Plastic Protectors.

As I had mentioned earlier I like the color accents a set of these can provide (if using something other than clear), but not every game has protectors available from various suppliers. I still have a connection or two that may work out in terms of getting some laser cut, but for Seawitch I decided to take matters into my own hands.

For starters I ordered some Acrylic Plexi in Neon Blue. I suppose I could have gone with yellow too, but at least I know the blue should blend with all the other blues on the playfield. The blue is also more subtle due to reflected light wavelengths and what not (or so I've read ).

I traced the original plastics onto the stock sheet.

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Then I used a table jig saw to cut the shapes -- as best I could. Sometimes leaving a little extra around the edges/curves was to my advantage.

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A belt sander was used to clean up the edges and smooth out the curves.

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At this stage I have the shapes made and a drill made easy work of making the mounting holes.

Done? Not quite. A close look at the edges of the plastics reveals a less than pleasant cosmetic effect. If a laser had cut these the edge would be polished and shiny.

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I tried several techniques to smooth the edges. Ultimately I gave them a sanding down with 80 then 220 grit sandpaper. Then, to duplicate the heat/meltiness that would have resulted from the laser I glazed over the edges with a propane torch.

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I put the plastic in the vise for the picture, normally I held them by hand. Its just hard to take a picture, hold a plastic, and wield fire all at the same time.

Top plastic is sanded and flamed. Bottom plastic is rough cut. Getting closer to a desired result, just not quite there yet.

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Success came when I decided to run the edges of the plastics along the compounding wheel.

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Much smoother. . . with a hint of sparkle!

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Holding the protector under a plastic in the light gives an idea of what type of effect we may see once they are installed. Still the hint of a saw mark or two (or more), but not bad.

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The complete set ready for installation.

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Was it worth the couple hours invested? I suppose we will see once they are installed and the game is together. I will say that I usually set my standards high and at the end was rather pleased for how things turned out. At least I'm pleased with how they look sitting on the kitchen table anyway.

Maybe Xenon needs a set. I have some extra blue stock. . .

Sometimes Yes, Sometimes No. Usually there is enough thread on standard post studs to allow for the protector, plastic, then a threaded nickel acorn nut to secure everything. Resurfacing a Fathom Pic for reference.

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There may be a time when a longer screw / post thread height may be necessary -- I suppose we will find out if that is something we will need to deal with soon on Seawitch!

Dirty Coils getting a bath today.

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I had thoughts of reusing the flipper coils as it looked like they had recently been replaced, but the coil sleeves were rather tight on two of them and one is still stuck in a third. Not going to be setting any records for "Fewest Parts Orders Placed on a Rebuild" with this one.

Thank You!

I have not yet graduated up to that level (zinc/chrome plating). If something is really corroded or rusted I'll blast and paint, otherwise I use the parts tumbler (or just by hand for the bigger stuff). After tumbling I also give parts a hand polish/finish with some White Diamond Metal Polish (I've been known to dump some in the tumbler media as well).

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A link to their (I think) website:

https://whitediamondamerica.com/products/metal-polish-and-sealant

It is advertised as having a sealant to protect the metal. . . so far most of my parts are still looking good. I certainly hope they stay that way.

Marcos is offering free domestic shipping (over $99) thru 05/01/21

Yesterday I busted out the wire snips and started cutting. . . before long I had the playfield wiring harness free and in a blueberry box.

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Before cutting each lamp socket wire I wrote the wire color next to each lamp on the playfield. I'll hang the old playfield on the wall in front of me for a reference when the time comes to reconnect everything.

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A quick reminder of why a playfield swap is appropriate.

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I'll give the wire harness a good cleaning and then my next step will be to secure the new wood rails to the new playfield. I will probably want to attach the original rails to the original playfield again to know proper placement as I don't know if the new playfield has the same alignment of the mounting holes.

I thought it was about time I bring out the new Greatwich playfield from storage.

Here is a side by side of the original and its replacement.

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Right off you will notice the new playfield has more of a purple tone to it. I hear John is working on some potential color corrections in his playfield thread, but whatever. I can live with purple -- it looks better than bare wood.

The arrow inserts at the base of each side of the arc are white in my new playfield, the originals are yellow. This was an early production piece that John sold at a discount. In this case my cheapness resulted in off color inserts. John has since corrected this in all his current playfields.

