Quoted from JRC6000:Thank you, also I never thought about CLR...
Harbor freight always comes through. I'll check them out, thanks.
I have every set except the set that has the screwdriver handle. I use them for all sort of things. Mostly cleaning flipper bearings, and the occasional shooter rod bushing (the older Bally ones that are expensive), among other things.
Quoted from LTG:Half water and half CLR and a .17 caliber brass gun barrel brush.
LTG : )
Quoted from JRC6000:Thank you, also I never thought about CLR...
Harbor freight always comes through. I'll check them out, thanks.
Well, I got the "half water" guessed correctly, but I'm scratching my head as to what this new acronym, CLR, means.
I have some of those HF brushes. None of the brushes I have would be small enough diameter to get inside the Jones plug. I would advise to not buy them unless you can find a local HF for some hands-on inspection.
Quoted from cottonm4:Well, I got the "half water" guessed correctly, but I'm scratching my head as to what this new acronym, CLR, means.
I have some of those HF brushes. None of the brushes I have would be small enough diameter to get inside the Jones plug. I would advise to not buy them unless you can find a local HF for some hands-on inspection.
FBF6F040-0E7E-4280-85CB-B26BC1C70598 (resized).jpegQuoted from Cash_Riprock:[quoted image]
Thanks. Never heard of it before now.
Quoted from cottonm4:I passed on your lamp tester for now. But I saw your bulbs remover and had to have one of those and placed an order for that. You need to put your bulb remover on this thread. Don't keep it such a secret.
Quoted from Karetaker:Thank you cottonm4 I truly appreciate it. The Bulb Remover was made out of necessity. Long ago I bought 11 Bingo Pins and was shopping them. I had several store bought bulb removers and none of them worked as well as they should have. That gave birth to The Ultimate Bulb Remover. I have two more products that I am just about ready to launch. Maybe I'll take one picture of all of them and post it. But, I wanted to stay with the spirit of the post and not turn it into an advertisement for products I'm selling. That's why I didn't post any links to ebay or my Pinside store when I posted the Fuse & Bulb Tester.
Quoted from Karetaker:cottonm4 Thank you SO MUCH for the kind words. I am grateful for the purchase and the glowing review. I was like you. I had bought several different kinds and none of them worked well at all. I knew there had to be a better one that could be made. I have not contacted any pin parts suppliers about selling them. Right now I was just kind of focused on two new products I am bringing to market and a third I am working on designing at the moment. But, I am really happy to hear that you find it such a useful tool. That made my day!
Man, I'm putting your light bulb installer/remover up again for a plug. This has to be one of the handiest tools in my tool box. I'm wondering if you have ever contacted one of the pinball suppliers yet?
It grips the bulbs and does not let go. I just had to use it a couple of days ago so it is fresh on my mind.
Everybody should have one of these. The one on the right.
Quoted from cottonm4:Man, I'm putting your light bulb installer/remover up again for a plug. This has to be one of the handiest tools in my tool box. I'm wondering if you have ever contacted one of the pinball suppliers yet?
It grips the bulbs and does not let go. I just had to use it a couple of days ago so it is fresh on my mind.
Everybody should have one of these. The one on the right.
[quoted image]
cottonm4 thank you so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the kind words. I am ecstatic that you find this such a useful tool. No I have not contacted anyone about them. Right now I wouldn't even have the time I am just swamped with my business. I did manage to bring one new product to market. I just haven't had enough spare time to work on stuff like this. I did just sell two Ultimate Bulb Removers most likely from you posting this. If it keeps up like this I might have to start paying you a commission. 
Quoted from JRC6000:Thank you, also I never thought about CLR...
Harbor freight always comes through. I'll check them out, thanks.
I have every set except the set that has the screwdriver handle. I use them for all sort of things. Mostly cleaning flipper bearings, and the occasional shooter rod bushing (the older Bally ones that are expensive), among other things.
I use a pair of wire cutters. Just dont squeeze too hard.
