Yeah, for those of us with essentially no experience at metal shop work... are there any good recommended books, YouTube videos, blogs, etc, for learning to do this stuff right?

another option is if you know how to draw in autocad or similar you can then send a dxf or dwg file to a laser cutter they can cut it for you.

alternatively if you know the height of one standard ball guide I can do a drawing for you and you basically get a sheet of material sliced into strips and then you can trim to length and clean up where you trimmed.

check out this cool thread if you are doing a custom pin.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lets-figure-out-the-bare-minimum-costparts-to-build-a-whitewood

This is probably the best approach for home brewing metal ball guides. But you have to decide how you plan to anchor them (L brackets, Straight flattened threaded studs, or the Gottlieb nibble and crimp L brackets).

A hand squeeze punch will do for punching the holes for riveting brackets.

The problem arises when you want to make taller fences for things like Ramp sides. For this, you may have to labor through snips or sabre saw cuts. For this, the Laser cut service might be best.

Places like Onlinemetals.com will cut the material you order into usable strips. There is a premium for all those cuts though. But its a lot easier than trying to deal with cutting clean 1-1/8 inch strips with a sabre saw.

I just go here, http://passionforpinball.com/ and order what I want, he even does custom stuff if needed.

Steve

Grainger has 1" wide strips of stainless, add some L brackets and you are good to go.

here is a concept for people to consider for proto-typing a playfield or permanently using....

Here is a concept for locating and fastening the various stainless steel ball guides around a pinball playfield. The concept is that you have your various lengths of stainless steel strips that are 1.2-1.3mm thick cut to 7/8" or 22.225mm high by what ever length so it slides into the gaps of the post and then fasten the post down into location. The post holds the stainless steel guide 1/8 inch up off the playfield allowing for light to pass under. The post is 27.4mm which is equal to a regular playfield post so it will fit under any plastics.

The post is double sided so you can run 2 stainless steel strips close together with one post if you wish. One side is filleted a fraction more to allow the stainless steel strip to be curved when passing through.

This post allows anyone to locate the stainless steel strips without needing to perform welding or riveting. Simply screw down from the top side with no need for L brackets etc.

I designed and uploaded so a few people could progress on their project and currently I am not ready to test so please let me know if you think their should be any changes after test printing (3D Printing).

here is the link for a free download
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:614197

I will also upload to shape ways for those without a printer to order for your project.

Ball Guide Post Base.jpgBall Guide Post 2.jpgBall Guide Post.jpg

This is a really nicely executed idea!

Hey Swinks,
Great idea!
Wally

Also, Kerry has put together a kit for ball guides recently. http://www.mantisamusements.com/bgkits.htm

I added a 2 part version to the thingiverse link.

The ball won't hit the bottom claw as it is smaller than the ball so it won't be affected. The top claw may possibly be hit by a air ball but it is meant to be a 3D printed part so cheap to replace. Just locate the post in a place less likely to be hit by a air ball. The claw is 2mm thick by 2mm high by the 2 different widths because of the different radius.

The post is 13mm in diameter with a 4mm bolt of what ever the equivalent imperial bolt is giving the post some core strength.

I will provide a laser file for the SS ball guides soon so people can group together and have some fun.

I have drawn up (ball guide dxf ready for the laser cutter) and added some generic ball guides to help people get some custom pins up and running.

- 2 x 200mm, 400mm, 600mm, 800mm, 1200mm - 7/8inch high to suit the posts on this thingi
- 2 x 150mm, 250mm, 350mm with lugs for mounting on top of dividing timber pieces (the fold line is right next to the main ball guide) - the ball guide section is 1" high.
- 2 x 150mm, 250mm, 350mm with lugs that are for mounting directly to the playfield (the fold line is approx 4mm from the ball guide - the ball guide section is 7/8' high.

Note: make sure the fold lines are turned off when laser cutting.

The sizing was taken from a Williams Congo. These are just an aid and the shapes are not made into polylines or have no radii on the corners so if you require those please perform yourself. These should fit onto a 2 x 4 foot 1.2-1.3mm sheet of SS (preferably brushed or mirror). Therefore you can get 4 of these sets onto a 4 x 8 foot sheet of material.

screen-capture-6.png

I run a laser and a plasma cutting table at work. The laser was a recent addition to my work load so i'm still learning the new machine. Only problem is we don't have precision dies for bending small things ideal for pinball machines but it does come in handy for the oddball bracket I may need for myself. I can't sell anything I make unless I pay big bucks like a customer so I need to come up with something good i guess lol. I may have to cut some stuff like this and see what they look like.

Just downloaded the file, I will see if I have some time tomorrow to cut out a couple of the guides and see what they look like.
How thick of material are these supposed to be?

1.2-1.3mm SS is what I measured whatever that is in imperial

just member the files may need to be scaled by 25.4 as I drew them in a metric setup.

If its from lowes Its not stainless

If you look at the back of the jig saw packages it tells you what is the best blade for different thickness and speeds

Cut off wheels are good for short cuts or for notching a little to make a very tight bend in 16 gauge

for deburring i usually use a bench mounted belt sander does it fast and smooth with little sparks
if it needs alot of shaping then i use a flap disc on an angle grinder

I dont recommend using shears to cut 16 gauge it bends the metal which means more finishing work

i use cobalt or titanium bits on a drill press at a low speed for drilling out the holes for the rivets

Hope this helps you out
Matt

This is crazy awesome. Nicely done.

Do you think a print in PLA media will be strong enough to hold the metal in place? I'm worried about those tabs breaking on ball impact...

Thanks!

The ball can't hit the bottom ones and there maybe a chance on the top but if you locate in a spot of less likely for air balls it should be fine. I reckon pla will be fine but at 50-75% fill with 2 shell layers.

Cool. I'll be printing a slew of your models the next time I'm at the office.

Slow morning so I played around with the laser a bit. I scaled it down so the guide is about 1" tall + the tab. I need to tweak the cut parameters but they seem to look ok. Not sure if the tab is long enough though it looks like it may be tough to bend without stretching the hole. Then again I don't do bending at work lol.

CAM00074.jpg

If you clamp it in a vice with some smooth steel plates to protect the piece from damage you can hammer it to the angle you need it with minimal distortion. Nice job by the way.

I cut some more today out of 20ga stainless they look better than the 16ga I used the last time. I just curved it by hand and hammered the tabs over.

CAM00079[1].jpg

I was thinking they used a CNC to cut these out or maybe a cnc plasma cutter. The sellers on etsy claim to make their own blanks, and they are all very nice.

The best way is automated machines like the plasma, waterjet or laser. However, you can make many things by hand and have them turn out great. Check harbor freight for a nibbler, they are great for cutting curves in sheet metal. You can get them in hand operated or air powered. Metal shears can be bought for a reasonable price. Again, you can get electric, or air powered. I have a sheet metal shear that cuts like butter but it will only do straight cuts.
http://www.harborfreight.com/inline-air-shears-98833.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/18-gauge-35-amp-heavy-duty-metal-shears-61737.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/16-gauge-air-nibbler-96661.html

And of course you want a Slip Roll to put the curve into the guides:

https://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Slip-Roll/T10727

slip_roll.jpg

That reminds me.... harbor freight sells a metal shaper that looks similar to that but uses dies. I have one but my old man borrowed it and I have not seen it since.
http://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-sheet-metal-fabrication-kit-34104.html

very cool, need to find me one of these...