prototype game.

Seriously, nice-looking game, Bonzo442.

This is way down the road talk here but, does anyone know what the original colors on the first release cab actually were? I've seen varying degrees of white on the original run cabinets. I know when I re-stenciled my Joust cabinet people already had matched the colors to latex paint colors sold at home improvement stores. Any resource like that for pins?

Thanks for the kind words. I only wish I could take credit for the restore on this game but I did put in some extra hours at work, I can tell ya that!

Is yours an original playfield, repro, or overlay? Mine has a lot more yellow in it, but it was not stored kindly.

I am stripping all the old clear coat off right now, but it is still more yellow than white in front of the 7-target bank.

playfield.jpg

Repo playfield but I'm not sure by who. there was a couple of different companies correct? Never looked but would I be able to see if I did who made it? If so where would the identifying markings be located ? I wouldn't mind knowing for myself. I will say though that the playfield is really nice and it is possible that the repo had an extra CC applied before installation.

I believe IPB is the only one that printed the color palette under the apron.

The CPR playfields were more pale white than the original factory playfields were. That's because they duplicated the Fabulous Fantasies overlays which are also on the pale side. They don't look bad though. The one in the bonzo442's pictures looks to be a CPR repop or it may be a Fabulous Fantasies overlay. I also restored a couple OEM playfields and had them touched up pale white so it could be one like that too but I doubt it.

The IPB playfields look more authentic as compared to OEM. They are supposed to be a light custard color rather than the stark white that is similar to the color of the metal apron and the cabinet.

On the left is a CPR playfield and on the right is an IPB:

0001.jpg

Thanks for the info Gatecrasher. Now I know that my original playfield isn't that yellowed, it's just original.

Thanks for the response.

I have taken everything off except the mylar rings around the pop bumpers, and removed the pops, themselves. I have scrubbed a good bit of the old clear off using the alcohol and Magic Erasers. It looks a little better, but there is still some of it left to work on.

I can't decide if I want to try and retouch it. I'm not much of an artist with paints. I'll have to upload a photo or two of the area between the slings, and if front of the 7-target bank.

As was mentioned earlier, all you have to do is to look underneath the metal apron. If there is a color palette it is an IPB (Illinois Pinball).

Your playfield looks like either a CPR repop or a Fabulous Fantasies overlay but I see what you are saying and it does look somewhat yellow up there too so it's hard to tell from the pic. Your cabinet looks like it was repainted by Fabulous Fantasies though (they also paint the cabinets a pale white instead of the light yellow custard they originally were). It's definitely more pale than OEM.

You have to excuse me as I was posting from work. I just got home and I took a look under the apron, and it does have the color pallete. Thanks for the great info. I had driven up to New Hampshire to pick up the machine and the owner said it was a local place that did the resto work. I'm glad it is an IPB as I can appreciate that classic cream color. IMO it looks better than the white. I'm not knocking the white play-fields, I just prefer the cream color. As for the cabinet, it is an off white but probably a lot more whiter than an original.

Hey guys, I am guessing this problem isn't specific to just EBD, but its happening on teh one I am fixing up for a friend. When the ball comes down the return lanes to the flippers it gives a little hop right as it hits the flipper rubber. Any tips on this?

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practicalsteve
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Hey guys, I am guessing this problem isn't specific to just EBD, but its happening on teh one I am fixing up for a friend. When the ball comes down the return lanes to the flippers it gives a little hop right as it hits the flipper rubber. Any tips on this?

Try pushing down the return lane rail, sometimes they lift up a little and that's when you get the hopping.

EBD doesn't use press in rails down by the flippers, they are screwed down. Try loosening the screws and repositioning the rail. Hopefully, with some experimentation you can get a smooth transition.

Thanks, I have been doing just that and getting slightly better results.

Just joined this past weekend. This game kicks your ass. image-754.jpgimage-242.jpgimage.jpg

Hey guys. Just joined the club. I have never had a talking game before. Anyone know why my sound is just reverb when the game is on? The board boots fine and the connectors are plugged in correctly. Not sure what to check next. See video below. The video also shows my flipper issue. Left button does work, and the right button operates the left flippers.

Thanks!

J1 or J2 on the SDB is pinned incorrectly or one is shifted by a pin. Don't know about your sound issue though.

I traced the wires from J1 and J2 back to the flipper coils and switches and they are wired correctly. Also, before I got the machine it worked, so something happened between when the back box was disconnected, and when I reconnected it. I have checked the connections on the SDB multiple times and everything looks right according to the schematics.

Your single drop target resets like it's supposed to and all other coils work correctly?

actually the single drop doesn't reset. I noticed that last night. But yes, all other coils work properly.

Check J1 again, I think it's shifted by one pin.

Did you already check the display #18 sound menu? There are a few different choices for partial sounds vs. all sounds. My machine has been reset a couple times to only partial sounds. The manual covers the sound menu I think.

Okay I will. thanks.

I didn't think to do this. I will check this as well. Sweet avatar too. Floyd is amazing.

Now that I look at the schematics, this makes sense. Because if I somehow reconnected J1 wrong (off by one pin), and I plugged this into J1 so that the connector's slot 9 is plugged into pin 8 on J1, I would have power for the left flipper running to the right switch. and since the left flipper switch and single target reset got moved to unused pins, they would have no activity.

If this is the case, I am going to feel so stupid since I have unplugged and then plugged this connector back in like 10 times checking to see if I had it right, haha. Here's to hoping. I will report back tonight.

double post

Flippers fixed. Apparently the connector was repinned with the 5, 8, and 9 wires pinned to the 4, 7, and 8 positions. So even though I had the connector flush with the male end, the wires weren't set to hit the right pins on the male end. Anyway, thanks for the tip! Now just need to figure out the sound issue. I went to test 18 and that didn't help.

Yay! One down, one to go. I think there's something wrong with your sound board, it should at least make chime sounds if the effects were turned off.

Make sure it's booting. It has a flash sequence much like the MPU.
Reflow all of the headers. Those .156 header joints like to crack.
Check to see if there are any AMI PIA chips on it. If so, replace them.

Board boots. I get five flashes. What does it mean to reflow the headers? Also, what do AMI PIA chips look like?

A pic is worth a thousand words.
crackedsolder.jpg
Flow a little solder onto those header joints and then suck it out and make new joints with fresh solder.

AMI chips look like this (different part number though):
AMI PIA.JPG

I bought an LE last year and am looking for the right parts to completely repair the pop bumpers. I browsed through this thread and didn't see anything on this. Anybody have any links to suppliers or guides? Thanks