I also have all the different size board extractors, but I rarely use them.
Not homemade but I just picked these up to work on my newly acquired woodrail since my pinskates aren’t compatible with woodrail legs and I really don’t have enough space for a lift table. I have tried those cheaper three wheeled rollers from harbor freight and I’ve had games slide off of them even with modifications. These screw right into the legs.
DC298DA8-2A34-4614-A2E3-EC9787A9A257 (resized).jpegI get tired of losing my remotes in the couch cushions and thought I would give this try.
I painted the remote with day-go pink but that was of no help.
I was told a mylar ballon filled with helium would float for approximately 30 days. I"ll just have to wait and see how it works. So far, so good.
I’ve been bending 1/8” steel rod, making wireforms for a homebrew, and in the process, wearing out my thumbs. Some bends are particularly difficult to make such as a bend in the Z direction when there is a radius already established in the X,Y plane. Another problem is that when using my thumbs, getting a bend to land in the spot where I want is tricky. Today I came up with these plastic jaws that slide on to my channel locks. They work surprising well bending the rod precisely and with a 60% infill the jaws are durable. This jaw can bend the rod either up or down depending on the insertion point. In the background you can see a different configuration jaw which bends a different shape. I also have a third configuration with a tighter radius.
F24E8F03-7B75-4A65-A636-443137F03D7C (resized).jpegQuoted from Cmartin1235:I’ve been bending 1/8” steel rod, making wireforms for a homebrew, and in the process, wearing out my thumbs. Some bends are particularly difficult to make such as a bend in the Z direction when there is a radius already established in the X,Y plane. Another problem is that when using my thumbs, getting a bend to land in the spot where I want is tricky. Today I came up with these plastic jaws that slide on to my channel locks. They work surprising well bending the rod precisely and with a 60% infill the jaws are durable. This jaw can bend the rod either up or down depending on the insertion point. In the background you can see a different configuration jaw which bends a different shape. I also have a third configuration with a tighter radius.
[quoted image]
These sound interesting. Can you offer more details?
Quoted from Cmartin1235:[quoted image]
another great idea 
Quoted from Cmartin1235:I’ve been bending 1/8” steel rod, making wireforms for a homebrew, and in the process, wearing out my thumbs. Some bends are particularly difficult to make such as a bend in the Z direction when there is a radius already established in the X,Y plane. Another problem is that when using my thumbs, getting a bend to land in the spot where I want is tricky. Today I came up with these plastic jaws that slide on to my channel locks. They work surprising well bending the rod precisely and with a 60% infill the jaws are durable. This jaw can bend the rod either up or down depending on the insertion point. In the background you can see a different configuration jaw which bends a different shape. I also have a third configuration with a tighter radius.
[quoted image]
Neat idea. What material did you use? I'm kinda surprised a 3D printed part held together.
Quoted from Aflacjack:Just ordered the coil sleeve remover. Genius!
I just used my coil sleeve remover yesterday. 10 seconds and the errant sleeve is out. 3rd time in a little over a year. It does not get used much but when you need it.......
Did you get the light bulb installer/puller from the other pinsider seller?
Quoted from cottonm4:I get tired of losing my remotes in the couch cushions and thought I would give this try.
I painted the remote with day-go pink but that was of no help.
I was told a mylar ballon filled with helium would float for approximately 30 days. I"ll just have to wait and see how it works. So far, so good.
[quoted image]
I'm on my 2nd balloon as I figure out how to do this economically. I thought about buying a supply of balloons but have decided buying one already inflated for $3-$4 is the way to go.
They can be refilled for at least once. So I bought a tank of helium from Target's party supply shelf for $23.00. I don't know how many refills I will get but I like having my remote always available so I'll just have to play it by ear.
Quoted from cottonm4:I just used my coil sleeve remover yesterday. 10 seconds and the errant sleeve is out. 3rd time in a little over a year. It does not get used much but when you need it.......
Did you get the light bulb installer/puller from the other pinsider seller?
