i am posting this for a gentleman i have become phone call friendly as he bought a game on ebay and has a lot of questions - sadly i am not intelligent enough to answer them. i posted his email to me below - he will be joining pinside as i gave him the link - please answer these questions for him and hopefully he lives near somebody who can help him in the future. thanks ed - his email with questions is below.
I've watched a few video on repairing/painting the playfield. Have you done this before and do you recommend acrylic or enamel paint? I'm NOT going to be taking the playfield apart like the pros do, but rather will be taking off the easy things so that I can clean more of the playfield, but not all.
What products do you recommend to clean the playfield before painting? I've seen Windex, Mean Green, Magic Eraser, Naptha, others used, but not sure which are best.
As I'm sure you know, the bulbs are snap-ins. Do you know what number they are? Do you recommend replacing them with LEDs of the same size, presuming they exist? Are any flashing bulbs as opposed to regular bulbs? Do I simply BEND the metal strap that holds the bulb base back in order to get access to it, and then bend it back into place, or is there another way to do it? Do you recommend replacing ALL of the bulbs at the same time so that they have equal brightness?
The lanes that go to the flippers only have the metal rails and do not have the plastic rails that I see should be below the metal ones. Is there a place you recommend for replacement parts like this? Also, it looks like the metal "posts" that hold the metal rails are pretty thick circular columns - how exactly do the plastic rails attach to them below the metal ones? And speaking of metal, what product(s) do you recommend for cleaning the metal parts?
I've worked cosmetically on a handful of games in the past. I used to collect 1960s pitch and bat games and currently have a 1961 CCM Pro Basketball. But I've never replaced the rubbers on a pinball game. Any tips for me there?
The 8-ball drop target needs to be replaced (or at a minimum, an 8-ball sticker placed over the existing target). Does the entire assembly need to come off to replace a drop target or is it somehow easier than that?
Any other 8-ball deluxe specific advice? I had a fantastic condition one about 10 years back and absolutely loved it. The ONLY pinball game to have in my mind - it never gets old! Thanks again for all of your help and concern to make sure I landed one!