Pinballs turned black?

Never seen this before...

I noticed that one of the balls in the Star Trek (Stern) that I was servicing was pitted like a golf ball - a grid of so many flat spots that it looked like it would stop rolling and come to rest on them.

So I swapped that one out for a new ball.

A few days later, I go to check on it and all the balls are dark. Not dirty exactly, but like how silver would get if you hadn't polished it in a while. All four balls were suddenly like this, after 3 months of looking nice and shiny.

What gives?

#2 9 years ago

LTG

Pinside member

Hopkins, MN

12y 191K 56,991 24 7

Bad balls ?

LTG : )™

#3 9 years ago

TAB

terryb

Inactive member

Banning, CA

11y 90,150 4,795 14

Never seen that so these are just guesses. Reaction between two different types of metal. A coating on the new ball that transferred/reacted on the old balls.

#4 9 years ago

ABC

Crash

Pinside member

13y 141K 14,139

Photos?

#5 9 years ago

---

ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,369 268 14

Dirty subways, ball trough, VUKs, etc?

#6 9 years ago

KIS

rollinover

Pinside member

10y 83,050 2,094

grease residue or some black lubricant on metal parts?

#7 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger

Quoted from terryb:
Never seen that so these are just guesses. Reaction between two different types of metal. A coating on the new ball that transferred/reacted on the old balls.

I like this theory.

The problem with the other ideas proposed is that the balls have been clean looking for months, and the only thing that changed was one single ball. I hadn't done any other maintenance recently, and had re-rubbered (with black) several weeks ago.

Will get a pic tonight if I can. I guess it's not a big deal - I'll just add some balls to my next order and replace them all.

#8 9 years ago

27dnast

Pinside+ Frequent

11y 140K 8,597

Your machine is possessed!!

#9 9 years ago

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 169K 40,259 18

Maybe too much of some chemical in the new rubber reacted with the balls?

#10 9 years ago

FAZ

pinball_faz

Pinside member

Chicago Burbs, IL

13y 99,300 2,735 5 32

Let's get back to your original post.

OP
Quoted from ryanwanger:
pitted like a golf ball - a grid of so many flat spots that it looked like it would stop rolling

Maybe that's a clue. Why did THAT happen?

Do you have a short on the playfield/chase/trough that's putting electricity across the ball. Might be electrolysis.
faz

#11 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger

Okay here are the balls in question. I guess they weren't entirely black, but spotted black all over.

image.jpg

I added in the old one I removed. See how pitted it is? (Actually, no, I just looked at this on a larger screen and the photo is too blurry, but I'll leave it anyway). This isn't my machine and I hear so much about the crappy stock balls that Stern uses.

image-88.jpg

And apparently it was just greasy dirt that could be rubbed off?!?

image-573.jpg

I guess maybe this is a non-event, but I'm confused why it happened suddenly (and not at any time in the past 3 months that the machine has been in my care).

Tonight I look over at the TWD next to it - same thing happening to those balls!

#12 9 years ago

FAZ

pinball_faz

Pinside member

Chicago Burbs, IL

13y 99,300 2,735 5 32

Did the moisture of the space change? Rust?

That's got to be sanding the playfield...
faz

#13 9 years ago

JON

Schwaggs

Gameroom Mods

10y 105K 4,760 10

What type of room is the pin in? Unconditioned space with temporary heat can cause condensation on metal which could cause random rusting like it appears are on those balls.

And yes, stock Stern balls are crap. I had several in my AVLE that had areas of flat spots like you mentioned. I swapped them out quickly!

#14 9 years ago

XXX

Gotpins

Pinside member

11y 91,800 991 1

In my opinion, you got some rusty balls there. I have a game that sat in a hallway outside a pool/spa area. The moisture in the air was enough to rust the balls and they looked just like that.

#15 9 years ago

MJS

schudel5

Pinside member

20y 166K 6,398 27

What does the rest of the metal inside the game (ball guides, sling arms, ball trough, mech brackets, etc) look like? Are those rusted as well or just the pinballs?

#16 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger

Quoted from Gotpins:
In my opinion, you got some rusty balls there. I have a game that sat in a hallway outside a pool/spa area. The moisture in the air was enough to rust the balls and they looked just like that.

