Nice job on the spinners.
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Where are you getting these nice Phillips head screws?

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Around here, it seems ALL of the hardware stores sell only the Hilman brand of screws and all I can buy are these bastardized hybrid head screws. I hate them. Just like a Swiss Army Knife that does 35 different things but does not give 100% performance with each item, these hybrid screws do not work very well with a straight slot screwdriver and they do not work well with a Phillips screwdriver. They just give half-assed performance either way you go.

An absolutely worthless, cost cutting, measure the manufacturer has decided to employ. Grrrr.

Even looking at Amazon, I cannot find 3" machine screws with a Phillips head.

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I like this extra socket you added. Really cool. Goes into my "why did I not think of this" file.

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Vec-tor, no one will know what you are talking about. Some plastic hose from the hardware store works as a replacement.

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May I suggest using #4 x 3/8" stainless steel sheet metal screws. Yeah, I know, they are not original like a nail but they look real good installed.

I use these 1/2" long screws to attach my cabinet rails. I picked up on this idea from one of HEP's threads.

I get these at the hardware store that sells the hybrid head screws that I do not like.

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99 spins is not the ceiling. I have slochar's ROM on my Big Game. The inner spinner really gets with it. I know no one will believe this but I will say it anyway. Sometimes I get really good rips on the BG inner spinner. 80s and 90s spin counts. This is for the inner spinner only. Several times I have rolled 102 or 103 spins. And once I got 112 spins and once I got 117 spins. I need to get my cameras set up.

The outer spinner, for some reason, is not as robust. The most I ever got was around 60 or so spins. And then I replaced the heavier Stern spinner with a lighter weight Gottlieb spinner and my spin performance has gone down.

I have a Stern Nugent spinner. It is the light one like the Gottlieb spinner I have. All my other Stern spinners are of the thicker, heavier variety. I'm guessing the extra weight helps adds to the kinetic energy needed to keep a rotating object spinning for longer periods.

I know it is a tight fit for the wiring under the play field. But you have all kinds of room on the backside of that 4-bank to reroute your wiring and pull it away from the 4-bank and move it closer to the pop bumper. If you still have enough room with your wiring I would suggest moving your wire closer to the pop. It will not make those T-nuts easier to access, but it will make it easier to R & R the 4-bank and will make it easier if you ever need to do any service work in that area.

You can R & R the four bank and replace it perfectly where you have it; The screw holes are not going to move on you and it looks like you have it Molex-ed.

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I have a question. What are those 2 brackets that look like sling shot brackets at the holes for the GI lights? Something is pop riveted to them but I can't figure it out.

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Thanks ! I am glad I asked. I did not look at the drawing that close. I see them now. Four 10 point switches all wired on the same circuit. I'm just getting started so I can make corrections easily.

I'm finishing up Star Gazer and 2 of the 3 drop targets have a pair of GI lights behind them. I assumed (bad habit) the same on Quicksilver.

I don't have this problem on mine. It sits just at the edge of the green. The space behind is taken up by the rail. I am using the original guide but I had to move and redrill 4 of Mirco's locating holes to get a good fit.

I notice in your build that you are using copious amounts of those shallow headed, straight slot screws.

Could you tell us why you went with those style screws, please?

I hate those little bastards. The head is too shallow to get a good grip with a socket; the straight slot is too shallow to get a good bite with a screwdriver, and they are not magnetic enough to stay in the socket.

You look like you like them. I would like to know why you (and Stern) like them so well.

Thanks

That is the safest way to mount it. Both lugs are protected by being located in the middle and away from the edge.

The lug facing the edge of the play field is always at risk. Just from being in the way.

And it looks like it now is in position to short against the side of the apron, instead of the top.

I just stumbled onto your build thread 2-3 days ago ( not sure how I missed it). So I have to go back and do a lot of reading.

I noticed the Meteor cab you used has a real wood floor installed. I assume it is factory. My Seawitch cab has a wood floor. All my other Sterns use the hardboard material that is always sagging and needs replaced. Even my Meteor cab has the saggy hardboard/fiberboard for a floor. It just seems that whatever Stern could buy for the cheapest is what got used.