You may also notice I have not posted about clear coating this new playfield. Perhaps it was a mistake, but it was mostly my intention to leave it without a heavy coat of clear. As you may have read in the past I'm not afraid to spray clear on my own playfields but this time I wanted to experience the sounds and feel of the ball rolling on more of a wood surface -- much like it would have done when the game was new. I love the way a newly cleared playfield looks and it definitely adds a smooth/fast element to the way a game plays. . . but sometimes it is nice to experience a game in more of its original state and that is what I am in pursuit of here. A couple coats of carnauba wax and I'm calling it good.

Like I said, perhaps that was a mistake. We will have to play to find out!

So far so good, but I do have a few concerns that I will address in my next post.

A couple concerns.

I've handled enough playfields in my day to have a general feel of proportions/thickness. The new playfield felt just a bit off to me so sure enough when I compared it to the original the replacement appears to be thinner.

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This is probably better seen when holding up a flipper plate with the screw normally used to hold it to the playfield. On the original it looks like there is about a two ply buffer between the tip of the screw and the playfield surface.

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On the replacement playfield the same test. Barely a ply separates the tip of the screw and playfield surface.

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There may not be an issue with using the original hardware. . . but it will be close. I'm planning on starting with pieces around the periphery to see what happens -- I will not be happy if screw tips start showing thru the new playfield surface.

A second area of note is the pop bumper openings. The new playfield openings are a bit larger than the originals. This picture shows the new playfield in front of the original -- you can see the smaller diameter bumper opening behind the larger one.

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The ball should still hit the bumper skirt ok in this situation, but it does show a bit more of the under skirt bits. Good thing those areas had a good cleaning!

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The thinner playfield will also result in certain things (like the pop bumpers, drop targets, standups, etc.) to sit higher above the surface. While I don't think that will be an issue for the drop targets I do think the pop bumper skirts look a bit out of sorts -- I may have to install a spacer to drop them down to the correct height.

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Such is life when using aftermarket parts. Some of this stuff is to be expected. . . I just hope I do not have to use all new (shorter) securing hardware to attach everything to the underside.

More analysis to come -- things are just getting started!

I agree with all of us.

I busted out the calipers and measured a 0.07 inch difference between the two playfields. I searched my washer bin and found some of the proper size that when paired up measure 0.08 inch. That will probably be the route I take. . . if I can keep the washers from falling out!

Today was simple day so far. Wax on, Wax off. Three coats worth, with several games of JM and SOF between each coat.

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John's playfield has the backside painted gray as the originals did. Gray is ok I suppose, but of course I like to liven things up a bit.

I really would have preferred the look of natural wood with a coating of polyurethane, much like I had done on Earthshaker. Thinking the playfield is already thin enough as it is I chose not to sand it and instead gave it a coat of blue.

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You would not know it from the picture, but the under playfield blue is the same as the darker blue on the cabinet. When the playfield is lifted it all comes together.

A better picture showing the darker blue.

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I chose the darker blue vs. the lighter as I did not want the inside of the cabinet to be all "matchy-matchy," which is how Mrs. TractorDoc describes my fashion sense as I tend to wear similar color attire.

Another achievement today was attaching the first pieces to the new playfield: A beautiful new set of home made wood rails.

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The trickiest one was the shorter inner shooter lane guide, but a couple of clamps helped hold it in place while I drilled pilot holes from underneath. I've chosen not to drill holes in the top of the new rails yet where the plastics and other such pieces attach. Rather than make the plastics fit/line up with the holes, I'll make holes that fit with where I want the plastics.

Giving the new playfield a test fit in its future home.

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Looking good I think!

Next up will be adding new lamp sockets to the underside. I hope I ordered the correct ones!

A quick cell phone picture before leaving for work this morning.

All set up and ready for lamp socket installation.

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I've often said that my best idea is somebody else's -- and for this post that may be the case.

I was reading thru Mudflaps 's Fathom Playfield Swap thread and saw he used these little solder lugs to connect the common wire for the lamps sockets (vs. soldering directly to the lamp socket itself). It should make soldering the wire much easier so I have to give him credit. . . although technically he said he stole the idea from Chris at HEP.

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All new sockets in neat little rows.

