(Topic ID: 231017)

Finding my Place in the Frontier Food Chain -- Bally Style

By TractorDoc

5 years ago


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#751 3 years ago

Every project should start with a pickup story, right?

This game started out as another craigslist posting about an hour away from me. Unfortunately it had an E-bay type of price accompanying it. Even so I messaged the seller with my interest in the game but mentioned the fact I could not pay his asking price. I attached a link to the Earthshaker ads sold/archived here on Pinside as a reference to what some games have actually sold for. To my surprise the seller called me back and said he'd be open to offers, he was just going by what he saw on the internet. He invited me out to look the game over in person and go from there.

We set a day/time and I make the hour plus drive out to meet him. As it turns out my contact is actually a friend of the game's owner but is helping him with the sale. He was a very nice senior gentleman that met me outside an upscale community and had me follow him to the owner's home. Our destination was a very fancy house looking over a lake at the end of the road. This is where I always feel a bit odd when it comes to pinball. You are entering a complete stranger's home and looking over their stuff to potentially buy a very expensive toy. Much more "personal" than some of my other hobbies.

The game owner's wife met us at the door (also a spunky senior) and was very welcoming. I was guided down into the basement to the game -- I counted stairs and a number of sharp turns along the way. Earthshaker sat in a luxurious basement near an air hockey table, billiards table, full bar, entertainment area, etc. All the games were being put up for sale because the grandkids did not have much interest in playing them anymore.

I was able to get a few games in and could tell most of the important stuff worked, but the playfield was worn bare in a lot of areas, the ramps had cracks/were out of adjustment, plastics were broken, GI not working, etc. It was at this point that I asked if the keys were available to look inside. The response I received was "There are supposed to be keys?" This resulted in a number of phone calls to the actual owner and a lot of shuffling thru drawers/cupboards/etc. with no keys found.

My mind was calculating the options by this time. This game was located in a very nice house and scuffing walls was not an option. My help consisted of two seniors that were better cheerleaders than assistants when it would come time to move the game. No keys (and no drill in my tool kit) meant I was not able to open the game/look inside -- it also meant I was not able to remove the upper cabinet to try and move the game by myself (the only real safe way). After discussing these thoughts with the seller(s) I made them an offer and let them know I would have to come back with help to pick it up. They agreed, took a deposit, and said they would do what they could to find those missing keys. I made the return journey home pin-less.

Several days later my brother in law and I returned to find the owner had indeed found a set of keys as well as an instruction manual. With the B-I-L's help we were able to fold the top down, remove the legs, and ever so carefully move the game up the stairs/around the turns with no damage done to any walls or floors.

After this experience I always ask about location, keys, available help, etc. before chasing after a game. It helps avoid some unexpected challenges as well as (maybe) makes it look like I have an idea as to what I'm doing!

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#752 3 years ago

I bought my Earthshaker from an old restaurant converted to a house, lol it was strange!

Mine works , but needs a good shop, and maintenance, I do have an issue, that you can hopefully help me with

My fault coil setup looks incomplete, would you please post pics of yours???

#753 3 years ago
Quoted from dc2010:

My fault coil setup looks incomplete, would you please post pics of yours???

Hopefully these pictures help -- if I am looking at the correct assembly for you!

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#754 3 years ago
Quoted from TractorDoc:

Hopefully these pictures help -- if I am looking at the correct assembly for you! [quoted image][quoted image]

Yes! Thank you so much!

I'll have it fixed in no time

#755 3 years ago

In between all the other projects here at home its time to post a couple pictures of our starting point.

First, the exterior cabinet. Some games deserve/need new decals to warrant the title of "restored." This game certainly does. That being said I'm going to forgo that part of the process for the time being. This game is a family favorite and I can see it moving to my brother's house one day in which live a couple of rowdy nephew boys. I've seen the condition of their toys and remember what respect I had for furniture at their age -- keeping the "patina" look this game currently holds on the outside might just be the smart thing to do for now to spare tears of sadness when a new scuff or ding show up.