No but it is next
cottonm4 Regarding the channel lock jaws, I drafted them in Fusion360 to match the width of my channel locks. It took a bit of trial and error to get the thicknesses correct so they would not crack and the jaws would line up roughly parallel with 1/8" gap in between. I printed them with PTEG at 60% density. They hold up fairly well but I expect to have to print extras as they wear out. I do my larger bends by hand and use the "thumb saver jaws" to make the smaller bends when tuning the shape.
Quoted from Cmartin1235:cottonm4 Regarding the channel lock jaws, I drafted them in Fusion360 to match the width of my channel locks. It took a bit of trial and error to get the thicknesses correct so they would not crack and the jaws would line up roughly parallel with 1/8" gap in between. I printed them with PTEG at 60% density. They hold up fairly well but I expect to have to print extras as they wear out. I do my larger bends by hand and use the "thumb saver jaws" to make the smaller bends when tuning the shape.
Thank you.
I wanted to see if this would work.
I had a piece of dowel rod and an extra shooter tip.
This is white shooter tip. (Work with me here)
Drill a hole in the shooter tip.
Take piece of 3/8" dowel and a large drill bit. Drill a concave area on one end.
From the inside of the shooter tip run a screw through the hole you drilled in the shooter tip.
And then screw the shooter tip to the concave area you drilled in the dowel rod.
Congratulations, you have just made a lamp removal tool. The white shooter tip is too weak to work. But a black shooter tip gets the job done.
It works and it works well. However, I like the one I bought from the pinsider who selling lamp removal tools better than this. But it does work. If you have some dowel laying around and an extra shooter tip, you can make a lamp removal tool that will work better than that piece of trash that you buy from the pinball websites. In a pinch, it will get you by.
EDIT: Take a Q-tip and some alcohol to wash any mold release agent from the inside of the tip. This will help it grip a little better.
Quoted from cottonm4:From the inside of the shooter tip run a screw through the hole you drilled in the shooter tip. And then screw the shooter tip to the concave area you drilled in the dowel rod. Congratulations, you have just made a lamp removal tool.
What I really like about this is that you can make several, of different lengths. The ones that Bally used to supply in every EM packet were good for tight clearances, but the 2" of dowel gets tiring when you have to use it a lot. Some uses, like backbox insert lights, are more comfortable with at least 6" of dowel. You change a lot of bulbs at once if you are converting to LED or you accidentally got a higher voltage into the lamp circuit. (Not that I am admitting to having done either of those things.)
.................David Marston
Just saw this topic yesterday and read through the whole thing. I like seeing what everyone has come up with.
Here are two simple ones I have made that I don't think I saw:
Cleaning and waxing sticks for hard to reach areas:
LED hue and brightness tester. I typically strip out all the old bulbs during a resto and dump them in a tub and at the end I go through and organize them all.
Oops.
Just found out that the right translation for the German word "Kabelbaum" is not "cable tree" but "wiring harness"
Quoted from Thunfisch:Oops.
Just found out that the right translation for the German word "Kabelbaum" is not "cable tree" but "wiring harness"
In my mind, cable tree makes more sense!
I’m distracted easily and sometimes would forget to shut off the soldering iron. Fried tips, fear of burning down the shop, etc. Installed a timer so I could rest easier. Works great and saves gas from turning around to go back to see if I shut off the soldering iron!
3EFD5821-EC78-44D8-9B83-DA76B577A28B (resized).jpegI have mine plugged into an Alexa smart outlet that I have programmed turn off at 2AM (I'm usually in the shop until midnight or 1AM).
I made a battery-operated LED work light based on an idea from Adam Savage. Nice in a dark room. Details: https://ty-ffasi.com/diy-led-work-light/
clamp light (resized).pngQuoted from mark532011:I used one of those flapper sanding wheels, Stuck a piece of velcro to the end of it. Then I grabbed one of my old big foam polishing discs and cut a small circle of it. Since it was velcro-backed I could simply stick it on and put the whole thing in the drill. This allows me to polish the playfield and do the mylar without worrying about grinding off the paint in the non-mylar areas.