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All sockets (I think) installed as of last night. Next up will be the common wire(s) between them, then we can start adding some playfield mechs!

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The screws for the lamp sockets were short enough to begin with so as not to be a problem. The solder lug is a nice little insurance space for those areas though.

It is the Drop Target, Pop Bumper, Flipper Bracket, (and probably a couple others) mounting screws that are a bit longer. I hope to have an update on those soon.

Common wires all in place and soldered to the lugs/sockets.

It looks like a simple accomplishment, but took a couple hours to finish -- maybe with a game or two of pinball here and there.

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Strippin' and Crimpin' over the lunch hour.

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That is the playfield harness. It has been washed and once the re-pinning is done I'll work on replacing pop bumper switch spoons and the white standup targets.

Back at home I was able to install the pop bumper units this evening.

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Opposite View.

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A closer look shows how the washers between the playfield and bumper plate compensate for the difference in playfield thicknesses.

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Topside view.

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An attempt to see how the ball will encounter the skirt and ring. I wonder with the wider openings if I will have any issues with the ball being too close to the edge -- if some trial and error is needed I can always remove one of the washers from under the bumper plate to raise the skirt up a tad higher.

I also have a set of mylar rings waiting to be installed around the base of each bumper.

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I want to get the drop target units installed soon, but first I need to address the carriage bolt/stud post situation that Stern originally used on these games. The plan is to use T-nuts with some longer 6-32 threaded screws, but I need to find some screws long enough for the job. Tomorrow may involve a trip to the hardware store.

Because if it was installed the other way the spoon switch would probably be too close to the drop target unit.

Here is a pic before disassembly to show I'm not making things up as I go.

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Backwards or forwards all look the same on the upper playfield. . . and I guess that is what counts!

A few posts up I mentioned replacing the Classic Stern carriage bolt style screws that were used as stud posts.

I plan to replace them with 6-32 machine screws and a T-nut. Old style carriage bolt on upper left, new replacement on bottom right.

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While the carriage bolts get the job done I've had issues with them wallowing out the hole in the playfield -- this can make it rather difficult to remove the nut/faceted post on the playfield upper surface. I've also had issues with the nuts stripping the threads just above the faceted posts, but this could potentially happen with the new screws too.

Step one is to identify the holes where these screws were used, I'll use two just behind the center drop target bank for this example.

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First I drilled the hole for a snug fit for just the machine screw, I think 1/8" was the size. Next I used a larger diameter drill bit on the underside to create the larger opening needed for the T-nut, but only drilled the larger hole deep enough to seat the T-nut.

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Then I tapped two T-nuts in place.

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Then it is as simple as threading in the new machine screw. All the way in at the left, just getting started on the right.

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Topside pics in the next post.

On the topside we now have two rather long machine screws rising from the playfield.

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The original carriage bolts were around two inches long, but by the time I added the T-nut I went with a two and a half inch long machine screw to make sure I had enough height.

Add a couple posts, washers/nuts to secure them, and some plastics:

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I always cap my plastics with plated acorn nuts. I like the shiny metal look. It is obvious the machine screws are too long, but by putting the acorn nuts on I can see how much I need to trim the screw down for size.

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Trimmed screw on the left, screw needing trimmed on the right. Screws can be trimmed with cutters, a hacksaw, or even just by buzzing them down on the grinding wheel if metal dust is your thing. I always spin a nut on before trimming as it helps straighten the threads out on the end when you spin it back off.

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Now I have to go back and repeat the process about a dozen or more times. I'll also need to pay attention to post heights. I seem to remember some areas had taller posts and other areas with these studs had shorter posts. . . good thing I wrote all this down somewhere.

I moved forward with installation of the remaining T-nuts on the underside of the playfield. I found one hole on my original playfield where the carriage style bolt lives but in John's playfield the hole looks more like it is meant for a threaded post.

The hole in question:

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Easy fix, I used the 1/8" drill bit to make it bigger.

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Today I worked on mounting the first drop target unit.

When it comes to the flipper base plates, pop bumper units, and drop target mechs I never go just by the dimpled/pre-placed holes on the playfield. They can be a good reference, but more often than not I've found there can be variability game to game which might lead to offset placement of parts when viewed from above.

For the first bank, I tried seeing what using the guide holes would look like. The bank definitely looks off center -- this is the main one that faces the player and crooked drop targets would always be the first thing I noticed when I walked up to this game if left like this.