From a distance not so bad.

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Evidence of lock bar holes and the coin return trim has been abused.

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Move in closer and evidence of past touchups come into view.

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The worst planking/touchups is localized to the upper cabinet sides. I will tackle that refurbishment process someday, especially if I can find a Whirlwind to pair this game with, but for now I will focus on the innards and try to make this game a great playing "sleeper."

#756 3 years ago

Some interior pics.

Generally dusty but luckily no signs of mold, rust, moisture, or rodent damage.

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Hey, the flippers were rebuilt in '97! Good to see some maintenance was done in this game's past.

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It looks like some issues need addressed on the interconnect board for the GI. Good thing I ordered extra connectors/pins when I made the same repair on Taxi!

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#757 3 years ago

Just replaced the same connector on my ES an hour ago, got left side gi back

Though I only had one connector bad, that's pretty bad

2 weeks later
#759 3 years ago

Earthshaker is still the plan!

I need to post some playfield pics.

Honestly I've been a bit busy around the homestead last couple weeks. You can see two big projects in the next two pics -- first cutting hay and building a chicken house.

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The hay is not so much pinball related, but the chicken house sort of is.
Currently the chickens live in a walled off corner of my garage. I have a goal to put new siding on the garage and fix up the inside a bit to turn the back portion into a place I can put a couple of my pins. I'm having to build this coop in order to relocate the chickens -- I have no real training in construction so I doubt its up to code but out where I live that sort of stuff does not matter. Another weekend or two and I should have them in the new setup. I'll see if I can fit some pinball stuff in as well.

#760 3 years ago

Some playfield pictures as promised.

This game has seen a lot of playtime with little maintenance or maybe the balls were never changed out -- either way its takes something away from the game when you do not know what a lit insert means because the art above it is gone.

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On the plus side the fault mechanism works great -- when you can get the ball up the ramp to it. Right now the metal flap is a bit of a ski jump and most shots that way get rejected. No sinking building mod on this one either. . . yet!

1 week later
#761 3 years ago

So my plan is to do some touchups on the playfield with some paint pens.

OK, I had a difficult time typing that with a straight face. The real plan started today by digging into my stash of pinball parts and bringing out this CPR Playfield to the light of day.

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I bought this playfield awhile back along with some new ramps from Starship Fantasy. Can you tell that it is a CPR Bronze from this pic? Bronze is all I could find at the time.

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A closer inspection reveals some white between the inserts and black border -- perhaps the reason for the Bronze status.

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I need to decide if those white lines are something I can live with, or are they something I should touch up.

#762 3 years ago

I've made my decision.

I'll go the touchup route.

The next logical thing to do with you new playfield once you have looked at it for awhile is to start sanding it, right?

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The plan will be to spray a new clearcoat so I decided to rough up the entire playfield with some 400 grit. I was a bit surprised by how uneven the CPR coating was -- probably nothing you'd ever notice with ball roll but definitely detectable with a little block sanding.

With a little effort the glossy CPR coating is flat, smooth, and dull.

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Touchups can hopefully start in a day or two. I hope I don't miss any!

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#763 3 years ago

I'd get that PF re-cleared, I had a ES gold PF & the clear was cured but still dimpled pretty bad after a month. CPR makes a nice product but their clear coats ain't the greatest.

#764 3 years ago
Quoted from Jrotten:

I'd get that PF re-cleared,

That's the Plan.

#765 3 years ago

For those following along, the chicken house construction is nearing completion.

All that is left is painting, making a ramp to the door, and reworking/repairing the fencing surrounding their area.

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The tricky bit may be getting the chickens into the new house. . .

On a more relevant to topic note I found my black Createx and started painting the white areas around the inserts.

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The finished result is probably a bit less than what a perfectionist would like but from the player's perspective it looks good. No obvious problems when backlit either.

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The only area I was not too sure about was around the sun. I believe there is supposed to be some white in there so I did not go too crazy filling things in.

