Fremont, CA
Yesterday I replaced the shrunken head magnet on a Ripley's Believe it or Not machine. Like my TOTAN, over time these wear and mushroom, and on RBION it had become mushroomed quite badly (preventing it from being removed from below the playfield), but ironically, the playfield around it was pristine! So to preserve the playfield, I had to get the post out from the top. After searching a bunch of similar posts on various machines with playfield magnets, I realized that the biggest challenge was finding the right tool to be used as a huge screwdriver for the slot in the post. (I also ordered a replacement post, just in case.)
Enter Harbor Freight Pry Bar Item #60681. $4 steel bar, which could be ground down in 5 minutes to fit the slot perfectly, and with a 15-16 inch swing, enough leverage to break any threadloc or other grime with ease. I used a bench-top grinder and flattened and squared the forks. When ready, I applied some heat to the metal magnet post and bracket using a flexible butane candle lighter. I warmed it so that it was hot to the touch, but did not burn my finger doing so. Then I inserted the prybar that I have ground down into the post slot and slowly nudged the bar clockwise. It started to unscrew after pressure was applied for a few seconds. And once it started, getting it out from the top was short work. (I decided to re-install the new post since I had it in my hand, but also took the old post and ground it on the bench grinder to make it flat and perfect again for the next swap.)
Let me emphasize that grinding the prybar to fit the post slot perfectly was the KEY to this whole process! When I was done, the bar was snug and had no play or wobble. The grinding took me 5 minutes and was made easier by having my replacement post in my hand as I used the grinder to keep checking the fit.
