I have to agree, incredible work. I hope to one day shake your hand, as I've agreed to acquire the Alien pinball machine your fixed and I'll think about how much appreciate your craft every time I play it.
(Topic ID: 225528)
Linked Games
Addams Family, The
Bally, 1992-
Airborne
Capcom, 1996
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Alien (Heighway Pinball)
Heighway Pinball, 2017
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Black Knight
Williams, 1980
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Bram Stoker's Dracula
Williams, 1993
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Centaur
Bally, 1981
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Centigrade 37
Gottlieb, 1977
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Champion Pub
Bally, 1998
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Kingston, MA
Quoted from High_End_Pins:This stuff looks like barnacle. It is fuzzy[quoted image][quoted image]
Wow! Crazy oxidation. Did this pin come from a old cottage in the Outer Banks. Lol
Quoted from sixtyfourbits:Your pinball work is extraordinary, your cooking looks delectable; please tell us something that you are terrible at, just to make the rest of us feel a little bit less inadequate about our own skill sets lol.
On a serious note, thanks for taking the time to document your work online for the rest of us to follow. Its always a treat to get to read.
Thanks. I am terrible at much more than I am good at so I just stay in my lanes 
My goal with this thread is just to pass the time here as well as I can and hope it informs or entertains in some way.
Quoted from Spyderturbo007:My wife picked up some Copper River salmon last week. Looked in the fridge and saw a $102 package ($39.99/lb) of salmon and almost killed her. On a side note, it was delicious and there is more in the freezer for later.
Yeah it is expensive. I just bought a 14.5 pounder @ $569. Should last me about a month.
I wish eating healthy was cheaper.
Finally recovered from lunch. I am definitely not eating much for dinner but will have a sip of beer.
image (resized).jpg
After the trial run in my new paint room I am going to go through it a little this evening and shore up some gaps.
Getting a room like this truly sealed up is a process.
I know the filtered fans work well and can officially seal and bolt them in.
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgJust on a trial run I have to say it was a good investment bulking up my incoming air filtration. I had a single trap in my old set up but a double and now finer trap is really catching the small stuff.
Look at all these little bugs.
These are mostly nat size and previously really hard to filter out of a large space.
image (resized).jpg
Intake officially bolted and sealed. image (resized).jpg
It is about 11 feet off the floor and weighs about 200lbs
I don’t even want to talk about how tough it was to get up there with just the wifes help.
I had a couple of theories and tries. One of the early attempts went south mid stream and I thought for sure the fan was going to come crashing down and someone was going to end up in the ER.
image (resized).jpg
Quoted from High_End_Pins:Can’t get over the rust. Almost every prototype I have done has been a rust or corrosion bucket.
Prototypes don't receive the under-body rustproofing spray from the dealership. 
Quoted from scottslash:Prototypes don't receive the under-body rustproofing spray from the dealership.
Maybe not.
I do know that the AFM prototype I did a few years back was salvaged from the crawl space of one of the design teams homes after sitting there for several years.
Managed to get all the rusty hardware off the WW proto today. image (resized).jpg
This was everything from the coil brackets
image (resized).jpg
To the switch brackets and lift ramp arm.
image (resized).jpg
My need to get that done tonight is in the interests of efficiency.
Mr Maverick goes to the groomers tomorrow and the platers are across the street.
Speaking of which new toys arrived today. 5C85B156-28BC-47A9-A55E-4852B8B947CF (resized).jpeg
Squeak it 44619DB8-B193-43FA-A839-6099A596EEF0 (resized).jpeg
He instantly springs into action.
741809CB-33B9-4C4E-AE93-F6A118E3A077 (resized).jpegQuoted from High_End_Pins:Never tried that but may in the future.
The good thing about plating is that I can hand it off to someone else and have it brewing in the background while I rework the playfield and other parts.
The bad thing when dealing with the small parts is retapping the screw holes and such once they are done.
