I don't label anything.

I cut all the switches and coils off, then wash.. Wire for the most part has a "memory." When you start laying it out on the back of the new play field it almost automatically goes to the right place.. And if there's ever a question you have the switch and coil matrix charts to double check.

Keep all the old switches for unrestored games as spares. Replace all switches and diodes on a restore. It's a restoration/rebuilt. Don't reuse that old junk..

Also go to Tacoma Screw or Fastenal or whatever and buy a bunch of the hardware new in Stainless. A 100 pack of stainless #6 nylok nuts is like $8 or something. Not worth messing with and the stainless will never corrode or tarnish.

Edit: You'll NEVER regret buying a LARGE heavy duty ultrasonic cleaner. They are awesome! But NEVER EVER put anything in them with art or stickers, etc, on them or they will be ruined.

Like Vid, I re-purpose all kinds of stuff for general use. I used to have a stove in my shop for powdercoating too. I also used the stove top to boil out carburetors. Oh and heat up press-fit bearings so they went on with less effort. Etc, etc..

As for Tacoma screw, wait until you disassemble and have a good assortment of fasteners laid out. Then go to Tacoma screw and buy what you need in bulk. You might spend a couple hundred but it's worth it. Also make sure you get SEMS screws. These are the ones with the built in toothed lock washers. Used extensively in WPC-95 games. Also get LOTS of #8 and #6 stainless flat washers. I use them everywhere. Under SEMS fasteners to protect plastics, etc.. Put one on a post, put plastic protector, then plastic, then another washer, then nylok, etc...

Ultrasonic cleaners are like shops... You can get smaller.. until you wish you had gotten a bigger one...

I have 2 of these. I use one for pinball stuff and one in my automotive shop and they are worth every penny I spent for them: ebay.com link: itm

You don't need a water supply for it and the machines aren't plumbed for it. The ball valve on the bigger units is for draining.

Depending on the level of filth on the parts, I either use plain water or 80/20 solution of water and simple green.... I usually use the simple green solution. There is one thing to watch out for. Do NOT leave parts in the cleaner longer than necessary. Certain zinc coatings can discolor if left too long. Especially that satin-y silver finish on some mech brackets, etc. You will have to experiment.

I usually turn the heater on to 60 degrees C and then run for 10 minutes and recheck. Also need to be careful with plastic parts - posts, etc.. Stainless can be run for as long as you want - doesn't hurt it one bit. I put every piece I possibly can in the ultrasonic unless it has art or decals on it. Even parts that are too big.. I will leave the lid off, do 1/2 of the part then flip it over. If you really want to see how awesome they are you can bring some dirty parts up to my place and I will demo my unit for you.

Vid is on the money for circuit boards. You can wash them in the dishwasher *without* soap without harming them. It is best practice to remove all socketed components before doing this, but you don't have to if you blow off with compressed air (wait.. didn't we have a discussion about air compressors? ) and allow to dry for several days in a warm place. But don't put any boards with relays in the dishwasher. Nightmare to get all the water out unless you pop the relay cover off.

Vid is also on the money concerning lead from coil dust. Don't even worry about it. You breathe worse stuff just following that Seattle Metro bus into work in the morning. Heck there is probably more lead in your drinking water than what you'll get off those wiring harnesses.

Same with micro switches. Don't immerse these in water or in the ultrasonic. But you're going to replace them all, right? right? BTW, buy these in bulk from Mouser or something. You can get 100 of them pretty cheap. No disrespect to our beloved pinball parts suppliers, as they've gotta make a profit and make their house payment too, but I'd rather buy 100 in bulk. While you are buying switches, add 250 1N4004 diodes to your order too. Switches are supposed to use 1N4001 and coils 1N4004, but you can use 4004 on switches with no issue. The only real difference between 1N4001-1N4007 is the amount of amperage the diode is rated for. They are otherwise interchangeable.

Another old school trick for wiring harnesses: Blech-white. Yeah, the stuff they use to clean whitewalls on tires. If you find that dishwashing and ultrasonic cleaning of the harness just isn't getting it as nice as you'd like, try some Blech-white. Spray and scrub with a brush. Wear dishwashing gloves. Now I've heard that the new Blech-white isn't as good as the old stuff, but I have no first hand experience with this since I still have several gallons of the old stuff stashed away. One day I will find out. I have also heard of using oven-off on wiring harnesses but I have never tried it.

Ok that's it for now.. I am way behind.. Got work to get finished!

This.... mostly.. I have had some really grungy stuff that needed longer - usually stuff that some moron "lubed" with WD-40 or something. Hell I had to wash all the ball shooter parts from my LOTR in my *solvent tank* it was so bad!

and this...

A tumbler is *not* for cleaning parts. It's for polishing parts. You have a couple of options here. Vibratory or rotary. Lately I have been preferring the rotary polishing. It only takes marginally longer, but the results are better. I have been using a couple of Lortone polishers. I like this one:

ebay.com link: LORTONE 3 1 5 TUMBLER WITH 3 DRUMS 1 5 LB EACH NEW

I like it cause you can keep all your stuff separated and organized and do 3 separate batches of stuff at the same time. They are no good for bigger stuff, but for stuff like flipper plates, mech parts, etc, the vibratory is good. If you decide to get a rotary that Lortone is a very good unit and very reasonably priced, especially on that ebay link. Do NOT be tempted to buy a Horrible Fright unit. They are junk. If you don't have a vibratory polisher, the HF ones are ok from what I understand. I've never used one myself. But whatever you do get *some* kind of polisher. Ideally you'd have a really big one like a dillon, a smaller one and then a rotary. But a smaller vibratory and a rotary will do you just fine. You'll be amazed what else you use them for too. Like your wife's jewelry. When I do my games if it's metal and if it will fit in any of my polishers then it goes in. Shines everything up, smooths out the metal and takes off the rough edges that sometimes like to cut you when you work on games. As a general rule of thumb, polish for 12 hours then check. If it needs more then do another 12 hours. 24 hours is usually enough but sometimes more corroded, tarnished or oxidized stuff takes longer. Oh and one more thing. If you're gonna to anything that is corroded, do that stuff last. The little bits of corrosion will contaminate your media.

Media: https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Products-Tufnut-Polishing-18-Pound/dp/B00URUE30Q/ref=sr_1_1

If you use the rouge walnut media, you need to ultrasonic clean again in pure water to get all the red dust out of everything. Heat is not necessary.

Oh and another thing.. If you plan to polish hex spacers, nylok nuts, etc, do yourself a favor. Tighten the nuts onto screws, put screws into both ends of the hex spacers and put screws into the threaded ends of playfield posts. Otherwise you will spend hours with a pick getting all the polishing media out of them. You have been warned.

Ok that's it for today. You have enough to chew on for a week. Have fun!

P.S: I know it all seems a bit overwhelming at first and a lot of crap to buy to do this, but it's a good investment. Once you have all the stuff you'll be able to start doing more restorations and major shop jobs. Heck you might even start venturing into doing your own clearing, etc. Plus a lot of these tools transfer over to other projects.