#766 3 years ago

Sprayed first coat of clear today.

I'll give this a day or so to cure before sanding flat again to apply the second coat. So far all the touchups are looking good under the new clear.

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Poor form to clear over the Hologram decal? Probably. I did not think I'd be able to remove it in a way so that it could be reused. . . and it is under the apron.

#767 3 years ago
Quoted from TractorDoc:

Sprayed first coat of clear today.
I'll give this a day or so to cure before sanding flat again to apply the second coat. So far all the touchups are looking good under the new clear.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Poor form to clear over the Hologram decal? Probably. I did not think I'd be able to remove it in a way so that it could be reused. . . and it is under the apron.

Class: DPS Silver. Looking forward to Gold

#768 3 years ago
Quoted from Davi:

Class: DPS Silver. Looking forward to Gold

I'll try. . . maybe at least a Silver Plus.

For bonus points last night I pulled the interconnect board to work on replacing some burnt header pins. The GI input and two playfield connectors were compromised. A couple front/back before pictures.

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I lost one of the pads (due to a cooked board) for the Playfield GI but it was on the opposite side of the trace so I think it will be ok. All the bad stuff out.

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A short time and half a Corona later new header pins are installed.

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Now to complete the repair we need to repin some wires and replace some crispy connectors!

#769 3 years ago

Today's adventures included putting the interconnect board back in its spot and then repinning the wires to the new header pins.

Everything back in place.

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Turn the machine on and I was able to play a clunky game. . . but at least it was generally illuminated!

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#770 3 years ago

I also gave the first coat of clear on the new playfield a good sanding down with 400 grit.

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Looking prepped and ready for the second coat!

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1 week later
#771 3 years ago

Took advantage of some extra time on this Independence Day to spray the second round of clear coat.

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I am liking how things are looking. I believe I will try to sand and polish after applying these two coats -- overall it the playfield will have had three if you count the CPR application.

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This will not be on the level of Neo or Kruzman, but should be nice in the end. After polishing I'll give the clear some time to cure while moving on to disassembling the original playfield. Pics of more sanding and polishing to come.

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#772 3 years ago

Got to see Ashland again on the way to Lima but wasn’t able to stop. Grandma of 92 passed away. 20 grandchildren and 45 great grandchildren. Lived a great life with family. I was lucky enough to to be a Pallbearer and it meant a lot. Wish I would have more time would have been great to see everything you have in action. It’s been great that you log your work for us. Thanks.

#773 3 years ago
Quoted from bssbllr:

Got to see Ashland again on the way to Lima but wasn’t able to stop.

There will always be next time. Invitation is always open.

I had a chance to start sanding the playfield with 1000 grit.

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The playfield surface sanded down flat much easier than I thought it would, but this is the first playfield I've worked on without sunken inserts.

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It is supposed to rain over the weekend -- if it does that should give me the opportunity to continue sanding with 2000 then 3000 grit. More pics to come.

#774 3 years ago
Quoted from TractorDoc:

There will always be next time. Invitation is always open.
I had a chance to start sanding the playfield with 1000 grit.
[quoted image]
The playfield surface sanded down flat much easier than I thought it would, but this is the first playfield I've worked on without sunken inserts.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
It is supposed to rain over the weekend -- if it does that should give me the opportunity to continue sanding with 2000 then 3000 grit. More pics to come.

Looking good!!

#775 3 years ago

Well,
It did not rain much today. . . but it was hot. I took some time to cool off inside and started sanding with the finer grits.

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After a going over with 3000 grit the playfield is starting to give off just a bit of shine.

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Meguiar's 105 cutting compound was used to polish. . .

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Did it work?

#776 3 years ago

To find out I put the playfield thru the "outdoors" test -- meaning that I try to see the outdoors reflected on the playfield in the sunlight. Because of the rain (it was raining at this point) I stayed just inside the opened garage door; I also had minimal sunlight to work with but look carefully and you can see the reflection of a tree in the green area.