So...the games are in a bar, in a room right off the dancefloor. I was there recently late on a Saturday, and the fog machine (meant for the dancers) had also filled the pinball room.

#17 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger

Quoted from schudel5:
What does the rest of the metal inside the game (ball guides, sling arms, ball trough, mech brackets, etc) look like? Are those rusted as well or just the pinballs?

No, nothing else affected.

I've seen rusty balls before. This wasn't exactly rust...it felt more gooey than gritty.

#18 9 years ago

!!!

ranchdrsn

Inactive member

Cedar Rapids, IA

11y 27,150 319 3 6

OP
Quoted from ryanwanger:
and the fog machine (meant for the dancers) had also filled the pinball room.

This is most likely causing the issue, vaporized mineral oils...

#19 9 years ago

XXX

Gotpins

Pinside member

11y 91,800 991 1

OP
Quoted from ryanwanger:
So...the games are in a bar, in a room right off the dancefloor. I was there recently late on a Saturday, and the fog machine (meant for the dancers) had also filled the pinball room.

There ya go!

#20 9 years ago

SJN

Pincrawler

Inactive member

Chilliwack, BC

11y 24,150 201 2

This could have been caused by the said "dancers". Maybe we need a pic of them just to be sure.

#21 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger

Quoted from ranchdrsn:
This is most likely causing the issue, vaporized mineral oils...

Quoted from Gotpins:
There ya go!

I'm going to go ahead and assume this is bad for the machines as a whole?

#22 9 years ago

KIS

rollinover

Pinside member

10y 83,050 2,094

thats pretty wild, cant imagine any vapor moisture or fog is good....

#23 9 years ago

DOG

Whysnow

Pinside member

12y 187K 35,339 30 1

keep thinking the tread title would have been better as "balls turned black"

I mean we all know it woudl be pinballs but much more entertaining as we waited for the photo evidence...

I think the fog machine is to blame in this case, esp if the rest of the game is not getting extra dirty like this.

#24 9 years ago

XXX

Gotpins

Pinside member

11y 91,800 991 1

OP
Quoted from ryanwanger:
I'm going to go ahead and assume this is bad for the machines as a whole?

I'd assume the same. If it's rusting the balls its just a matter of time before it starts rusting other things. How much fog is going in the pinball room? It's got to be a lot I would imagine. Is there a door that can be closed to keep most of the fog out? Also, I vote for a pic of the dancers as well.

#25 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger

Quoted from Gotpins:
I'd assume the same. If it's rusting the balls its just a matter of time before it starts rusting other things. How much fog is going in the pinball room? It's got to be a lot I would imagine. Is there a door that can be closed to keep most of the fog out? Also, I vote for a pic of the dancers as well.

There is a lot of fog in there. The first time I was there late soldering, I suddenly realize that I had set the room on fire. Nope, fog machine. I'm actually not sure where the machine is, but the pinball room is like 5 feet from the dance floor (but around a corner through a double doorway with no doors on it).

Maybe curtains? Will talk to them about it today.

By "dancers"...it's not what you are all thinking. It sounded better than "local citizens moving their bodies in time with the music".

#26 9 years ago

SJN

Pincrawler

Inactive member

Chilliwack, BC

11y 24,150 201 2

OP
Quoted from ryanwanger:
By "dancers"...it's not what you are all thinking. It sounded better than "local citizens moving their bodies in time with the music".

LOL.... You post the pics, I'll be the judge.....

That sounds terrible for the machine. I can imagine the moisture seaping into the exposed wood on the side of the playfield.

#27 9 years ago

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 169K 40,259 18

There have been fog machines in bars since the 70s.

I'd take one of those new rubbers and wrap it around a ball for a few weeks and see what happens.

#28 9 years ago

!!!

ranchdrsn

Inactive member

Cedar Rapids, IA

11y 27,150 319 3 6

OP
Quoted from ryanwanger:
No, nothing else affected.
I've seen rusty balls before. This wasn't exactly rust...it felt more gooey than gritty.

I would think the fog oil is collecting on them and that is attracting the black dust from the coils to turn into a black gummy mess. It's probably getting into other moving parts also. This has to have something to do with that environment rather than the balls.

#29 9 years ago

LCP

ryanwanger