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To fix this I placed the target bank on the work table and moved the playfield around above it until I was happy with the targets being in a more centered, even position.

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In this position I took a black marker and marked the four mounting holes from below. You can see my black dots next to the pre-drilled guide holes.

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I drilled out two opposite corners to give the bank a test fit (I don't drill all four corners in case I somehow messed up my markings). Before mounting the bank I found a spacer washer that I was comfortable with to keep the mounting screws away from the painted surface.

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On the topside with the targets up. Much more pleasing to my eyes.

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Drilled the remaining to mount holes and secured the target bank in place. I'll need to double check the orientation of the coil lugs, but I wanted the coil in for the picture. I also added a bit of insulation between the GI lamp socket and back of the target bank as the two sit very close to each other.

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Two more target banks to go!

The Seawitch upper flippers were originally designed to use a ceramic resistor to lower flipper power (and potentially break less drop targets I suspect).

A look back at my original pictures finds that the resistor is there for both upper flippers, but in the case of one side it has been left unused when the new coils were put in.

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On the other side. . . not sure what the person before me was trying to achieve as wires are soldered to the resistor unit but essentially bypass it. Poor picture taking skills on my part for this one.

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It would be possible to widen/adjust switch gap on the lower flipper units (to reduce upper flipper power) and bypass the resistors all together, but I chose to utilize them in an attempt to see how this game was designed to play. That is if I have them wired in correctly.

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My original resistors look like they are 10 Watt, but I read in the Seawitch thread (and saw pictures) that a 5 Watt, 1 Ohm resistor was used.

Some more pics from this weekends process.

All drop target banks are in place as well as the upper flipper units and slingshots.

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Next should be the lower flippers, then I can think about dropping the wire harness in.

Before clicking the light off for the night I wanted to see how our topside looked with all the target banks up.

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Looks good as far as I'm concerned. I am looking forward to seeing how this game plays with everything refreshed. While I enjoyed playing in its previous state it was not necessary a memorable experience -- I think that may change when things are tight and crisp. Only time will tell.

Thanks! I agree that I like the translucent yellow bodies and skirts. I'm not sure how much I like the original caps on them from a color matching standpoint (the caps vs. the playfield, not the bodies/skirts), but I don't plan on mixing that up just yet. If you like the finished look by all means do the same to yours!

Originals have the blue caps with yellow skulls/dashes around the edge, white bumper bodies, and solid yellow skirts. I tried several combinations and found the translucent yellow to be the most pleasing.

Thanks! I hope so too.

If I can get my act together I'll try to get this one up and playing soon to let you know it its worth it.

Correct on both -- Thanks for the switch correction. Widen upper flipper switch gap to reduce upper flipper power.

Yes, the resistors will get hot and potentially scorch the blue paint. I tried installing them with a little extra leg so they will sit away from the playfield to help out with that. I'd like to try and use them at first; if I am not happy with how things are working I can always bypass or eliminate them.

Last night I worked on getting the lower flipper units and all remaining loose parts secured to the playfield underside.

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A crooked overview of everything in its place.

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Once I install the new faces for the star standup targets the wiring harness will be ready to drop in.

Getting closer.

When similar components need cleaned I'll usually leave one original together while I take the others completely apart so as to have a reference for putting the parts back together.

Can you tell which target is cleaned/new and which is original?

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The wiring harness has been dropped in place and soldering of some of the GI sockets has begun.

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There was not a lot of extra wire/room for some of the lamp sockets on the upper part of the playfield. Most of the sockets have two wires to solder to each lamp tab -- a bit of a challenge for the staple-in type sockets. One or two even had three wires to solder to each tab. I did my best to hold the wires in place with the tip of the soldering iron, added solder, then held the tip of a small flat blade screwdriver down on the wire as I removed the iron (to keep the wires from pulling away).

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It should get easier from here, most everything else has good exposure. I should also start adding bulbs to my lamp sockets. Going with incandescent bulbs on the bottom of this one.

Its been a busy week outside the world of pinball.

I have managed to get the upper half of the playfield wired up and soldered in.

Of note, I made sure to put spacers under the pop bumper spoon switch mounts to make sure they stayed at the same level as on the original playfield/in relation to the new skirt height.

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