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I brought in my work light to better illuminate things. . . I can see the tree a little better and I can definitely see the light.

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Move in closer to one of the solid colors (not much of that on this playfield!) and you can see the old farmhouse in the blue area.

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I'd call this a "pass" for the outdoors test.

#777 3 years ago

I also like to do a "currency test." I suppose you can use most any object, but I like to see the reflection of various types of currency on the playfield.

No large bills today -- Mr. Washington will have to do.

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I also had a Susan B. Anthony Dollar handy to put to the test.

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The currency test is a pass as well.

To be truthful there is the occasional sanding scratch still visible if you look in just the right spot and stand at just the right angle. . . but I'm happy with the overall result. I have to remind myself that sometime in the future a steel ball will be rolling and bouncing across this surface and I doubt it will do it gently.

The playfield will now be left to cure for at least a month (probably more) before waxing -- an important step so as not to seal off the curing paint with wax too soon.

#778 3 years ago

After taking one last Sunny Drive the process of playfield disassembly has begun.

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I did not get too far, but I did find one of the reasons why it was so difficult to visit the fault.

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More pics of parts and pieces to come.

#779 3 years ago

Disassembly continues and the parts table is filling up.

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#780 3 years ago

This post will be a parts/post placement photo archive to reference during reassembly.

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#781 3 years ago

It was too hot to do much outside this weekend, so I spent a couple hours pulling most everything I could (without a de-soldering gun) from the top of the playfield.

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If you look close where I pulled each post I made a notation with a sharpie as to what type/kind it was -- didn't think I could hurt the playfield any more and they should be an extra reference point during reassembly.

The playfield should be ready to move to the worktable soon!

#782 3 years ago

No major Earthshaker update (I have been polishing metal ball guides today) but I did bring home some motivation to get it finished. . .

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Natural Disaster!

I can see why these two games are paired up with one another more often than not -- a great pair to have side by side.

#783 3 years ago

Back to work. . .

The Playfield has been pulled from the cabinet to focus on the underside.

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Close examination found a couple surprises including a cracked/broken subway (luckily available from Starship Fantasy).

I had not noticed it before, but apparently when the flippers were rebuilt in '97 some speaker wire was used in the process.

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I also uncovered a crispy connector on one of the GI Relays. I did wash my hands before eating supper.

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I was able to "remove" about half of the major components before it was indeed time for supper.

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#784 3 years ago

Another photo archive to help with reassembly later.

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1 week later
#785 3 years ago

I was able to separate the wiring harness from the playfield earlier this week. I continued making notes directly on the playfield with a sharpie to note which type of fastener/object/switch/wire color is related to each hole and opening.

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The tumbler has been busy polishing parts. . . next up is the task of removing microswitches from the harness in order to give it a good cleaning.

#786 3 years ago

If you've followed this thread long enough you know that I like to add a couple of my own subtle touches to the games I work on.

Earthshaker will be no different.

The first of those little details will be the spinner. We are a long way from installing a spinner or any other topside playfield feature. . . but sometimes you have to sneak the fun stuff in to keep things interesting.

The original spinner decal is the nifty hologram style -- very flashy and all but I wanted to apply something a bit more ground breaking. The original hologram was rather beat and was removed during cleaning.

Before the virus shut down my print shop connections I was able to get a new decal design printed. . . just some clip art stolen from the web but I think it fits the theme.

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Just a bit of trimming to fit the spinner. . .

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Of course we will have to wait to see how it fits/looks in the game. . . but I think it looks great on the kitchen counter.

#787 3 years ago

Another fun looking forward to days of pinball future post.

I've been a big fan of Pinsider Zitt 's website/offerings of translucent pinball parts -- recently he added a new item to the store in the form of translucent colored pop bumper skirts.

A link to the new skirts: http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-star-trek-the-next-generation-pop-bumper-skirt-p-43.html

Also a link to his "Pop Bumper Configurator": http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/PopBumper.php

I ordered a set of the skirts (as well as bodies, caps, standups, etc.) for Earthshaker and I think they look great in a test fit (I am aware the red and blue need swapped!).