I was always told by platers that zinc plating will not affect threads due to the plating is such a small amount of material its not enough to change the size of the part.
Quoted from russdx:I was always told by platers that zinc plating will not affect threads due to the plating is such a small amount of material its not enough to change the size of the part.
That is true. When parts are rusty and pitted though we have to go with a light nickel to overcome that best.
Proto WW playfield is stripped now.
image (resized).jpg
Lots of design team notes to preserve.
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgI am not going to do too much to the playfield overall besides clean it and prep then lightly clear.
image (resized).jpg
The only thing I am going to eliminate would be the rough edges from the build.
This would be the double post hole in plain view. image (resized).jpg
How well I can do that is hard to say right now. Lettering can be pretty tough to touch up neatly when it is this small but no matter what I will definitely make it look more presentable.
Other than that just a little typical wear.
I think the bigger story/need on this project will be the metal reconditioning.
Just the metal post alone are going to add a few extra hours to the job.
image (resized).jpgTook a short break to train Curtis.
He decided last week that he wanted to get in better shape.
I never pressure anyone in this house to be anyone or anything other than who they are but at the same time if they ask for help or guidance I definitely will be there for them.
He is starting out in a good position he is only 21 and has all the tools here to make it happen as long as he is committed to it.
That is the hard part especially at first.
One thing I learned over the years of being trained then ultimately studying and training myself is that you don’t want to run people into the ground it will only frustrate them early on and they will quit.
Another thing is proper form is much more important than rep counts and weight count.
I would rather see someone do 5 perfect squats with just the barbell than see them do 10 with 200 pounds and terrible/dangerous form.
Anyway that is the overview.
Curtis starts here
572A86A6-6598-4925-9CA3-A4B636EF350C (resized).jpeg
The exercises used today are geared towards practical movements and useful fitness with a few small cardio sprints in there to work on the conditioning.
First slam balls with a weight he is comfortable with. 5DE9ED5F-B3D2-44F7-9681-CCD9B2B4418E (resized).jpeg
Then holding that same ball overhead is a walk to the lamp post 037416A0-335E-4F32-AFA3-52C5B8AED414 (resized).jpeg
Now more slam balls
A2C2CB6E-88DF-43F7-B974-76D9B1968C75 (resized).jpeg
Short walk to catch his breath 35D4B9EC-0FC1-4632-BE8D-6D9D82C43513 (resized).jpeg
Now a run to the intersection.
B5152EF3-5F4B-424C-A15A-6C56F322CFF1 (resized).jpeg
Returns back for another walk with the ball overhead
97FCDF52-5B2A-4C77-9AB6-96DC3F5FB005 (resized).jpeg
Now a short farmers walk with some 25lb kettle bells up the stairs and back. 60986DA1-3286-437C-98AB-2C43CDC53A73 (resized).jpeg
2A84AD6E-C806-4668-BD58-89C8A421C592 (resized).jpeg
That is one round!
Chris - what do you use for respiratory protection when spraying 2 parts paints and clear? I recall seeing a picture of you a while back with a mouth / nose only mask. Some recent info I saw in https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-spraymax-2k-auto-clear-in-a-can-club/page/16#post-5015674 suggests not only that you need full face protection but also that the cartridges have to be changed very often. Personally I have been using a full mask but never really bothered changing the cartridges.
Quoted from lb1:Chris - what do you use for respiratory protection when spraying 2 parts paints and clear? I recall seeing a picture of you a while back with a mouth / nose only mask. Some recent info I saw in https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-spraymax-2k-auto-clear-in-a-can-club/page/16#post-5015674 suggests not only that you need full face protection but also that the cartridges have to be changed very often. Personally I have been using a full mask but never really bothered changing the cartridges.
I use a standard respirator and swap it out for a brand new one every week.
One of the most important things about the safety is your air exchange. You need lots of fresh air in and contaminated air out quickly.
That will serve you better than anything else because the need to filter is lower at that point.
