Best just to clean around them as prying them up could result in minor Playfied/Rail damage as they are pressed in and sometimes glued as well. Usually when folks remove those it is for Cleacoating purposes. Pulling them out for cleaning alone is overkill and not warranted IMO.

Ken

Agreed. Only pull them when doing a complete playfield teardown. If you do have to remove them for a restoration, pry them out slowly using a screwdriver with the tip on a solid piece of metal something like 1/8" aluminum stock or an old flipper base plate.

what game? is it the ones in the shooter lane like this or the ones on the playfield

the ones on the playfield are just nails, pry slowly and they come off. i put a piece of tooth pick in the hole when reinstalling the to give the nail something to bite on.
the shooter lane guides us twisted nails a little bit harder but they come out without much effort.
there was a guy selling repro sets from SS for around 22 bucks
i just flip them over and polish the other side looks great. not many games used the shooter lane guides

20140222_203349.jpg

If you don't have to take them off, do yourself a HUGE favor David and don't. There's no need. Polish them in place.

Me, I broke 4 of the ends off my ball rail guides taking apart my Baby Pac-Man. I'm doing a whole PF restore on it though so they had to come off. I took my time pulling them out of there too. The ends are broke off and still inside the PF. Don't know what I'm going to do about the guides now. Anyone know where to find repos or have any other ideas?

Thanks and GL to you David.

Only thing I can think of is to measure really well and drill a small hole from underneath and punch them out the top carefully. May have to clamp a post, really thick washer, standoff or something similar around the opening to prevent it from chipping up the surface on the way out.

I was thinking of taking a nail the size of the hole and driving the end deep down into the PF. If that doesn't work, a very small drill bit from the top of the PF down and try to just chew it up and out.

Any ideas where I can get all new ball rail guides for BPM? Someone must make and sell these things.

i think these are the best for removing broken screws

extractor.png

Do you mean the rails discussed in this thread?

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jumping-jack-metal-rails#post-1436086

i am cornfused! what are we talking about?

I think he is talking about the chrome wireforms that are crimped on each end and then hammered into the playfield. Like the flipper inlane wireforms on early Bally SS.

You didn't state why you want to remove them. Don't remove them unless you really need to. You will only introduce the opportunity to screw up either the lane guide or the playfield surface or both.

They are pinched below the surface so they will bite and hold when installed. That's why there is resistance.

If you want to polish them just take some Mothers Mag Polish, in the paste form, and polish them. They will look like new.

Let us know.

Mike O.
Team-EM

Anyone know of anyone who sells or makes new ones? As I stated earlier, I broke some on my BPM. Thanks.

I bookmarked this awhile ago just in case.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/need-to-find-wire-ball-guide-for-a-road-show

I've had really good luck using pin punches to remove broken wire guides. Insert the largest size that will fit into the existing hole and hammer the broken leg out the bottom of the PF. Definitely check to make sure there isn't something mounted on the backside that could potentially block the path of exit.

99e1746a-bbcb-47eb-b015-179de932c93c_400.jpg

Somewhat related to this post, I recently removed a screw that broke in a very inconvenient way by routing out the backside of the playfield and extracting it with a pair of needle nose vise grips.

Full account of the ordeal is here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-remove-a-broken-screw

Thanks for the help and ideas guys. I think I'm going to buy some 3/32 SS rod and bend all new rail guides. Only thing is, how would I make that crimped wing that bites into the wood preventing it to come up and out?

you don't need the wings just a dab of wood glue will hold them tight.

Okay, thanks again all. I bought 10 - 1 foot 3/32 polished stainless steel rods. I'm just going to measure, cut, heat where I need to bend it, bend it then install. This should go smoothly, but if something can be screwed up, I'LL find a way to screw it up. LOL Oh well, I'll try my best.

BTW, I have the entire PF stripped and I have put 3 coats of clear on it. I'm going to drive the broken ends still in the wood down into the wood and out the back. Then I'm going to fill the holes up with wood putty for the new rails to have a real tight solid base. Then I'm going to sand the PF and give it another 4 coats of clear sanding with finer and finer paper all the way up to 2000 grit. Then install the new PF decal and then repopulate it. Lastly, I'll drive the new ball guides in. Say a prayer for me.

what game are you working on? you installing a PF overlay?

Baby Pac-Man. Yes, a gorgeous overlay from Phoenix arcade.

that small pf should be a piece of cake. soapy water is your friend with overlays, gives you ample time to get it lined up
i have done some repairs over years on those vidiot boards what a pain in the ass! but once rebuilt they run strong.
post some before and after pics, i always like to see the transformation,

yeah, I have some experience with sign decals. This will be a breeze. I didn't really take pics. Only a few crappy vids with my phone to help me when I put it back together.

Don't know if this thread will be of help to anyone .... http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/making-a-tool-for-gottlieb-ball-guide-rails Usually, Gottlieb drilled the holes for the guides all the way through the playfield so you can get to it with a pin punch from the underside or the top if needed. When they break, you have to make a new one because they are now too short to hold the rail in place anymore. If you remove them from the bottom with a punch, you have to alternate back and forth to prevent the rail from getting tweaked in the hole. If this happens, they can snap or even worse, do damage to the playfield art. Keep it slow and with a light touch.

Steve

Thanks for the thread link BF. That's a cool homemade tool. Wish I could make one. I don't have the welding gear. How long did it take you to make? Would you have time enough and be willing to make 1 for me and I'll pay ya?

This afternoon I bought 3/32 SS rod. I didn't like reading that you thought it was to soft. Ughhh. Think it will be that bad?

Thanks BF.

Derek.

Unfortunately, can't help with making another stamp. If you want to send me a rail that you bent and shaped, I can however stamp it for you and send it back. PM me if you want to try this.

Steve