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I already installed a set of the blue skirts in Fathom and could not be happier with how they turned out.

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A big thank you to John for taking on the task of getting these made. . . I can see myself adding them to most games going forward (in addition to a couple that have already been done! ).

1 week later
#788 3 years ago

Definitely overdue for an update.

Over the weekend I stretched out the playfield wiring harness and began the task of preparation for cleaning.

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Thus far I have found some areas of these "new" games to be much easier to work on than the older solid states. The drop target mechanism(s) are a breeze to break apart, clean, and reassemble. The lamp boards are also much more user friendly than countless soldered in lamp sockets.

There are some things though that take a bit more thought, planning, and effort to proceed with properly though -- immediately coming to mind are the large number of microswitches incorporated into the harness. Before subjecting the harness to a good cleaning I photographed and de-soldered each microswitch. . . not the most difficult task but it does take some time.

I also removed each coil form the harness and while doing so documented the details.

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While it rained in the afternoon I finished the job.

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The harness would be getting a wash in the dishwasher not long after. . .

#789 3 years ago

Over the day I've been able to work on cleaning coils and associated brackets/mounts.

The solution in the ultrasonic was clear when I started!

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After the ultrasonic closer inspection of pieces and parts was possible. New pop bumper yokes were added to the order list. I'm trying to hold off placing an order for as long as I can this time. . . there is always something else that needs to be added as I work my way thru everything.

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Also printed/cut/applied new coil wrappers to the coils that needed them.

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I left the coil sleeves at home; reassembly might have to take place after supper.

#790 3 years ago

Last nights project -- reassembling the drop target unit.

Yes, that is a Stouffer's Lasagna purposefully cropped in at the right.

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I did decide to use the translucent drop targets offered by Zitt -- Link http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-star-trek-the-next-generation-drop-target-williams-p-47.html --. I had to modify them from hooded to hoodless to allow clearance for (I suspect) a rubber ring that lives behind the targets. I'm always trying to bring a bit more light to the playfield.

I also had new drop target decals made. I stuck to the original design this time vs. creating something new. . . I thought the translucent targets would be enough of a change.

5J5A4706 (resized).JPG5J5A4706 (resized).JPG

All assembled and backlight -- the solid decals will make the translucent effect more subtle. I hope it carries over to looking good in the game!

5J5A4707 (resized).JPG5J5A4707 (resized).JPG

#791 3 years ago

Today's Task -- Making a new set of Wood Rails.

The originals were rather flimsy and the sides had a good amount of bowing to them. Sure, I could probably buy a new set. . . but I like attempting to make these sorts of things if I can.

I searched the wood pile and found this scrap piece of Cherry for the sides. A piece of hardwood baseboard was utilized for the back panel.

5J5A4709 (resized).JPG5J5A4709 (resized).JPG

Some cutting, sanding, and drilling produced an acceptable set of replacements.

5J5A4711 (resized).JPG5J5A4711 (resized).JPG

Going with blue for the sides may have been a bold choice. . . but this is a colorful playfield and thought it was worth a try. Test fit looks good; hopefull I can install them soon.

5J5A4712 (resized).JPG5J5A4712 (resized).JPG

#792 3 years ago

Focused some attention to the Fault Diverter today.

I noticed during disassembly that the diverter lever had some significant wear at the bottom groove. The top tab was not the prettiest either, but should still be functional.

5J5A4720 (resized).JPG5J5A4720 (resized).JPG

I made a tracing of the lever before anything. . . in case my efforts to repair it caused more harm than good. I decided to try the repair route first vs. trying to make a new lever. Its been awhile since I've welded on metal this thin and thought it possible that I could have burned thru it easily.

After some questionable welding and grinding I have a part that should be functional. . . even if its not very pretty.

5J5A4721 (resized).JPG5J5A4721 (resized).JPG

Placed back on the diverter mechanism proves to be a comfortable fit. Hopefully it should provide years of service.