The other thing is that you are also at an exposure level when mixing paints and chemicals so you should wear it then as well.
Not a huge fan of the full face respirators because they fog up and often get covered in overspray making it hard to see your material overlaps.
The bottom line though is that spraying paint and clearcoats is an occupational hazard for me and there is only so much that can be done so I have to accept that just like a guy that works on a construction site and wears a hard hat knows that isn’t going to stop him from getting crushed by a steel beam that falls off the crane.
Ready to start prepping the WW proto playfield.
image (resized).jpg
Cleaned for organic(water based)dirt first.
image (resized).jpg
Now cleaned for solvent based dirt
image (resized).jpgThe areas that needed filler are sparingly filled.
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpg
Since they are small and pretty much cosmetic this is done with a mixture of halftime and tiger hair with blue hardner specifically to make the future touch ups cover easier in the blue area. Trying to keep that minimal.
image (resized).jpgThe touch ups are just roughed in now to give a blue print of the needed work later.
Until the surface is smooth and stable I can’t get too involved in taping or scraping the surface both of which will be needed to fine tune the touch ups needed later. E94D8AEB-7818-496F-906B-972B4E55002E (resized).jpegD3B711F0-A741-4F5A-82DA-3D790559DEE6 (resized).jpeg
Ready to clear for the first time.
image (resized).jpgSanded the IPB CV for one last attempt to perfect it.
After this it just is what it is but I feel like I can squeeze just a little more out of it.
image (resized).jpg
Quoted from High_End_Pins:He is starting out in a good position he is only 21 and has all the tools here to make it happen as long as he is committed to it.
Good for Curtis! Being young makes all the difference. I never really got in shape, and starting now would be... challenging. If he sticks with it, he'll be ripped like his old man in no time.
Quoted from High_End_Pins:I use a standard respirator and swap it out for a brand new one every week.
One of the most important things about the safety is your air exchange. You need lots of fresh air in and contaminated air out quickly.
That will serve you better than anything else because the need to filter is lower at that point.
The other thing is that you are also at an exposure level when mixing paints and chemicals so you should wear it then as well.
Not a huge fan of the full face respirators because they fog up and often get covered in overspray making it hard to see your material overlaps.
The bottom line though is that spraying paint and clearcoats is an occupational hazard for me and there is only so much that can be done so I have to accept that just like a guy that works on a construction site and wears a hard hat knows that isn’t going to stop him from getting crushed by a steel beam that falls off the crane.
This is poor advice which will harm pinballers, in case anyone ends up here and follows it.
2K contains components that consume standard OV cartridges within 30 minutes of exposure. The 3M recommendation is use supplied air or have a rapid replacement schedule in effect. A full mask is also required, because some of the aerosolized compounds in 2K readily absorb through your eyes and skin. So: wear a full mask with OVN95 filters, and change it every 30 minutes, because that's what you need. An OVN95 cartridge that has been exposed to vapour from the 2K product mentioned is no longer effective after two hours, let alone day seven. Anyone interested can read this post for detail about why: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-spraymax-2k-auto-clear-in-a-can-club/page/16#post-5017384
I work on construction sites too, just like the guy in your example. I wear my hard hat, but I don't stand under that steel beam when a load is being hoisted. Nobody does except guys with a death wish. It's not an occupational hazard that has to be accepted, and considering that construction safety is my occupation, I quite resent that the general public thinks that I go to work accepting any risk of getting my head caved in.
Quoted from semicolin:This is poor advice which will harm pinballers, in case anyone ends up here and follows it.
2K contains components that consume standard OV cartridges within 30 minutes of exposure. The 3M recommendation is use supplied air or have a replacement schedule in effect. A full mask is also required, because some of the aerosolized compounds in 2K readily absorb through your eyes and skin. So: wear a full mask with OVN95 filters, because that's what you need.