Anyway, since I have not had chance to read all of your thread, I have a question. You really have all of your sheet metal shined and sparkling. How did you do all of that?

All of your metal parts. Drop target assemblies. Lockdown bar receiver. etc.

Interested to see how this works.

You can buy them from Mantis. Some of my Sterns have them, some don't. Other than Stern managing costs, I do not know why are not all of the Stern pins.

Kerry made them up for the Star Gazer crowd. Both sides pieces are the same. There is no left or right. One size fits all, both standard size and wide body. The cross piece rail is standard size, though. But it really not needed.

https://mantispinball.com/product-category/star-gazer/

He makes some other cool items, too.

https://mantispinball.com/product-category/stern/

Do realize there are 2 different styles of Stern Lockdown bars? There is the earlier ball and socket type and the later slotted type. I think Mantis makes the slotted type.

Mantis makes good parts. Very high quality.

Oh, you mean a junk drawer

Moderator Daditude I think had some for sale a while back.

Before you finish that apron, consider this.

What I like to do is shave 1/8" off the bottom of the apron where the ball drains. This keeps it from grinding into your play field and cutting into your clear coat and your paint. If you have no means of shaving some metal away then try to use some small washers below the large washers that hold the apron in place. You will have enough room to do this and still be able to load the play field glass.

What happens is when you tighten the two apron screws down, they put downward pressure on the front of the apron and push it into your play field. Study it a little bit and you will see what I am talking.

With the Matrix strips being employed, you probably do not need the bulbs installed. Give it a try.

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You need to add some 3smd and 7smd strips under the top displays and lighten that area up. You can lose the 2 10smd strips under the top displays and add some 7smds in that area. And run a 10 smd vertically along the left side to light that up.

And you could remove the 2 bulbs between player 3 & 4 displays and add a couple of 10s down low.

Also, consider trying it with out the bulbs and see what you have.
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I followed this guy's lead with his Laser Cue play field. I had a Laser Cue and copied. I liked his using of those post lights for under the plastics. I copied this motif on my Big Game play field.

For Big Game, the benefit was that since I could not buy anti-glare play field glass, all of these Matrix lit my Big Game up so much that the play field lights override the glare from the back glass and I do not need an anti-glare back glass for BG anymore. Keep this in mind when you fire your QS up.

You might want try these flippers. They have a nice long shaft and a narrower nose than the other Bally flippers. I have a pair that came on my Dragonfist and could never figure out where the seller bought them. I stumbled onto these a couple of weeks ago. I don't like that Stern style with the short shafts with the locating groove.

I was looking for these and could not find them which is why I have several of the Williams no logo flippers.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-3994-5

I had my hands on those flippers the other day and forgot where I put them. I'll find them. I ca say I thought they were much prettier than the Bally fat nosed flippers.

You have my sympathy. New builds are different than doing a restore/rebuild, IMO.

I don't know how long those rail nails are that you are using but 1/2" long is all you need. As I mentioned in a earlier post on your build, I use #4 stainless steel sheet metal screws. If you ever need to remove a rail, the screws are easy to remove.

Agreed.

Go to the hardware store and get a #14 brass washer. That fits and will lift your flippers up and away from the play field. Use two if you need to.

Or you can buy these at Pinball Life.

https://www.pinballlife.com/nylon-flipper-shaft-spacer.html

If you look closely at different flippers you see that some have tips that lift up when the flipper swings into activated position. And some have tips that bow down when they are activated; These are the ones that eat play fields.

I don't know why a flipper shaft does not always sit perpendicular to the play field. Is it the way the bushing screws into the flipper mounting plate. Or is the flipper mounting plate not bent or formed completely square----or is it the vagaries in thickness of the wood at the flipper locations on the play field.

Under "spacer". Very last item on a long list of items.

I have been learning a lot by reading about your build. Nice work !

Hoaky, this is your build and your thread. I don’t want to hijack it. May I make an observation about your flipper adjustment and the the PL flipper stop?