5J5A4722 (resized).JPG5J5A4722 (resized).JPG

#793 3 years ago

Jumped back to the playfield a bit this weekend.

First things first -- sanding off the "Bronze" status so no one will ever know. . . until they read this thread.

5J5A4713 (resized).JPG5J5A4713 (resized).JPG

I had intended to paint the backside of the playfield with the blue paint I had leftover from Fathom, but when I opened the jar I found the paint had congealed into one large blob. I looked around the paint cabinet and found a can of polyurethane floor coating. . . so I used that instead.

5J5A4714 (resized).JPG5J5A4714 (resized).JPG

The polyurethane dried to a lovely warm wood tone that I'm very happy with -- probably more so than I would have been with the blue paint. I may use this on other playfields going forward.

Once dried I started adding in T-nuts and GI lamp sockets.

5J5A4718 (resized).JPG5J5A4718 (resized).JPG

I'll secure the wood rails next and hopefully start adding mechs on the underside. . .

#794 3 years ago

Glad you didn't paint the undersigned blue. I think that would've looked odd and would've gotten scratched up over time.

#795 3 years ago
Quoted from Blackbeard:

Glad you didn't paint the undersigned blue.

The natural wood definitely looks better this time.

I tend to prefer seeing the colors of wood/grain anyway. . . the Mrs. is always wanting to paint our kitchen cabinets white and I wont let her!

#796 3 years ago

Started the work of wiring in the GI lamp sockets today. I chose to go with insulated wire vs. bare. I'll have to improvise a bit where the subway lives as the original bare wire fit between the playfield and subway with no clearance issues -- that will not be the case with the insulated wire.

5J5A4729 (resized).JPG5J5A4729 (resized).JPG

Also fitted the lower flipper mechs in place. . . but more on that later.

#797 3 years ago
Quoted from TractorDoc:

Started the work of wiring in the GI lamp sockets today. I chose to go with insulated wire vs. bare. I'll have to improvise a bit where the subway lives as the original bare wire fit between the playfield and subway with no clearance issues -- that will not be the case with the insulated wire.
[quoted image]
Also fitted the lower flipper mechs in place. . . but more on that later.

Looking good. Did you make tracing of the wire path from the old pf?

#798 3 years ago
Quoted from topkat:

Looking good. Did you make tracing of the wire path from the old pf?

Thanks!

I did not make a tracing, but I have the old playfield next to me (out of picture frame) and I try to eyeball the path of the wire as I go using holes/dimples as landmarks.

#799 3 years ago

An afternoon rain storm allowed me to get some shop time in.

As noted earlier the flipper mechanisms have been mounted. Even though they were rebuilt in '97 I thought it was time to do it again with another new set of coils.

5J5A4732 (resized).JPG5J5A4732 (resized).JPG

The mech mounting process takes (me) some time as I want to make sure alignment is correct above the playfield. CPR does a good job dimpling the playfield but a lot of times those dimples are off -- a quick example here with dimples next to the holes I actually drilled/used to mount the upper flipper mech.

5J5A4730 (resized).JPG5J5A4730 (resized).JPG

#800 3 years ago

Slow and Steady is/was the pace.

The upper ball popper, drop target unit, Zone 5 kickout, and slingshot arms were mounted.

5J5A4734 (resized).JPG5J5A4734 (resized).JPG

I'm waiting on my new subway from Starship Fantasy to arrive -- in the meantime I did receive my "first" order of new parts. . . including new slingshot arms/plungers to replace the mismatched originals.

5J5A4731 (resized).JPG5J5A4731 (resized).JPG

Another view at the end of the day.

5J5A4735 (resized).JPG5J5A4735 (resized).JPG

The manual calls for the green/lower power coil with the upper flipper. At some point a red coil had been swapped in and that is what I removed during disassembly. I donk know if it was the reason my ramp was cracked (doubt it) -- hopefully the original green coil is strong enough to make the ramp shot easily.

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