I work on construction sites too. I wear my hard hat, but I don't stand under that steel beam when a load is being hoisted. It's not an occupational hazard that has to be accepted, and considering that construction safety is my occupation, I quite resent that the general public thinks that I go to work accepting any risk of getting my head caved in.
sound advise (but rather humorous coming from the guy that is using handy, one of the "happy tree friends" as his avatar
Quoted from j_m_:sound advise (but rather humorous coming from the guy that is using handy, one of the "happy tree friends" as his avatar
I learned at my first job that safety advice worth listening to comes from the guy who has to shake with his left hand when he introduces himself.
I picked that avatar for a reason! I'm an electrician by trade and part of my job is getting 1500 folks home with the same number of fingers and brain cells they showed up with.
Quoted from mrf_pa:Chris,
I apologize if this question was asked and answered before, but figured while you were fresh off the TZ tear down, maybe you can shed some light on the great mystery of the weird shaped clear plastics, the "cloud" is the only one where I can find a home for (by the shooter lane), but most of the thread posts I've read seem to point that they were some extras tossed in with no real home. I was wondering if you found them over the many you have restored.
[quoted image]
I may have put something back incorrectly on my game, but after reassembly I was having occasional ball hangups here whenever the diverter failed to grab the ball. I put one of those odd shaped clear plastics on top of the lamp socket and it's been working so far. Another one of the clear plastics came in handy for me underneath the clock where the two lamp sockets connect.
aaa2d3620290c2938b538cff312e7a2113ff61d7 (resized).jpgQuoted from semicolin:This is poor advice which will harm pinballers, in case anyone ends up here and follows it.
2K contains components that consume standard OV cartridges within 30 minutes of exposure. The 3M recommendation is use supplied air or have a rapid replacement schedule in effect. A full mask is also required, because some of the aerosolized compounds in 2K readily absorb through your eyes and skin. So: wear a full mask with OVN95 filters, and change it every 30 minutes, because that's what you need. An OVN95 cartridge that has been exposed to vapour from the 2K product mentioned is no longer effective after two hours, let day seven. Anyone interested can read this post for detail about why: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-spraymax-2k-auto-clear-in-a-can-club/page/16#post-5017384
I work on construction sites too, just like the guy in your example. I wear my hard hat, but I don't stand under that steel beam when a load is being hoisted. Nobody does except guys with a death wish. It's not an occupational hazard that has to be accepted, and considering that construction safety is my occupation, I quite resent that the general public thinks that I go to work accepting any risk of getting my head caved in.
Not disagreeing with your advice but keep in mind I am not giving advice I am answering a question about what *I* do and what *my* comfort level is.
I have been in the auto body industry my entire life and have been painting for almost 30 years so I know what works for me and what I prefer as well as why. If I decide to write a post on paint safety for the masses you are welcome to proofread that if needed but I would give more detailed advice and suggestions because at that point I would know people are counting on me.
Funny thing about fresh air is it is only as fresh as the place you pull it in from.
When I used to paint at the Mercedes dealership one of the mechanics parked a diesel right under our intake and I almost had to go to the hospital from being overcome with fumes thinking I was getting clean air while I was in plugged in inside the booth.
Quoted from High_End_Pins:auto body industry
I can't tell you how many times I had rainbow colored boogers! That was back in the early 90's when my dad was teaching me how to paint cars. By the way what is a respirator anyway 
Quoted from High_End_Pins:I have been in the auto body industry my entire life and have been painting for almost 30 years so I know what works for me and what I prefer as well as why
please err on the side of caution and save your nifty brain!
Quoted from cait001:please err on the side of caution and save your nifty brain!
I do trust me and honestly I can appreciate the safety concerns raised but the truth of the matter for me is when I moved from cars to pinball it was a huge upgrade for me already.
I probably get as much total exposure in a year now as I was getting in a week back then painting cars everyday.
Painting is just a small part of it.
I am soldering,cleaning,cutting grinding etc etc
You have to use common sense and you have to do what makes sense and is comfortable for you.
