Ballston Spa, NY
Quoted from PatrickH:Hi all, I'm new to pinball machine fixing / restoration and have recently come across the opportunity to inherit a 1973 Gottlieb Jumping Jack.
The machine definitely needs some work, so the first step would be getting it to play properly. I live in a 1BR apartment, am currently single (so no SO to say otherwise!), and am considering trying to fix this machine in my living room. Is this a bad idea? What am I getting into here?
In terms of actually fixing the machine, I'm not terribly worried. I'm fully prepared for the steep learning curve, hours of reading schematics, and lots of trial and error. I'm more concerned about trying to work on a machine in a carpeted living room... In my mind, I imagine keeping the machine next to my desk under a tarp to prevent things from getting dirty. Obviously if sanding/painting became essential down the line, I'd move these parts onto the balcony or do them elsewhere (I'm not THAT dense ). In the opinion of those of you with experience doing thing, as far as debugging the machine and getting it to a working state goes, could I feasibly do all this work in my living room? Am I vastly underestimating how much of a "garage" project this might actually be?
Go for it! At one point I had 4 pins in my living room, each of which were in some stage of repair. I had 2 arcade games crammed in there too. Living rooms are the best place to work. You can tinker when guests are over, you can have the TV going, refreshments aren't far. I kind of miss it! Now that I think of it, my first machine got restored in my kitchen! Those were the days.
