Do not replace old rusty or pitted pinballs. They add character to the game. The Millennium Falcon is not new and shiny, is it? Your pinballs should not be as well.

If you are going to take pictures of a machine for sale, remove the legs first and place the machine on a cardboard covered driveway first.

Remove the prop bar for the playfield as it is completely, and utterly useless. Just put the playfield all the way up until it rests against the backbox. Trust me, it won't fall. Have you ever seen one come crashing down from lets say, bumping the machine? me neither.

Sandpaper is good for cleaning plastics, but be sure to only use it on the paint side where the plastic will be protected. If you use it on the top, they will get hazy and scratchy, and it will obscure the image.

Powder coating is overrated. Good old rattle can paint from the Dollar store is just as durable. Blast a few coats on wireforms and you are good to go.

A thin coating of motor oil speeds up play on any game. Add some to a rag and apply liberally to the playfield and then wipe it down. No need to wait for it to dry like wax, because it probably never will. If you get it on metal it is an added bonus because it will prevent rust, and your game will have enough character already because of the rusty balls in it. Plus it is not as noticeable as wax on star posts.

A bench grinder works wonders to spruce up a crappy shooter lane. A good rule of thumb is that when you see smoke, you know that it is working.

Not really a repair tip, but more of a word of advice. My avatar is a copyrighted image. If anyone uses it without permission, I will ask you to submit your personal info via a PM and I will get a legal, non rusty ball rolling, and I will sue you.

Black duct tape over the DMD cuts down glare on the playfield glass. When you drain your last ball, you can just peel back the tape to see your final score, and then reapply for the next game. If you still have the motor oil rag, give the DMD a quick once over, that way the tape will lose some of its stick, and it will be easier to see your score when your game is done.

Duct tape can also be used to reinforce speaker cones especially if they are flimsy. Apply it before the cone gets damaged, that way you are assured of premium sound.

Duct tape the translite in place, DO NOT USE THE PLASTIC CHANNELS TO HOLD IT ONTO THE GLASS. If you have to ask why, you have no right working on a pinball machine.

Fender washers are ugly when used to prevent slingshot plastic damage. So are the clear unbreakable discs that some companies "convince" you that you need. ( What a moneymaking crock that is. ) A few layers of duct tape on the underside of them, and they will be practically bullet proof. The darker the tape, the stronger it is so make sure that you use black, or the camo tape. Just don't drop them upside down in a forest, or you might have trouble locating them.

Got a machine on location? place some duct tape over the coin slot or bill acceptor, and the machine will get less play. Reports of 600 plays in 12 years using this method has worked for lots of operators.

Wrap circuit boards in duct tape to prevent battery acid damage, and keep them looking imamaculate.

If you need to keep your cannon level with the playfield in a Black Rose machine, a few good whacks with a 16 lb. sledge hammer does wonders.

Glass beads are much quieter in a Hyperball than those stupid noisy metal balls.

On a Stargate machine, if you use the flipper buttons and press up up down down left right left right B A start, the call outs will tell you to "Shoot the Pyramid" even more, that way you always have an idea what to aim for.

If you like a machine's game play, but absolutely HATE the artwork, Hire a clown that does children's birthday parties to puke in your GI sockets. Problem solved.

If you have a Star Trek machine and you really want to convey the image that this particular game is themed after lets say, Star Trek, the artwork alone is not going to do this. In this case Ebay is your best friend. Search for "Star Trek figure" or "Completely idiotic and not needed Star Trek waste of good money mod so everyone north of El Paso knows that this is a Star Trek game" and buy them. All of them. Multiples of them. Oh, and a bag of zip ties.

If you have a CPU board that is not working, blow on it like its a Nintendo cartridge.

I wonder if its obvious that I am bored at work.

If you have a back glass that is flaking, chewing gum will work in a pinch.

If you are transporting a machine in bitter cold temperatures, you want to get that baby warmed up as soon as possible, so do not hesitate to turn it on. And I mean first chance that you get.