Quoted from yancy:Good for Curtis! Being young makes all the difference. I never really got in shape, and starting now would be... challenging. If he sticks with it, he'll be ripped like his old man in no time.
Its never too late.
About 12 years ago I could have been Curtis' twin brother.
245
017 (3) (resized).JPG
I would put weight on and take it off my whole life prior to that depending on what my hobbies were at the time.When they were athletics I would stay in reasonable shape when they more sedentary I would quickly gain weight.
When I started doing this work full time I quickly gained 40 pounds within a year or so.
Seems that standing over a playfield wiring it burns way less energy than sanding and painting cars all day.
At that point I decided I could not count on activity naturally happening every day I needed to create it for myself.
I went about that initially the wrong way I just worked out like crazy mostly cardio and stopped eating much at all.
The results on the scale were impressive and I could actually see my ab muscles but in reality I had lost not only the weight but most of my true muscle as well.Someone that had not seen me in a while asked if I had been sick 
165
078 (3) (resized).JPG
That was kind of an eye opener for me.
Had I known then what I know now I would have taken a slower more methodical approach and added more weight training in there and not been so fixated on the number on the scale or the size of my clothes because it took much longer and more effort to put that lost muscle back on and I wasn't even trying to get like buff or anything like that just fit and balanced.
Once that happened I am now 190lbs up from 165 but down from 245.As you can see I am not exactly ripped but in respectable condition for a 46 year old man and most importantly living a lifestyle where I can enjoy myself whether that be running a few miles on a warm day,lifting some weight,riding my bike across town or eating a piece of cake and drinking a beer it is not an all or nothing type of thing it is a balance.
190
Maverick is back from the groomers looks a little cranky 
image (resized).jpg
WW proto parts were dropped at the players but I am going to tackle these manually
I just don’t trust them to plating.
image (resized).jpgFirst step worked well
image (resized).jpg
It will rust again without a coating.
I like this for that.
image (resized).jpg
Don’t be put off by the 6 month rating that is if immersed in fresh water 3 if it is salt This isn’t going to be in either.
image (resized).jpg
Polished/coated
image (resized).jpg
Pretty happy with that overall good transformation.
image (resized).jpgNo more rusty post for WW proto. Well except for the threads but we can live with that.
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgSo you use Flitz for polishing and coating in one step? Or do you use another separate polish and use Flitz just for coating.
Quoted from robotron911:I swear by Mother's Metal Polish. It works like a champ.
Nothing wrong with that either I would use it.
What I like better about the flitz is it very universal.
You can add it to the tumbler,polish paint with it as well. I don’t use it to buff playfields or anything like that but you can rub out a little scuff or something like that here or there.
Quoted from spinal:So you use Flitz for polishing and coating in one step? Or do you use another separate polish and use Flitz just for coating.
Yes.
First I turn it to polish.
Then after a few minutes I rub another coat on then wipe it off.
Quoted from High_End_Pins:Pretty cool first game plan game I will do.
OH YEA, I can't wait for this one!
Going to start setting the stage for the STTNG project.
Should go pretty quickly.
New cabinet.
image (resized).jpg
New playfield. image (resized).jpg
New gloss black trim that includes the worst looking lock bar I have ever seen
Thanks a lot to the vendor that sold me this lousy crap! It was totally worth what I paid. 
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgQuoted from kcZ:No kidding that is the worst lockdown bar. How the heck did that get to a customer?
Either no inspection or no standards would be my guess. Possibly both
Chipping away at my LOTR project.
Placing the lamps.
image (resized).jpg
Stern uses standard 1/2 inch long screws on these and a 3/8 rubber to keep them from poking through the playfield when used for sockets. image (resized).jpg
I don’t like that set up personally so I switch to the 3/8 version that Williams used.
It is less cumbersome and poses no risk of poke outs.
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgPromoted items from Pinside Marketplace and Pinside Shops!
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