bummer! what were you doing? why did you have to heat it up..just curious. there has got to be something out there.

Relax...most anything with the exception of breaking the back-glass can be fixed. Is it possible to get some plexi from Home Depot and cut a replacement? ...just a thought.

Can you cut yourself a new one? You can buy sheets at lowes or HD. I have made clear plastics before, hope is not lost.

^That's what I was thinking, it looks just like it's a simple shape of plexi that you could cut on your own, and then is there like a window tint to it too (never seen that pin in person). If all else fails with finding the part, you should be able to make that no problem.

No need to cry... Looks fairly simple to replicate yourself.

look for a shop that has/does plexiglass or lexan work. take the original with you and let them know what you need. im sure someone can help.

hehe...great minds think (and post) alike.

Chill out friend. We have all done something like this and I may as well go on record first. Hopefully others are man/woman enough to as well. I cooked my Maverick plastic ramp trying to flame polish. Read ALL OVER THE INTERNET INCLUDING GOOGLE EVERYTHING for about like 3-5 minutes before I said to myself, "I know it all now"! LOL. Lucky for me my friend that sold me the machine had a spare...also a spare paddle wheel motor too but that is another story lol. Anyway, don't be so hard on yourself. We all are human...including the Pro's. The difference is when the Pro makes a mistake you never know about it! LOL, it's not like the pro is going to call you on the phone and fess up and tell you he/she screwed up royal!!! LOL...it's all invisible, they make mistakes too and we never know the difference!

Hang in there Pin friend...you are doing better than you think for just trying to attempt this stuff...it is not easy!

PBR might have the part, all is not lost. People also part games out all the time. Don't lose any sleep over it, hopefully you'll find parts quickly

You didn't ruin it, we all know Phil Collins did!!!

He will be ok/fine...just needs to believe we all have been through this crap ourselves It stinks but it all turns out fine in the end

You mean countersunk? You can buy bits at a hardware store to take care of that.

make you a cardboard template for the opening then replicate it over to a peice of plexi.....plexi is cheap....cardboard is cheaper...just trace, transfer, cut and polish the edges..litttle time consuming, but not that bad....good luck man.

Trace the playfield cutout and make a posterboard pattern.

Figure out how thick the old piece was and ask for a correct size "Drop" (what they call a scrap piece of plastic at the plastic shop). By asking for a Drop, the guy at the plastic shop will be less likely to rip you off.

Use a bandsaw and cut just outside the line, so with a little sanding, it will fit back on the playfield. Call around, someone you know has a bandsaw, and they are one of the safest power tools (no kickback like a table saw or router).

Those "notches" are called countersinks. You use a countersinking bit to make them.

countersink.jpg

I had a cracked cover to the roulette wheel on a 87 monte carlo. Took the piece to my local glass shop and they cut, drilled, and counter sunk screws holes for me in a day. Total cost $22. Call a couple glass places.

Are those ancient relics from the Aztec or Inca civilizations? Kind of look the same as what they (Universities) taught me years ago....lol

Best way to recreate at this point would be to make a template out of cardboard. Include the holes to so you can line it all up. Once you get the cardboard right trace it onto the plexi. Cut it out then sand the edges smooth. The screw holes sound like they need to be recessed. Home depot has the bits to do that. Just drill the wholes starting with a small bit and gradually work to the correct size to prevent from cracking it. Once the whole is drilled take the recess bit and lightly drill with it. Little at a time so you can test fit the screws. This will prevent you from going to far.

Yes, nothing changes too fast in the world of wood tooling.

BTW, the countersink with the 45* holes in them cut plastic the smoothest - no chatter at all.

Lol... got beat to it. Apparently it took me 5 mins to type that on my phone. Im slow apparently "texting". At least we were on the same page

How were you trying to flatten it? Heat gun? (ouch!)

The best way I've found to flatten plastics (although some people use the "oven" approach--still too risky for me) is to put the plastic between 2 sheets of glass (pf glasses work nicely). Put a single layer of cloth/towel over the top, and iron the area over the plastic for 5-10 minutes. The glass keeps pressure on the plastic and the glass doesn't conduct too much heat, so there's no melting or shrinkage. After a while, you can flip the plastic over and continue. Leave the plastic between the glass sheets as it cools....

Make a template traced from the playfield, take it to a plastics shop (one that custom makes stuff, this is the local shop I use) Have them fabricate it, and drill the holes from your template, bring your old one too so they get what the counter sink was like. You need a plastic drill and countersink bit. You could even mod it to a colored plastic, while your at it.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=p+and+a+plastics&oq=p+and+a+&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=1&gs_upl=98982l653649l0l656166l32l20l0l4l4l0l666l3356l0.6.5-4l16l0

Believe it or not but..it will probably be cheaper than NOS.

I've made some clear pieces out of plexiglass and the best thing I have used is my router with a laminate bit in it. You can also use a rotozip or dremil with a laminate bit ( really need the router attachment for smooth control ), either will give you superior control over your cut thus les sanding which could alter the shape if not careful. Good Luck you'll be fine.

I know Steve has the Black Hole and Haunted House windows - not sure on Genesis.

Remember that window piece is opaque. It 'conceals' the robot during the game till you get all the body parts and those flashers around the perimeter go off.....

A better way is to draw a vector art file of the shape of the plastic insert and have someone with a CNC router cut you a new one from new material. A graphic artist with access to an original (like me) can work with you on this and supply you with the digital file that you need. This pretty much goes for any diecut plastic piece. You can make your own but it will be tough to get the curves and fit exact. Depends on how much you like the machine. Either way it's going to cost you time and materials so why not do it right?