This tool did not work as well as I had hoped, I thought the concept was good and it was probably the execution. low and behold Harbor Freight just sent me a ad with a similar tool.
Capture (resized).PNGQuoted from mark532011:This tool did not work as well as I had hoped, I thought the concept was good and it was probably the execution. low and behold Harbor Freight just sent me a ad with a similar tool.[quoted image]
I always wondered about this magical polish tool to clean up your headlights. This answered my question. Thank you.
There is just no substitute for elbow grease.
You have to sand the lenses with 500 grit sandpaper, followed by 600 grit, followed by 800 grit, followed by 1000 grit, 1200 grit, then 1500 grit, then polish.
Quoted from cottonm4:I always wondered about this magical polish tool to clean up your headlights. This answered my question. Thank you.
There is just no substitute for elbow grease.
You have to sand the lenses with 500 grit sandpaper, followed by 600 grit, followed by 800 grit, followed by 1000 grit, 1200 grit, then 1500 grit, then polish.
An alternative is to sand with 500 sandpaper and clear coat. I did it a couple times on two different cars and no longer had to worry about the yellow coming back.
Quoted from lb1:An alternative is to sand with 500 sandpaper and clear coat. I did it a couple times on two different cars and no longer had to worry about the yellow coming back.
What kind of clear coat? Rattle can? Polyurethane? Epoxy?
A better version of a pin removal tool for flat Molex connectors. A little easier on the hands than that that flat piece of metal they offer.
I used a “precision” 1/16” screwdriver and ground the shaft flat for the length of the connector housing. I had to grind a little bit off of the side to make it fit easier. It took several tries to get it right, so be prepared.
47B8B6CA-8D00-4F58-A061-EC1616648FCD (resized).jpegQuoted from Billc479:A better version of a pin removal tool for flat Molex connectors. A little easier on the hands than that that flat piece of metal they offer.
I used a “precision” 1/16” screwdriver and ground the shaft flat for the length of the connector housing. I had to grind a little bit off of the side to make it fit easier. It took several tries to get it right, so be prepared.
[quoted image]
The $1.00 orange pick set from Harbor Freight works great for this as well. Easy to spot rolling around in a toolbox with being bright orange, nearly impossible to break, and when you do, just buy a new set of 4 for $1.00.
Yours looks like it'd do the .100 better though, so definitely worth making.
A tile suction cup lifter which works great to provide a handle when lifting playfields in and out of the cabinet. Note it only works on smooth playfields (no raised inserts).
1025211949 (resized).jpg
Added over 2 years ago: See below
Quoted from killerrobots:A tile suction cup lifter which works great to provide a handle when lifting playfields in and out of the cabinet. Note it only works on smooth playfields (no raised inserts).[quoted image]
Be careful that you don't rip off the topcoat and artwork...
Thanks for the warning, that hadn't occurred to me. Although I haven't had any problems I can see it could happen.
Quoted from killerrobots:A tile suction cup lifter which works great to provide a handle when lifting playfields in and out of the cabinet. Note it only works on smooth playfields (no raised inserts).[quoted image]
Not to be a jerk, but this seems like a terrible idea. I've never found this to be a problem. Lifting by the apron is fine and secure. It seems like a dangerous solution to something that isn't a problem.
Quoted from killerrobots:I actually deleted the post as to not get anyone else in trouble.
I still can see your suction lifter
Here is a quick picture of some of my modified tools for EM Gottlieb pinballs
1) The jumper is for the bottom cabinet:
1a) I bypass the reset parts of the playfield.
1b) makes it easier to work on the reset sequence of the main cabinet; drum units...
2) modified flat screw drive, to get completely into the head of the flat screws Gottlieb uses.
IMG_0002[1] (resized).JPG
Quoted from Thunfisch:I still can see your suction lifter
I drained it but apparently that only hides it from me. All I can do now is strike it out.
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