Pinball machines use tempered glass, so airballs won't be an issue. You REALLY have to hit tempered glass hard straight on for it to break, and it's just not going to happen with a pinball from the inside of a machine.

On my Bally Mata Hari, the ball hits the glass multiple times per ball depending on the shot...and that's straight from the flippers to the very top of the playfield dead center above the saucer hole. One of these days...shatter! Probably never but it makes you wonder.

On my Meteor, the ball hits the glass almost every time I hit the center target. Nothing has broken yet.

HK - This won't fix the glass problem, but you might want to put a protective sheet on the playfield where the ball hits to reduce wear. Pinball pal makes some nice removable vinyl sheets for this.

It happens more than you think. I have several that sometimes do the same thing on certain shots if they are hit just right. I've never known one to even chip the glass let alone break it. My other suggestion is to play the machine lower down in front of it and not in your open robe so your balls stay well under the top of it

maybe changing out the flipper bushings would help?
or at the very least rotating them 130*

Why would changing or rotating the bushings help? The ball hits the glass after it bounces off the target. Just wondering.

I figure if any excessive slop exist between the shaft & bushing perhaps the ball is getting airborne ? I'm sure the design team of a game doesn't want that ball jumping around.
I'm not sure what else I would try other then change the EOS making the flipper less powerful in combating air balls

I just put some 'binford' (word I use to describe "the best most powerful" anyone seen Tim the toolman?) flipper coils in my Cyclone and there is a center drop target and if I get a straight on shot on it the ball will jump up and snap the glass. It even jumps the cyclone ramp and snaps the glass sometimes too.
I have not heard of a case of a pinball jumping up off the playfield from a shot and breaking the glass. The only way that could happen is if the glass is somehow under pressure from the siderails, or when you are installing or removing it you lift or twist it in a odd way to break it. Having your wife or girlfriend on it trying to 'TILT' her might break it also!!

The level of this thread is droppping so fast I have to make a serious reply here

Airballs are often caused by targets that are slightly bend backwards. A well known example for this is the Twilight Zone slot machine target. There are even mods to make sure the slot machine target doesn't bend back so far.

So maybe you can check to see if there's a way to make your problem target slope down rather than upwards (or at the very least, make sure it's a straight 90 degree target).

Another common thing causing airballs is a fast ball bouncing upwards from the flipper rubber. This is often caused when your flipper rubbers are placed to low. Make sure the rubbers are high enough. Too high is better than too low.

I will check both when I get back from this trip. The target looked to be 90 deg but it probably bends backward when struck. I will try and make it angle forward.

I agree with Robin... you can never be too high

Actually I never even thought about the placement of the flipper rubbers. As they don't have a specific slot to fit in that is a very good point and tip he makes. Usually the shots I get that hit the glass are the ones that come off the flippers to a certain spot. Most likely they have lofted the ball from hitting the upper edge of the flipper rubber.

Ok .. I just dropped the thread down another level with that first comment .. my bad.

So, I take it then, the best cure is to keep you balls low and your rubber high?

That's it, I'm now officially ignoring this thread

All the times I've played WhiteWater over the years, if that left side ramp never broke the glass with two ball-whacks every time it passed through, you've got nothing to worry about with the glass. You would be surprised how tough tempered glass is.

My Skateball also gets alot of "glass smacks" No shattered glass yet, I have the game set pretty steep and the playfield to glass ratio is fairly shallow...

I've spent weeks fixing this issue on my monster bash.

Targets are main culprits with bent metal or missing/worn padding behind target being issue.
Too powerful flippers can be a problem. I changed factory blue coils to orange thanks to a tip from another insider - apparently they put stronger than needed on sometimes because the machines go out on location and aren't properly maintained. If you machine is clean and well waxed, you could try less powerful coils.

Even had to adjust wire ramps for bride to stop them and slightly lowered incline on left bride ramp by removing washers.

The angle of play field also can reduce them. I made my monster bash play field slightly steeper than factory 6.5 degrees and this was final touch to make it okay like silk.

Whoa! Feels like I hopped in a Time Machine!

let the boy WATCH
plums.jpg

I wish I had plums.

Might try wearing briefs instead of boxers when you play.
Just a suggestion, Bob
ps. you must be really tall.

Put taller legs on the machine???

Just a thought.

After the drop targets are down on my Surf Champ a good shot at the rubber behind them will send the ball in to the glass with quite a snap. Nice to hear it's not an issue.

Squat when you play next time ....

Hot tub type?

"Out to the cemetery, c'mon everybody!"

I think three years might be a new record for a thread necromance!

ThreadNecro.gif

that happens on my Mata Hari as well...was wondering if there was a fix for that.