Ryobi makes a pretty good battery powered weed wacker, that does wonders if you are trying to clean soot off of subways.

To clean and polish screws, nuts, bolts, etc, put everything in a wooden barrel filled partially with coarse sand, and roll it down a mountain.

If you recover a machine that has been in a flood, just fill the cabinet with white rice.

Some non pinheads think that the harder you press the flipper button, the harder the ball will be shot up the playfield. To prevent excessive force used, get a couple of flat head metal tacks and super glue them onto the flipper buttons.

If your plumb bob is too sensitive, fill the cabinet with concrete.

If you have a warped playfield, wedge it in between two sturdy trees that are close together, and twist it in the opposite direction of the warp to correct it.

Do not try to color match paint when doing a playfield worn spot. Use whatever is available and then repaint the rest of the playfield to match.

If you are tired of replacing broken drop targets, carve some new ones out of NERF.

If you lose legs bolts you can always attach the legs to the cabinet with rare earth magnets. Unless it is a Baywatch machine, in that case leave them off.

If you are trying to come up with a re-theme for a Raven machine, here are five suggestions that will work with the existing layout.

1. Not Raven
2.
3.
4.
5.

If you need to repaint a cabinet, there is no need to prep and clean the surface first. Apply the paint with a pressure washer and kill two birds with one stone.

Instead of using a Cliffy to protect a hole, use the force. Luke Skywalker did that when he blew up the Death Star. If you notice just before it exploded, the proton torpedoes did not add any wear to the thermal exhaust port.

Tighten until snug does not work with plastic star posts. You have to really lay into those or they will spin freely.

To polish ramp flaps, use a rotary wire brush in a handheld drill using high RPMs. First apply a thick coat of metal polish, or carnauba wax, or even toothpaste. Go back and forth with a scrubbing motion, but make sure that drill is revved up high. You want that flap to feel hot to the touch. If it just feels warm, give it a few passes with a propane torch. The excessive heat is what gives it its shine. while you have the torch out, you can use the opportunity to flame polish the ramp if its made out of plastic. Hold the flame close, that way none of the heat is wasted. After all, they don't give those tanks away.

If your ramp flap has no rivets, no problem. Put the ramp and the flap in place. Drill corresponding holes in the playfield. Get some dental floss. The good waxed kind. Cut off a length and place one end of the dental floss through one of the holes. Place the other end through the other hole. Lift the playfield and grab both ends of the floss with vise grips. Pull tight. Tie a knot to secure everything to the playfield. To assure that the knot does not come undone, make a golf ball size wad of 2 part epoxy putty and encase the knot in it. Wait for it to set. The waxed floss will help the ball glide over the repair smoothly. Sit back and admire a job well done.

If you want key less entry for a coin door, strategically placed velcro works wonders. Or you can use a self closing spring for a gate, found in most hardware stores mounted behind the coin door.

Another possibility is running a piece threaded rod the length of the cabinet, fasten it in the back of the game, with the front going through a small hole in the coin door. Use an appropriate sized nut tightened finger tight to keep the door closed. To open it, reverse the direction of the nut that you turned it when you were placing it on the rod. Take the nut off and place it on the cabinet speaker magnet so you don't lose it. Do what you have to in the machine, and when you are done replace the nut.

This method is open to modification. If its an Iron Man pinball machine, you could super glue an Iron Man toy head to the nut. If its a Baywatch machine you could use an alien head. If its a Wizard of Oz machine, you could fasten the nut to a yellow brick. If its a Supreme machine, you could fasten the nut to a Supreme brick. If you use this method on a Black Rose machine, DO NOT fasten the nut to a 32lb. cannonball. I tried this and the weight bent the door and I had to remove the door and run over it a few times in my car to straighten it out.

I am glad that I got at least on thumbs up for my last post.

If you have a DMD that has a line out, or the image is garbled, just whack it with a hammer or a wrench like you do to the starter in your car.

I am trying.