Hey man, how is this washer trick for the posts working out? I like the thought of taking pressure away from the base of the post. Does the washer give good support when the post is hammered by the ball?

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It is an excellent idea. I wish I had paid more attention to this. I was thinking the lower part of the post would be taking a lot of stress when actually the only stress is going to be impact stress on the rubber ring and the #6 screw.

Mirco should include a package of washers with every play field.

If would be nice if there was some way to get this word out to anyone doing a play field build.

You will need a full set of MPU-200 boards as well as the sound board. Wild Fyre will give you all of your cabinet parts. You will need to add an extra wire to the cabinet wiring for the test switch. Wild Fyre will have one test switch, or reset switch, but not both. You will need both switches.

The Wild Fyre transformer will work, but for some of us, the larger 16B-6 Quicksilver transformer is a better option. But the 16B-6 transformer is very hard to find and will be expensive if you do; Nevertheless, if you do manage to locate the larger transformer, you seriously need to consider buying it.

You say the play field is mostly populated. What is missing?

More juice to the solenoids. Equals harder hitting flippers and snappier pop bumpers. Some people do not seem to notice the difference. My thinking on this runs along the lines of how demanding you want your pin to play. I like fast and hard, which means steep.

My Nine Ball came to me with the small transformer. The pin played OK. But then I installed the 16B-6 and it just got "bouncier". The flipper hits feel more positive.

My Dragonfist came to me with the smaller 16B-3 transformer. It played OK. I installed the the 16B-6 and Dragonfist turned into a screamer.

For an experiment, I swapped a smaller transformer into my Catacomb. Play action sucked the wind on Catacomb with the small transformer. It took me about 2 minutes of play and I swapped the larger transformer back in.

You can go ahead and build your Quicksilver with the smaller transformer and not know the difference and be perfectly happy. But if you ever get to play one with the larger transformer you might change your thoughts.

gdonovan has a small transformer installed in his Seawitch and it has received lots of public play. I have not heard gdonovan complaining about play action.

That's a nice play field. With some elbow grease it should clean up nicely.

.

Mirco is your only option for the Quicksilver plastics, AFAIK.

Pinball Life sells complete flipper assemblies.

https://www.pinballlife.com/full-right-flipper-assembly-for-classic-stern-machines-031980-to-021982.html

https://www.pinballlife.com/full-left-flipper-assembly-for-classic-stern-machines-031980-to-021982.html


Beehive pinball used to make play field protectors for Quicksilver. He is sold out. A protector would smooth out the cupped inserts, etc. You could ask if he would make you one.

https://www.beehivepinball.com/product/pinball-playshield-protector

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For the wiring, IPDB.org has a nice copy of the QS manual.

https://www.ipdb.org/files/1895/Stern_1980_Quicksilver_Manual.pdf

https://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=Quicksilver&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick#1895

This is what you will need to fix the lights.

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And I will make a shameless plug. I have a very nice reproduction of the Quicksilver owner's manual if you want a copy.

$25.00 plus the shipping. PM me if interested.

AFAIK, Marco is your only option now.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=spinner&VIEW_SIZE=60&VIEW_INDEX=4&view=card&sortOrder=SortKeywordRelevancy

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I have the green Quicksilver spinner decals if you need any.

I think I found them. Is this your work cotton?[quoted image]</blockquote

These are not mine. I will have to get you a picture when I get home.

See my post # 8250 in the Stern thread.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/price-check-1980-sterns-quicksilver-stargazer-seawitch/page/165#post-7507180

I had some decals printed in some clear sticky material. Paint your spinners any color you want. I have the green Quicksilver spinner decals, the red "s" and blue stars decals, and decals for Big Game spinners.

I got a close match on the greenish-yellow spinner paint by mixing some some green and yellow acrylic paint and airbrushed the spinners. and then applied the decals.

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You have a PM.

I have noticed that, as well.

His communication levels could sure be improved.

There are 2 Catacomb back glasses. BG Resto is reproducing the dark one. Go to pinside market place and look at the Catacombs that have been sold. Most of those have the lighter back glasses which show more detail.

But that film/material BG Resto uses blocks a lot of the back box lighting.